The Second Coming<\/a>. Reading his discussions today, it\u2019s hard not to feel surprised by his “prophecy,” which is why he is often regarded as one of the most insightful philosophers of this century.<\/p>\n\nBifo noted, shortly after Trump\u2019s first election victory, that a global civil war was already beginning to take shape. White workers\u2014being the backbone of centre-left liberalism over a few decades\u2014have begun to revolt against democracy and globalism out of fear of decline. Bifo argued that this conflict represents a clash between neoliberal globalists and anti-globalist nationalists, a confrontation that has escalated over the past ten years. The catastrophic outcome of a global civil war no longer seems far-fetched.<\/p>\n\n
This war differs from past conflicts between empires. It is a widespread internal struggle among hostile families, tribes, populations, and religions driven by a thirst for vengeance. Workers, migrants, and the unemployed once had the basis for solidarity, but with the collapse of internationalism, the interests of Western white workers are increasingly at odds with those of the emerging Global South\u2019s migrants, refugees, and unemployed populations. This divergence has led to conflict, opposition, and even endless life-and-death struggles\u2014a trend increasingly apparent in the recent wave of global anti-immigration movements.<\/p>\n\n
The will to vengeance is particularly striking in the US. The masses once subscribed to the neoliberal promise of individualism and the philosophy of winning, but they have been deceived. Neoliberalism has failed to deliver personal success. Impoverished white Americans are now living in cramped conditions, bereft of hope and imagination. What they crave is a restored sense of self-identity that makes them feel powerful again.<\/p>\n\n
As neoliberal capitalism reaches its limits, its irreconcilable crises manifest as a global civil war: civil wars within the Western world (e.g., the Russia-Ukraine conflict) and between the Global North and Global South (with immigration and refugee issues at the forefront).<\/p>\n\n
Once all possibilities for “commonality” are extinguished, what awaits us is the apocalyptic vision of global civil war. So Bifo said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recently, the killing of Charlie Kirk has sparked intense reactions online, with an outpouring of tributes and condolences. Whether he is seen as an orator or a saint, Chinese internet users have expressed their sorrow, with some claiming his death symbolises the collapse of intellectual debate and the crumbling of Western democratic values. Others suggest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145170531,"featured_media":6535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[776957933],"tags":[776958085,776958076,776957961],"class_list":["post-7068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category--en","tag-editors-words","tag-newsroom","tag-the-second-coming"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pai6UY-1Q0","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6890,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2025\/09\/01\/editors-words-imagining-a-future-beyond-trauma-in-the-impending-apocalypse\/","url_meta":{"origin":7068,"position":0},"title":"[Editor’s Words] Imagining a Future Beyond Trauma in the Impending Apocalypse","author":"\u624b\u6c11\u51fa\u7248\u793e","date":"01\/09\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019ve been receiving various feedback from readers regarding our \"Read One, Gift One\" campaign for The Second Coming. We are deeply grateful to readers for their generous sharing. Among the responses, many found it difficult to connect with the title, The Second Coming. Only those with a background in literature\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hong Kong Studies Newsroom"","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong Studies Newsroom","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/category\/%e9%a6%99%e6%b8%af%e5%ad%b8%e8%a1%93%e6%83%85%e5%a0%b1%e5%ae%a4-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7075,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2025\/09\/18\/my-suggestion-is-desertion-good-life-will-be-possible-only-in-islands-of-autonomy-from-history-%e2%94%80%e2%94%80an-interview-with-franco-bifo-berardi\/","url_meta":{"origin":7068,"position":1},"title":"“My suggestion is: desertion. 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He even goes so far as to say \"In cultural and political terms these fifty years [from 1968 to now] look like a geological era.\" Bifo makes this claim because, viewed from cultural and political perspectives,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hong Kong Studies Newsroom"","block_context":{"text":"Hong Kong Studies Newsroom","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/category\/%e9%a6%99%e6%b8%af%e5%ad%b8%e8%a1%93%e6%83%85%e5%a0%b1%e5%ae%a4-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/editorswords.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7253,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2025\/10\/23\/the-failed-hong-kong-protest-of-summer-1986-an-interview-with-marcus-yee\/","url_meta":{"origin":7068,"position":4},"title":"The \u201cFailed\u201d Hong Kong Protest of Summer 1986: An Interview with Marcus Yee","author":"\u624b\u6c11\u51fa\u7248\u793e","date":"23\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Editor's note: In the summer of 1986, Hong Kong witnessed a groundbreaking protest that combined global and local mobilisation\u2014the movement against the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant. With over one million signatures in support and 116 groups forming a cross-sector alliance encompassing trade unions, neighbourhood groups, environmental organisations, and district\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notebook"","block_context":{"text":"Notebook","link":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/category\/notebook-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/webpost-profile.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/webpost-profile.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/webpost-profile.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/webpost-profile.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/typesetter.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/webpost-profile.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7030,"url":"https:\/\/typesetter.hk\/en\/2022\/10\/10\/is-it-possible-to-break-monopolies-and-privatisation-on-public-platforms-an-interview-with-platform-capitalism-author-nick-srnicek\/","url_meta":{"origin":7068,"position":5},"title":"Is it Possible to Break Monopolies and Privatisation on Public Platforms? \u2013 An Interview with Platform Capitalism Author Nick Srnicek","author":"\u624b\u6c11\u51fa\u7248\u793e","date":"10\/10\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Nick Srnicek\u2019s predictions in the book have come true. 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