For generations, identity has been tied to occupation. The question “What do you do?” has served as shorthand for purpose and place.

These figures were often viewed simultaneously as visionaries, charlatans, and threats. The pattern is consistent: periods of disruption do not merely produce instability, but also new interpreters of reality.

There is also an uncomfortable truth: the global financial system has incentives not to look too closely. Real estate markets benefit from inflows of capital. Banks profit from transaction volume.