Higgenbotham wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 11:49 am
Though I expect this to be the type of crime that will be committed with increasing frequency (while being ignored by the media and others)...as the new dark age tightens its grip.
Higgenbotham wrote: Fri Oct 24, 2025 11:57 am
It's no longer accurate to say that Trump is "just another liberal," though he is far from a conservative. At this point he really has differentiated himself, which is what he needs to do to survive...as the new dark age tightens its grip.
AI Overview
The phrase "as the new dark age tightens its grip" is a contemporary, dramatic expression used in informal commentary, likely a political or societal forum, to describe a perceived decline in intellectual, cultural, or political progress. It is not a widely known quote from a specific historical figure or prominent text.
The expression alludes to the historical concept of the Dark Ages, a term coined by the Italian scholar Petrarch to describe the period in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, characterized by a perceived lack of cultural and scientific advancement and a scarcity of historical records.
In the search results provided, the phrase appears in a few posts on a specific online forum, "Higgenbotham's Dark Age Hovel," where users are discussing current events, a "new dark age," and figures like Trump.
The phrase is an evocative metaphor intended to suggest a period of regression or crisis, using strong imagery of a "grip tightening" to imply an intensifying, negative situation. Its usage is generally subjective, reflecting the speaker's personal view of current events rather than an objective description or an established term.
AI Overview
The phrase "as the new dark age tightens its grip" is a rhetorical expression used to evoke a sense of deepening decline in intellectual, cultural, or societal progress. It suggests a contemporary period is entering a phase characterized by ignorance, a breakdown of established institutions, or general societal decline, similar to how the historical "Dark Ages" were traditionally (though often inaccurately) perceived.
The phrase itself does not have a single famous origin or author but appears in contemporary discourse, particularly in informal settings like online forums, where individuals discuss current political or world events. It is a descriptive, often hyperbolic, way of expressing concern about negative trends such as:
Political instability or the decline of democratic norms.
Economic hardship or resource scarcity.
A perceived decrease in critical thinking or the rise of misinformation.
In essence, the user of the phrase is expressing a personal or shared anxiety about the future, suggesting a return to a more primitive or chaotic state of affairs.
Not too bad. I'll grade AI an A-.
At present, I'm the only one in the world using it, as indicated by search. It's rare for any phrase like that to be found nowhere else.
The phrase "new dark age tightens its grip" is not a widely known quote from a prominent public figure but rather a descriptive phrase used in contemporary commentary, often in online forums, to express a sense of worsening societal conditions.
The phrase suggests:
A "new dark age," implying a decline in knowledge, progress, reason, or stability, perhaps due to political polarization, the misuse of technology, or a breakdown in social order.
The "tightening grip" emphasizes that this perceived decline is intensifying and becoming more pervasive and difficult to escape.
The specific phrasing appears multiple times in a single discussion thread on an online forum (gdxforum.com), where users are discussing current events and potential future crises, linking it to political figures like Donald Trump and a general sense of societal decay. In this context, it is used to describe a pessimistic outlook on the current state of affairs.
Other contemporary discussions also touch upon related themes, such as the "digital dark age," referring to the potential loss of data and cultural heritage due to rapidly changing technology and data formats.
Better.
Though, with just a few exceptions, there is no intent to imply pessimism or anxiety in these posts. There was something I posted or read about that was so horrific that it bothered me, but that's typically not the case. It just is what it is. The phrase is mostly meant to provide imagery to better describe the cycle. As the new dark age tightens its grip, so Donald Trump will react by tightening his grip if he intends to survive. As the new dark age tightens its grip, so many ordinary people will be metaphorically gasping for air as they struggle to hang on.