Here are some really dark and grim facts about the US dollar that most people prefer to ignore (data as of February 2026):
Since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, the dollar has lost ~96.8–97% of its purchasing power
What you could buy for $1 in 1913 now costs roughly $31–$35.
In other words: The Federal Reserve (the system meant to “stabilize” the currency) has enabled endless money printing → chronic inflation → a silent theft of savings from ordinary people. Many call it legalized wealth transfer from the middle and lower classes to those who own assets (stocks, real estate, bonds, gold).Nixon Shock in 1971 – end of the gold standard turned the dollar into pure fiat paper
Until then, the dollar was at least partially backed by gold. Nixon unilaterally ended it because the US was spending more than it had (Vietnam War + Great Society programs). Since then, the government + Fed can create dollars out of thin air – essentially unlimited. Result? Explosive debt growth, recurring crises (2008, 2020, …), and a dollar that's basically backed by trust in the US military and global hegemony.Weaponization of the dollar – the US's biggest weapon in the world
The US uses dollar dominance (SWIFT, clearing systems, central bank reserves) for sanctions, asset freezes, and financial warfare against adversaries (Iran, Russia, Venezuela, etc.).
Critics (including some allies) call it financial imperialism – freezing billions just because someone disagrees with US policy. Result? Even allies (Saudi Arabia, India, China, Brazil) are rushing to build alternatives (BRICS payment systems, CIPS, local currencies, gold). In 2025–2026, it's increasingly seen as a self-defeating move – the US is sawing off the branch it's sitting on.More than half of all $100 bills are held outside the US – the dollar is de facto global black-market cash
Huge volumes of dollars circulate in the shadow economy, corruption, drugs, arms, and bribes worldwide. The US quietly tolerates it because it sustains demand for the dollar (the so-called “exorbitant privilege”). In plain terms: America's currency is the world's most-used tool for global crime and corruption.Hyperinflation potential – all fiat currencies eventually fail
No fiat currency in history has lasted forever without massive devaluation. Since 1971 (end of gold backing), fiat currencies have seen the highest average inflation in history. If trust in the US cracks (debt over $38.6 trillion, political instability, geopolitical blunders), a rapid loss of confidence could come – and the dollar could lose reserve currency status within a decade (or faster).
So in summary – the dollar isn't “just a currency.” It's a tool of power that let the US live way beyond its means for decades, but at the cost of quietly robbing its own citizens of savings, financially extorting the rest of the world, and building a massive debt + distrust bomb that could explode at any time.
