Quality of life is trending down for majority of americans. National debt is dramatically increasing, yet more government services gets cut. Sht getting more expensive. Corruption is unchecked. Feels like folks have gotten stupider with the rise of antivax and conspiracy nonsense
I think a lot of this is that the vestiges of the stability of the WWII/Cold War era are done, and there is a lot of concern about where we are headed going forward, especially in the West. The USA especially has been very insulated until recently - and I see a very high level of entitlement in the West, especially from the politicians and the ruling class. The birth rate issue is something that a lot of people are not comfortable discussing, but it is a real issue. Complicating that is the instability that resulted in immigration into Europe. The USA has issues with their Southern Border. I know several years ago, when I would go to downtown Chicago there were Venezuelans everywhere. They were nice people, mostly women and children and families. The Chicago PD treated them well, and people in Chicago were generous with them. However I knew this was going to become a problem - you cannot have every street corner in Chicago with homeless refugees, especially when there were already groups of people in Chicago that needed resources. Completely agree on social media - I don't think that the West (especially) really has settled on the limits and protocol on how to use it. As for Europe versus the USA. I have thought a lot about this - I have had property in Europe, spent many months at a time there in the past. While I do have some serious concerns about the USA, I have more concerns about Europe. Politics in Europe are becoming more extreme, even in places like the UK. Places like Poland and Hungary and Slovenia all have authoritarian governments. The racial issues in places like Italy, France, Germany are extreme and getting worse. Even a place like the UK, which is trending extreme - but not there yet, they are bordered by countries with more issues. Plus, there is the history involved, there has been history of war in these places.... not to mention Russia in the mix, concerns over fuel in Europe -etc. I think that there is even more concerns long term in Europe that Americans do not appreciate because they are not in Europe.
Good all around post. What you are describing here is cyclical and/or life cycle related. There is ample literature about birthrate trends, not in just humans, but other species as well. Birthrate tends are incredibly important to nation states but not as a species as a whole. The 20's looks very similar to today in the United States. As far as global capitalism, (which leads to your 3rd point) this has always been a trend for the last several thousand years - A nation state finds a rare resource, capitalizes on it, creates a powerful regional civilization that thrives locally but exploits its neighbors. The 'world' continues to expand. First it was Mesothelioma, then onto Africa/Asia/Europe, then onto the Americas and now every sovereign nation now has the capability to provide goods globally in a couple days, if not hours or even instantaneously for digital products. Eventually these civilizations reach the point you describe at the end - fat, lazy and <s>happy</s> miserable. In these civilizations/power houses, it eventually becomes unpopular to conscript and send ones soldiers off to war, so these nations tend to use mercenaries (earlier civilizations) or go about using proxy wars (modern - like Ukraine) to resolve physical conflicts. Eventually, it all implodes via multiple conduits like debt overload, general incompetence (The USA unable to manufacture as large scale), citizens who lose all purpose community and nationalism ... a whole range of issues. Ultimately, this is a life cycle all powerful countries/civilizations go through - most get noted in history and some continue to thrive by adapting and letting new more powerful countries take the lead. The fundamental issue with the internet has always existed. The second most powerful weapon developed right after the discovery of bashing a blunt instrument over some ones head (physical war) was the advent of propaganda. Its has 1) always existed 2) everyone is susceptible In my fanatical deep dive into Bitcoin, I can point out two concerns with your point #3: 1 - The key issue with the internet (and I will refer to it as communication) is spam. Likewise, spam is nothing new either. The internet has driven the cost of communication down to almost zero. Anytime something goes down to near zero, spam occurs. (which is one of the major reasons why it costs to transmit Bitcoin). When communication costs go to zero, propaganda becomes extremely powerful. For example, if anyone sending spam was required to pay $.01 to the recipient of an email, email spam would go down drastically. The same with text messaging and social media. The ultimate issue is the near zero cost to communicate all in the efforts for tech companies to boost stock prices in exchange for volume. 2 - space/time disparity. I was recently listening to a liberal podcast crowing on about how liberals are great at solving problem by using Gov Josh Shapiro/I95 incident and their capability of rebuilding a key bridge in days instead of years. Shapiro bypassed all the rules and regulations. In this instance, we had a competent (very rare) governor who understood the need to push aside gov regulation. However we can't do that with everything. The opposite side is that we need to remove unnecessary regulations that no longer apply. In other words, we need balance. Not too fast. Not too slow. The internet provides information too fast. There is a significant gap between the cause (why did someone kill Kirk) vs effect (Kirk getting shot). In between this gap, we are spammed with massive amount of propaganda and often people get programmed with the wrong information, further complicating the problem. TLDR; upcoming American generations will have to work harder and smarter to achieve what their Boomer counterparts accomplished because global economics (ie: the rest of the world is not left in shambles like the 1940's) is much more competitive. Productive minded people will do much better than the service minded people. (make a $3 sandwich at home instead of door dashing $25.00 shitty chipotle). Door dashing has become one of the most degenerate behaviors for able people. Fat. Lazy. Unhappy.
Dr. Arnim Zola: HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you tried to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew, a beautiful parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For 70 years, HYDRA has been secretly feeding crises, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed. Natasha Romanoff: That's impossible. S.H.I.E.L.D. would've stopped you. Dr. Arnim Zola: Accidents will happen. HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's New World Order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life, a zero sum! Hydra Won. Rocket River
Late Stage Capitalism is about STOPPING innovation more than improving it Late Stage Capitalism is run by corporation who find it more profitable to stop newcomers from entering the market than R&D If they cannot buy out the competition they stifle it They move toward Oligarchy and monopolies. Control by the Rich Rocket River
One phenomenon that's been on my mind is the way capitalism is thinning our human experience and that trend will likely only accelerate. A lot of this is executed with the internet and enshittification, but capitalism is the driver. I'm thinking how more of friendships are served with online communication, business meetings are virtual, teens sit in rooms together texting each other instead of talking, dating is driven by apps, p*rn is replacing sex, customer service is conducted by chat, storefronts are replaced with websites, board games are replaced with phone games, memes replace personal wit, AI replaces expertise, on and on. In each area, something we used to do in person is facilitated by a computer and in many ways is augmented, becoming faster, cheaper, etc, but thinner from the pov of human interaction. And the thing about capitalism is this. There is this idea about the reproductive replacement cost of a workforce -- that capital needs to be labor enough not only to sustain their own work pace for decades, they need to pay labor enough to simultaneously raise and train children to replace them as labor in the future. That reproductive replacement cost is the equilibrium the market will seek. Well, every time we find a cheaper way to conduct our affairs and maintain our sanity by replacing a human interaction with a computer interaction, that benefit effectively lowers the reproductive replacement cost of the workforce and the benefit is reaped by capital. Then those human experiences -- seeing live theatre instead of a movie, hiring a classy escort instead of watching a porno, having a shirt made for you by a tailor instead of mass-produced by a sweatshop in Thailand, attending a residential college instead of getting your degree online -- those things become perks only rich people can afford. If you are one of the people who benefit from the returns on capital you can still talk to people, but most people are getting increasingly isolated. And the billionaires have monetized their lives and put it in the bank.
Agreed. The rising efficiency of our systems are not benefiting the majority We produce more than ever but will also have more hungry than ever We almost have more houses than people Rocket River
It’s the End of the World as We Vote It (and They’re Just Fine) (Parody of R.E.M.) [Verse 1] That’s a coup threat, book bans, power grab, rights gone, Gerrymander, big lie, fascists marching, game on, Leader with indictments, flag-wrapped treason, Justice stacked, corruption’s the reason. Climate’s burning, oceans rising, Corporate money, truth disguising, Dark donations, wealth’s obsession, Oligarchs avoid confession. [Chorus] It’s the end of the world as we vote it, It’s the end of the world as we vote it, It’s the end of the world as we vote it, And they’re just fine. [Verse 2] Billionaires in rockets while the homeless build tents, Congress yelling nonsense, lobbyists pay rent, Student loans crushing, kids can’t dream, Healthcare’s broken, pharma’s scheme. Cops keep spying, protest squashed, Patriot Act never washed, Voting rights gone, states restricting, Strongmen rise, democracy shrinking. [Chorus] It’s the end of the world as we vote it, It’s the end of the world as we vote it, It’s the end of the world as we vote it, And they’re just fine. [Verse 3] Fox lies, Facebook feeds, outrage baiting, Algorithms, truth deflating, Teachers leaving, wages stalling, History books keep slowly falling. AI scams, deepfake chatter, Gas is high, the rent won’t flatter, Marching closer to empire, Fascist flags on stages higher. [Bridge / Rapid-fire list section] Pipeline drilling, forests killing, climate tipping, wildfires gripping, Cages filling, rights repealing, justice failing, votes restricting, Censors banning, strongmen planning, billionaires all space-commanding, People working, unions fighting, still the bosses keep on biting. [Final Chorus] It’s the end of the world as we vote it, It’s the end of the world as we vote it, It’s the end of the world as we vote it… And they’re just fine… And they’re just fine… And we’re not fine.
Capitalism is fine, but it has to be CHECKED, because unchecked Capitalism leads to Oligarchy - companies and the rich will NEVER take care of people, they chase profits, that is why Government is required to redistribute a percentage to everyone so the society that exists that allows capitalism to thrive continues. We have been overboard before and that created the rise of the Unions - we got 40 hour work weeks, time off, Sick leave, paternity leave, and a livable wage. It has not trended back to the Gilded age, and if we don't CHECK capitalism now, there are only two outcomes - Revolution, or Authoritarianism which leads to revolution. Either this country or the vast majority comes together and realizes that culture wars are a distraction - the ENEMY of a safe society are the billionaires and corporations who are not paying their fair share. We need to look at what Eisenhower did - that is how you have capitalism and safe societies......you have to tax the RICH and the CORPORATIONS or the USA will fall just like Rome. DD
The last sentence feels too pessimistic and I think it's not quite true. The baseline has shifted upward over time, toward more law, more peace, more prosperity, and a more civilized world when you zoom out. History still swings through "booms and busts", but the floor keeps rising, driven by greater knowledge, power, and voice at the individual level. So while I agree we may be sliding backward right now, locally and in other region (not globally), I don’t think we’re reverting to a pre–Bretton Woods world of constant great-power conflict and weak collective defense or value. What we’re heading toward is something new, not yet known (maybe an even more interconnected, global world with less centalized govs, who knows). If extreme setbacks come, today’s societies have far more tools to recover and build something better than in the past. Particularly here in the US, the people still hold real power. If they are not happy, they can show up and vote to change the direction. Of course, this depends on voting remaining a protected right and that people don't give up.
That's crony capitalism, which everyone used to hate, but unfortunately, that's not the case anymore.
Efficiency isn’t the problem... allocation is. Efficiency makes it possible to produce more with less, and historically that has raised living standards. The issue arises when the benefits of efficiency are captured almost entirely by capital instead of being shared with labor. If technological progress could one day let us create anything we want from a single atom, there would be no need for work at all. In that scenario, efficiency isn’t the enemy, it’s the key to abundance. The real question is whether the gains from that abundance are broadly distributed or concentrated in the hands of a few.
Folks are now more proud and open about being racist. Disgusting behavior at the Ryder cup. Our country is going down the toilet and its not improving anytime soon
You Bernie Sanders socialist sunnava b**** you Honestly when I hear a lot of people talking these days it’s shocking how similar it sounds to that faction of politics from as far back as 2015/16 It used to be “ohh the .01% and “oligarchs” are going to get you boogity boogity get a job and get real hippy” but now I’m hearing a lot more serious and somber takes regarding wealth distribution, inequality, automation and the power of concentrated wealth.
I watched the entire Ryder Cup and the behavior by a few were unacceptable, IMO people like trump have moved the "line of decency" and some people think it's OK to do that, I was not proud to be an American at that moment. In the last 20 years our society has become more advanced but IMO it has dumbed us down, we rarely talk to each other, we text, we post and then we doom scroll. The algo know what you like and as soon as they have your profile then know your tastes and force that on you and it's like drinking from a fire hose. When I was a teen, we would go outside in the am and come home at dark and we could go anywhere and typically did, kids now seem to sit in their room with their iPad and phone One of the biggest downsides of social media is EVERYONE has an opinion about EVERYTHING and everyone is so critical of everything..............when I was growing up I would get a kick out of the National Enquirer, and that's what the internet has become. More Billionaires buying up everything in Media so they can brainwash everyone.....................they don't give a F if it turns a kid into a lunatic, they just see $$$$$$ and we used to be better than that................and were not anymore
Yes, allocation is an issue to contend with because I don't like how capitalism solves that question. But, efficiency looks increasingly to me like a problem as well. Don't misunderstand, we're feeding billions of people and standards of living are climbing because of all the efficiencies we have found. Poverty causes suffering, so I'm glad we can raise people out of poverty. But the inverse, that wealth improves happiness, which I used to implicitly assume, does not attain. Human connection improves happiness. So, efficiencies that reduce poverty and increase human connection are good, but efficiencies that reduce human connection-- not so much, imo.
The ryders cup is the perfect symbolism for modern day MAGA. Ive attended thousands of sports games and I've never seen fans cursing at players families and throwing drinks at players families. The fact that the MC and announcers were cheering the fans on and leading, "**** you" chants is the perfect symbolism of modern day America. @El_Conquistador @Salvy dont forget these MAGA cultists were cheering on these crowd members as being passionate MAGA at the beginning of the tournament. Garbage human beings up and down
