The America of your parents is over. It is gone. It will never return. What we are fighting for now is what will the New America look like. Glenn Beck, Fox News, the Koch boys etc. are leaning towards Nativism and Fascism. The "Progressives" more towards the successful socialist models of Europe that we helped build after WWII.
Right now we are slipping into the Banana Republic mode, demonizing our opponents, arresting and jailing people for their credit card debt, preventing people from voting, and telling our poor to shut up and stay hidden out of the way.
What next?
"Americans have lived beyond their means for decades. It was a culture long defined by a mantra of entitlement, one that promised opportunities for all while ignoring the risks. Relentless and seemingly unstoppable upward mobility was the secular religion of the United States. Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, established the so-called ownership society, while Congress and the White House helped free it of the constraints of laws and regulations.
The dream was the country's driving force. It made Florida, Hollywood and the riches of Goldman Sachs possible, and it attracted millions of immigrants. Now, however, Americans are discovering that there are many directions that life can take, and at least one of them points downward. The conviction that stocks have always made everyone richer has become as much of a chimera in the United States as the belief that everyone has the right to own his own home, and then a bigger home, a second car and maybe even a yacht. But at some point, everything comes to an end."
A Super Power In Decline
SPIEGLE On Line International
Read the whole six part article. It is from the German perspective, but you will recognize everything discussed.
American Exceptialism, like any good ism is dead. It doesn't matter that it was a myth, it was our myth. Justice of the Idealistic in America died the day our SCOTUS violated the Constitution they were sworn to uphold and elected George W. Bush with 5 votes. Education and intellectualism are things to be scorned. Common sense based in ignorance is finding simple answers for complex problems.
So do we swing our dreams towards the Wiemar Republic model of the 1920s or towards something more socialistic? No we can't go back, we can't calm down and be reasonable, we can't just let a minority decide. The pessimist in me says buy some guns, the optimist say move to a place where the people are like you, the pragmatist says buy the guns, fill the Cuba Cabinet, and hunker down and see what happens.
Right now we are slipping into the Banana Republic mode, demonizing our opponents, arresting and jailing people for their credit card debt, preventing people from voting, and telling our poor to shut up and stay hidden out of the way.
What next?
"Americans have lived beyond their means for decades. It was a culture long defined by a mantra of entitlement, one that promised opportunities for all while ignoring the risks. Relentless and seemingly unstoppable upward mobility was the secular religion of the United States. Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, established the so-called ownership society, while Congress and the White House helped free it of the constraints of laws and regulations.
The dream was the country's driving force. It made Florida, Hollywood and the riches of Goldman Sachs possible, and it attracted millions of immigrants. Now, however, Americans are discovering that there are many directions that life can take, and at least one of them points downward. The conviction that stocks have always made everyone richer has become as much of a chimera in the United States as the belief that everyone has the right to own his own home, and then a bigger home, a second car and maybe even a yacht. But at some point, everything comes to an end."
A Super Power In Decline
SPIEGLE On Line International
Read the whole six part article. It is from the German perspective, but you will recognize everything discussed.
American Exceptialism, like any good ism is dead. It doesn't matter that it was a myth, it was our myth. Justice of the Idealistic in America died the day our SCOTUS violated the Constitution they were sworn to uphold and elected George W. Bush with 5 votes. Education and intellectualism are things to be scorned. Common sense based in ignorance is finding simple answers for complex problems.
So do we swing our dreams towards the Wiemar Republic model of the 1920s or towards something more socialistic? No we can't go back, we can't calm down and be reasonable, we can't just let a minority decide. The pessimist in me says buy some guns, the optimist say move to a place where the people are like you, the pragmatist says buy the guns, fill the Cuba Cabinet, and hunker down and see what happens.
5 comments:
I like this. A whole lot. Thank you.
Agree with previous comment. Junior, people our age *may* be lucky enough not to have to see the of this, but our children won't be able to avoid it.
Thanks GKS. Frank, I thought we wouldn't see this either. I'm convinced it is already underway. I wish they waited a while, but what the heck. My kids, grown ups actually, are already thinking this way. They are in it.
I've got to dig out my autographed copy (name dropping) of the "Forth Turning" and study up on what they think.
Today I think the fascist lean is greater than the socialist lean but it could break either way. It is going to be a wild ride no matter what.
One gets the impression that there are two Americas. That 'other'
America, I keep running into.."Glenn Beck said such and so.." "Wikepedia
lies, we must use Conservapedia" "FDR was a communist". Frustrating,
concerning; but no question
the phenomenon exists ...rather pitiful, IMO.
Dear Lobojo,
I came across your excellent blog while searching for articles on the Gulf oil disaster, which worries me so deeply I now find it hard to sleep at night.
In relation to understanding the recent US decline, I would like to recommend to you the research of a wonderful lady from Alaska called Niki Raapana, and her blog, Living Outside the Dialectic. Her body of work explains best what is really going on, it is happening here in Europe as well. I also recommend her book.
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