the Decadent Decline of the United States of America

[John Galt]

i've been talking about this for a while but we are disgustingly decadent

i'm posting this on my computer, but i could very well be on my phone, on a shitter, drinking beer, eating doritos, and doing the same thing

south park this season is addressing this decadent collapse of the american empire and tying it to why the force awakens wasn't really a good movie, and why trump is a thing. and they are spot on.

but the question is, how do we as a society reverse the decedent collapse?

the only things i can think of are killing off a lot of us in a land war in asia OR investing in a wonder to revitalize the empire and truly make us great again. and the one project i think would truly be a wonder this days would involve the colonization of luna and mars

[IndependentProfessor]

But, is it really "collapsing"?

Crime is lower than in many decades (since the 20s, at least). Fewer people around the world are in a war zone. Technology is progressing faster than ever.

[Philly]

[John Galt]

[ToddStarnes]

[John Galt]

we're not on the precipice of collapse, we are on the decline. yes, things like crime go down. but is that the measure of whether or not society is declining?

i have pondered this often, when i see the flag at half mast. i think i see the flag at half mast more than I see the flag gloriously on top. we're perpetually mourning something. i understand it is because we are very connected these days why that happens (we hear about things far away and it impacts us)

but in the heart of the matter is the decadent decline. we are self absorbed and bicker over shit. obama ran on hope and change, and that was his message entirely. why did it work? because we've been on the decline. ever since clinton we've been on the decline. i think we can chart the fall of the united states morally from our post-cold-war high and it started with a cigar up a twat. obama was a reprieve, but another clinton will not be. trump wouldn't be either but at least he is speaking to the problems that are ailing us

more young men are not working today than the height of the great depression, as a percentage of population. they simply aren't even looking for work. they are staying at home, playing video games or doing meth, and not caring about shit. even our fat poors are decadent

what should be done about it? i'm not sure. land war in asia is always a good bet. but a great wonder is also a good one. speaking of, civ 6 comes out today. too bad they don't have a decadence mechanic. it needs to be there, because all empires get it

[ToddStarnes]

We've always bickered over shit. Speeches from 150 years ago were more eloquent but the person attacks and disputes were similarly more personal.

Anti-establishment sentiment comes and goes, as do politicians who take advantage of the tide.

Yes, crime is one factor in evaluating the decline of a nation. As is love expectancy, access to health care, infant mortality rates, purchasing power, employment, etc. And when you look at the mix of that data, I don't see anything suggesting we are on an overall downward trend.

The media is killing us on this.

[Philly]

[ToddStarnes]

Decline and collapse (the topics of the thread) is a relative discussion, so, yes, history is obviously relevant as the benchmark by which one measures "decline" and "collapse".

Additionally, the dry facts he mentioned are not relevant to analysis of the economic situation of the average man, but to dismiss all statistical measures as a result is absurdly illogical. We can measure the economic health of the middle class.

[Philly]

The point is that you can't refute the anxieties and diminish quality of life that people are feeling with statistics. This is an entirely different circumstance than say, those who bitch and moan about Obama raising their taxes while in truth their taxes have not gone up at all. It's much harder to measure these issues, and generally speaking, people understand when their lives are getting better.