One simple question: Do you have hope for the future of the United States?
Speaking for myself, I have precious little hope left. Every few days brings some affront to common decency from the piece of human filth currently festooning the Oval Office. The majority of our politicians have abandoned even the pretense that they answer to anyone but the richest of the rich. There seems to be zero accountability, and the corruption will just keep on spreading throughout the system until it is stopped — sadly, no one who could stop it seems interested in doing so.
The USA has survived incompetence. It’s survived division. What it’s faced with now is essentially open infiltration by an enemy of everything the country claims to stand for; someone who is literally working to make life worse for the average American and to tear down the rights the nation was founded upon — and we’re just letting it happen.
At this point, I’m afraid the best-case scenario after Trump is that the US declines into a second-rate power, but manages to recover at least a modicum of decency within the next few decades. The worst-case scenario is probably a massive new Depression caused by mendacious financial irresponsibility, followed by outright civil war.
The country is very divided right now. Half has been essentially brainwashed into believing the other half are so evil that they actually support child molesters on their own side over anyone on the other side. The cracks are deep, and those in power are committed to making them deeper rather than bringing anyone together. I’m afraid we are teetering on the edge of a very deep, very dark precipice.
Meh. Assuming there aren’t nuclear attacks, the country will survive. I’d rather have meaningless tweets sent out by the current President, then a former President approving water-boarding for prisoners.
You know, that would be a way better burn in the version of reality where the POTUS wasn’t openly endorsing child molesters and supporting white supremacy while threatening anyone who criticizes him.
When do you think an appropriate time to be concerned about the future of the country would be? Does this feel like business as usual to you?
I’m not saying everyone should drop everything and commence full-on panic, but don’t blow smoke up my ass by implying anyone worried about the way things are headed is overreacting.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m growing increasingly worried. Shodan’s response to the OP is a perfect explanation of why- rather than address everything that’s going on with this administration, he instead seems more interested in rubbing the OP’s face in it. People like him, supporting people like Trump, just furthers the divisions in the country. I honestly don’t see how we can move past the tribalism and the desire to not only win, but to make the other side lose.
I had an interview with a company in Barcelona this morning, and I gotta admit, it’s pretty tempting.
Yes. I was going to say Trump is weather not climate, but given the AGW crew that might not be the best analogy.
But as difficult as it may be to stomach while living through it this is hardly the worst time in our nation’s history.
Yes, I think we are entering a time of extreme turmoil, possibly a fascist takeover, and I really do not say this lightly. In fact, through all the dreary horrible Shrub years it never crossed my mind that there were enough fascists in this country to turn it over. Now it has, and I’m sure not the only one.
The far larger issue is that climate disaster on a global scale appears to be inevitable and much much sooner than wishful thinking would have it. It is linked to the topic because the deepest desire of our fascist overlords is to rip off the fabric of the planet and eat it. Oh how I wish that was hyperbole.
The last time I had a glimmer of hope for electoral politics was Obama, but then he surrounded himself with bankers and led an all out assault on American homeowners, so that didn’t last too long.
One could hope for a populist revolution, but given American culture it’s most likely to go full fash. The alt-right has successfully taken over or established a significant presence on several popular social media sites, like Youtube, Facebook, and Reddit, so the future isn’t looking too good on that front. About the best you can say is that increasing numbers of people over the last decade have recognized the rotten status quo and are exploring alternatives.
Peter Frase’s Four Futures describes future scenarios for humanity given the assumption that automation will become widespread and humanity will have to deal with the environment problem one way or another. I found the “extermism” scenario the most likely, given current trends – the rich enclaves turn into fortresses and let everyone else die of neglect, enslave them, or genocide them as excess population. Techno-feudalism with capitalist lords, basically.
Trump is a symptom, not the disease. He could have a heart attack tomorrow and it would hardly matter. The extent of his usefulness is that he took off the tattered mask of respectability politics and let everyone get a good look at the rotten core.
I was awake enough to know that I’d rather not live through the Civil War or the Great Depression or the rise of Nazi Germany. So when I see current events that resemble the events that precipitated those periods in history, I become somewhat concerned.
When Trump was elected I was afraid he would destroy the economy by starting trade wars with Mexico, Canada, and China. Currently, my number one fear is that we’ll accidentally get into a nuclear war. I guess that is to say I’m more optimistic then I was. He’s more of a moron then I thought and can’t seem to remember what and who he hates long enough to accomplish much except that North Korea wants he to remember them.
The tax bill is terrible, destroying ACA might lead to better things in the long-term, empowering racists is bad but all of these things can be fixed with a new Congress and president in a decade or two. I guess I’m at the point where I think the only long-term damage he’ll cause is accidental and generally low probability.
Those were dangerous times indeed. The solution to Trump is to not let the labor wing be cleaved, in part, from the Democratic Party and the progressive wing not to be so petulant. Seems simple enough.
It has been dark before. In the 70s it seemed like the country was going down. Violence, Inflation, losing in Vietnam, Gas lines, hostage crisis, hijackings, wild cat strikes, disillusionment over Watergate, rioting, popularity of disco. It was bad. We recovered.
The Great Depression was extremely depressing and hopeless for far too many, it took a long time but we recovered.
The Civil War was a rather bad period too. Things got better.
We tend to go 2 steps forward and then 1 step back in the USA. We’re not too good at sustained improvement. We like to spice it with dark days.