A reflection of generations raised with no moral or ethical compass, whose inculcation came from fictional characters & cartoons on TV shows. The parents were distracted by full time work and modern comforts.
In short, a society & a nation unmoored, decadent, and in decay.
Our late capitalist society incentivizes exactly the wrong kind of people to strive to be “elite,” and elevates the worst among them. People who care about others, have ethical values, and put family first do not, for the most part, strive to become business, cultural, or political leaders.
Made me take down women's history posters last week because three of the women were politicians even though it didn't specify for which side. I guess the caption about their achievements in empathy give that away...
The one's who run most academic institutions and most religious institutions are in exactly the same boat.
We cannot depend on legacy institutions. We need to build a new alliance to fight this axis of evil from the ground up. That sucks, but the rot is deep and it is killing America.
If only there was a political party that spent their time and money developing thirty second ads and cartoons that explained things. But then, that party would need a world wide electronic interface with a social media component. But…sadly, that could never exist…
True that. I will not go back to shopping like I used to, consuming multi-media like I used to. Or engaging with people like I used to. Once you came of the racist, misogynist, xenophobic closet, you can’t go back in. There’s no room for you.
I was worried about this when I hung out with my private college's J-School kids and saw them talking about journalism exclusively as a career track or trade with possible lucrative salaries and prestige, and not any sort of higher calling.
Unanimous elite enthusiasm for a large, suffering underclass was something I did not fully recognize until now. The general indifference to the relentless cruelty and resegregation being perpetrated by the government is staggering.
What you're encountering is that the two party system incentivizes not strictly adhering to any sort of philosophical basis, is vulnerable to elite capture, and now the Republicans have become a cult of personality centered around Trump and his arbitrary political whims.
Honestly, I think you are casting this too narrowly. From outside of the US, it seems pretty clear that a very large number of Americans (like a majority) have a paper thin commitment to liberal democracy.
From inside the U.S. - this is due to us living through decades of relative comfort and safety coupled with deliberate erosion of education and community, cultivating a bored and xenophobic culture. Shit is going to get real and people will learn the hard way what an actual existential threat is.
A historian of the Roman Republic who I follow has noted many times that part of what brought it down (and produced 50+ years of intermittent civil war before Caesar ended it) was that a lot of the people involved couldn't imagine that the system actually failing, regardless of what they did.
I think we are seeing this now. Lots of Americans still seem to think this is a normal oscillation and the constitutional order will right itself when it’s time, ignoring that what’s happening is actively anti-constitutional.
Exactly. And you can notice that in countries that have experienced dictatorships, there is way less tolerance and people are already in the streets e.g Hungary, Georgia, Serbia, and Turkey…
Also, the vast majority of Americans have lived through relative peace and prosperity. The last generation to have suffered was the Greatest Generation who lived through the Great Depression and World War II. The youngest members of that generation are in their late 90s.
At the same time, there’s the paradox of lots of immigrants, typically fleeing autocratic regimes for a better life in the U.S., overwhelmingly voting/supporting Republican. There’s some Schwarzenegger era delusion that the R party = “American dream”
Well at least not since Segregation in the South, the Wars and the Depression, perhaps the Wilson administration, the Confederacy and those acts of oppression in the South presaging it, and Parliament's rule from abroad after the 7 years war until the revolution. So it's been at least since 1972.
It's purely complacency and privilege. Most anyone with sufficient wealth, it allows them to no longer feel tethered to the nation, and they have zero interest in any of its foundational values or institutions.
What works for them is whatever situational issues they feel are important relative to their financial standing/status... and it's always the most fleeting/tangential threats that they perceive, because otherwise they are all but entirely insulated from harm.
This is why they rail against LGBTQ but have never likely ever spoken to anyone who is, or they are fearful of 'gangs' despite never having seen/been to an area that has any, and they very much hate the idea of social safety nets because assuredly that's money meant for their pockets, not others.
It is all feelings. The elite feel fine right now and don’t want to feel bad or scared or feel like they have lost their place in elite society. It takes courage and strength to stand up against repressive regimes.
I'm afraid the disease extends quite a way down the social hierarchy. It's like a plague. People who mouth facile ideas about "objectivity," and have not a single moral idea in their minds. Their only criteria seems to be whether they "like" something or not. Ripe for fascism.
Lot of people are just filling in an org chart, taking leadership courses, and melting into the wallpaper when someone suggests risking position for principle.
Now, be fair. They believe in lots of things.
*They believe rules are for other people, not for them
*They believe nothing is immoral if it's done by them, and is in service of getting more money
*They believe they should definitely have more money than they have now
I have always stood with my values. 👍 It has cost jobs, houses, health at times, and much more. Most don’t want to live this type of life serving others. It’s not always easy. Truth is money and opportunity doesn’t always solve all your problems; sometimes it makes them worse. People want easy. 🤦♀️
He's not. I mean Hollywood execs and big name actors, producers and directors. I wouldn't expect the actors from Abbott Elementary to be out in front, for example.
Comments
Your point is valid, these doinks are ideologically bankrupt. Just…
They do believe in some things, like money, and it’s their belief that is the problem.
Belief is a boundary that limits the advancement of thought.
I wish we’d all trade belief for probability.
In short, a society & a nation unmoored, decadent, and in decay.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LDZX4ooRsWs&pp=ygUfb2ggbXkgZ29kIGxvb2sgYXQgaGVyIGJ1dHQgc29uZw%3D%3D
1. Money
2. Power
3. Status
4. Sex
5. Career Advancement
6. Celebrity and being famous
An entire culture that believes in absolutely nothing.
We cannot depend on legacy institutions. We need to build a new alliance to fight this axis of evil from the ground up. That sucks, but the rot is deep and it is killing America.
Population
So many are absolutely empty. Vacuous in every sense.
I'll never forgive any of them. No benefit of the doubt, no assumption of innocence or good intentions.
MONEY!!! $$$$$
(The morning shows are the absolute worst!)
*They believe rules are for other people, not for them
*They believe nothing is immoral if it's done by them, and is in service of getting more money
*They believe they should definitely have more money than they have now
If being against this shit makes me a bad guy, I don't wanna be a good guy.