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Every time I look at the Internet or turn on the TV I think America as a people and a country is slowly going insane. There seems to be more and more insanity and crazy thinking and it's resulting problems every day. When I tell others about my fear about a national insanity taking over America, most people disagree. They say it's always been insane we just have more opportunity to see it now with social media, Internet and 150 channels on TV. (I agree somewhat but maybe these things justify crazy people and encourages bad behavior. Family and peer pressure in the past would stop this type of behavior.)
What do you think?
The book, "Living in the End Times" by Slavoj Zizek
Maybe listen to Nikolai Medtner's Seventh Sonata in E minor, "Night Wind" op.25, No.2
Consider, we are both retired. We lived in the best of times in the best of all possible worlds (except for that little bit in Viet Nam) and everything, sooner or later changes. We have had our trips around the sun.
Environmental concerns?? It all seems to depend on what pet cause has the media's attention. Nuclear power was bought to a halt in the 1980's. but it doesn't seem quite so frightening in the light of the controversy on climate change which, like the uproar over fracking, needs serious study, but draws too much of its support from knee-jerk technophobes who will rant against anything portrayed as a threat to their little suburban idyll (which, in turn generates more of an environmental burden than they care to recognize).
Not too sure a country full of people who can't wait to get their hands on the latest iPhone could be described as having a lot of "knee-jerk technophobes".
Even among "liberals", the vast, vast majority in this country think very little about the pollution or health hazards associated with industry, technology and the internal combustion engine.
IMHO, we are not in the very last days of the world. What we have lived in the last 100 years or so is the era of the "American Empire." Our nation was powerful enough to have military in many nations of the world, and to influence and control events in the much of the world, especially the last 50 years or so. The big rival was of course the USSR. But now is the time for our decline. All empires wither, just like Rome, Egypt, Britain, France, Ottoman Empire and others. IMHO, our wealth will continue to decline, and our lifestyle with it. Our military will shrink. China is on the rise and it will be numero uno next.
Every time I look at the Internet or turn on the TV I think America as a people and a country is slowly going insane. There seems to be more and more insanity and crazy thinking and it's resulting problems every day. When I tell others about my fear about a national insanity taking over America, most people disagree. They say it's always been insane we just have more opportunity to see it now with social media, Internet and 150 channels on TV. (I agree somewhat but maybe these things justify crazy people and encourages bad behavior. Family and peer pressure in the past would stop this type of behavior.)
What do you think?
It's always been crazy. Read history back in the 1800's. The political parties were just as extreme, and were corrupt.
It seems worse now because there was a period of stability and prosperity after the war. The main political parties cooperated from time to time on bipartisan legislation. And there were strong leaders, like FDR, and LBJ who managed to push through Civil Rights legislation. Compared to that, we're going through crazy times. Compared to the 1800's, we ain't seen nothin'!
Every time I look at the Internet or turn on the TV I think America as a people and a country is slowly going insane. There seems to be more and more insanity and crazy thinking and it's resulting problems every day. When I tell others about my fear about a national insanity taking over America, most people disagree. They say it's always been insane we just have more opportunity to see it now with social media, Internet and 150 channels on TV. (I agree somewhat but maybe these things justify crazy people and encourages bad behavior. Family and peer pressure in the past would stop this type of behavior.)
What do you think?
If you haven't watched Idiocracy yet, I would suggest you do so immediately.
I will sum up your entire sentiments in an hour and half movie.
Every time I look at the Internet or turn on the TV I think America as a people and a country is slowly going insane. There seems to be more and more insanity and crazy thinking and it's resulting problems every day. When I tell others about my fear about a national insanity taking over America, most people disagree. They say it's always been insane we just have more opportunity to see it now with social media, Internet and 150 channels on TV. (I agree somewhat but maybe these things justify crazy people and encourages bad behavior. Family and peer pressure in the past would stop this type of behavior.)
What do you think?
I agree with you. After the 2012 election, I took a break from TV news and Internet news for a few months. Try it. It will still be crazy out there but you won't know it so you can stay sane and keep your blood pressure down.
Crazy doesn't ruffle my feathers too much, because being the history buff that I am, I realize that there is really nothing new under the sun when it comes to human behavior, human follies, human weaknesses, etc. The only things that change are the location and the tools.
Mankind has been screwing things up, and achieving great things, and every step in between the two extremes, since he stood upright.
Quote:
A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be among those who come after.
WE, human civilization in general, have always been going insane. It is just that the advent of data processing and information flow has made the journey faster.
We're not going more insane. What America is going through is the decline of its dominant position in the world. Something that the British had to go through 80-100 years ago. The American empire is crumbling before our eyes. Plus the political and economic situation looks strikingly similar to the 1880s.
I don't know what age you are, but most people my age do not think the nation is getting better and better. More technology, more wealth yes. Higher taxes? Yes. Better life? No. The quality of education in America keeps getting worse. The general work ethic is worse. Crime is bad and getting worse. The statistics may say otherwise, but I don't remember people 50 years ago thinking they couildn't live in many places in rural America out of fear of drug dealers, meth labs, burglaries etc. Labor participation rate keeps dropping, Prices keep going up but wages are not. And the morality of people is just going into the sewer. Not just sexual immorality, but lying cheating and laziness seem to be the rule of the day. I cite just one example. Before air conditioning, some people in the city of Milw. would go sleep in the parks on hot summer nights.
Work ethic is way above average in Wisconsin compared to Texas..
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