Unfortunately, Trump is not the right leader for a peaceful transition to a new system. We would also have to 'sell' the beautiful dream of post-growth to get people moving. Would people in America voluntarily give up their guns to create a society that no longer believes in violence and punitiveness as a way to solve things?
The future is uncertain of course, but the kind of protectionism and tariffs we are seeing now echoes what helped cause the great depression. A stock market crash that came at the end of the gilded age also echoes what we have now. A second great depression could focus the minds and make people open to the alternative we are proposing, so it is important to get those ideas out there now.
Unfortunately, I don't see many leaders able to sell a post-growth world when stocks are high and refrigerators are full.
“Degrowth will occur anyway. The question is: will it occur in an organised way while protecting vital resources or will it rather be chaotic, affecting negatively things which are vital? Most things till now indicate the latter is the most likely scenario and this, one more time, shows how much of the opposite of homo sapiens we are.”
"Life expectancy in the United States has taken a nasty turn…"
When I emigrated to Canada from the US, I gained two years of lifespan!
Nineteen years later, I've gained a total of four years of lifespan!
The way the US is going, pretty soon, I'll be immortal!
But seriously, a more disturbing trend is that Americans now have the longest period of poor health before death, at 12.6, more than any other country in the world.
To answer terrifying is to acknowledge the fact that the US is in a severe state of decay and decline and the result of a collapse will be devastating for the welfare people.
To answer inspiring is to acknowledge the fact that the US government is a completely broken system which is beyond the control of the people and the only way to rectify it is the complete collapse of it.
The 250 years comparison is completely meaningless to the question posed.
A better question would have been -
Do you think the US is in or near a state of collapse?
Yes or no
OR
Will the Trump administration cause the collapse of the US?
Y or N
Comparing to the Soviet Union?
The cold war between the two was fought supposedly over the "freedom" the US provided over the Soviet system.
Freedom to vote (now gone in the US)
Freedom to travel without "papers" (now gone with the Real Id)
Freedom from a surveillance society (Totally gone)
Freedom of speech (Gone gone extinct)
Freedom from a police state (Gone)
And on and on..... These are only a few.
The "Freedoms" the cold war were fought over are all gone and more.
We're already in the terrifying answer.
The only answer left is inspiring.
As to the rationing question - Educating to establish "degrowth" is the equitable solution there is no longer time enough to do it. Deprogramming the current population of consumers trained and programmed into over consumption would take decades they are clearly unwilling to consume less otherwise would have started already.
Enforced rationing would be opposed by left and right. It is the one thing that they can agree upon and is the one thing that the true leadership of America currently has, want. Profit by corporations.
Enforced rationing would need not be a detrimental thing but would be made out to be - "freedom" to buy and go in debt is the one "freedom" left to Americans. Willingness to "freely" accept an authoritarian slave society. The puppetmasters have designed a system where slavery has become sought after and willingly accepted by the enslaved.
The Soviet Union failed because of the same puppetmasters controlling the US. Reaganomics and the Star Wars program brought down the Soviet Union trying to keep up with the threat of a system being designed to enable a first strike capability. Star Wars was a completely fabricated imaginary system which was never intended to work. It was a massive propaganda campaign against the Soviet economy. Do you see it now in place? The anti ballistic missile systems orbiting above us?
My answer to your poll is both-
Terrifying in what is to come from the inspirational part of the inevitable collapse and the authoritarian dictator who will result.
Unfortunately, Trump is not the right leader for a peaceful transition to a new system. We would also have to 'sell' the beautiful dream of post-growth to get people moving. Would people in America voluntarily give up their guns to create a society that no longer believes in violence and punitiveness as a way to solve things?
The future is uncertain of course, but the kind of protectionism and tariffs we are seeing now echoes what helped cause the great depression. A stock market crash that came at the end of the gilded age also echoes what we have now. A second great depression could focus the minds and make people open to the alternative we are proposing, so it is important to get those ideas out there now.
Unfortunately, I don't see many leaders able to sell a post-growth world when stocks are high and refrigerators are full.
We'll see.
I'm convinced the stock market is totally irrational.
Declaring economic war or you biggest trading partner didn't faze it a bit!
Give it time.
25% tariff on all aluminum today. Beer is about to go up in price. That should hit his supporters where they live.
“Degrowth will occur anyway. The question is: will it occur in an organised way while protecting vital resources or will it rather be chaotic, affecting negatively things which are vital? Most things till now indicate the latter is the most likely scenario and this, one more time, shows how much of the opposite of homo sapiens we are.”
"Life expectancy in the United States has taken a nasty turn…"
When I emigrated to Canada from the US, I gained two years of lifespan!
Nineteen years later, I've gained a total of four years of lifespan!
The way the US is going, pretty soon, I'll be immortal!
But seriously, a more disturbing trend is that Americans now have the longest period of poor health before death, at 12.6, more than any other country in the world.
I'd call these "leading indicators".
Your poll was confusing.
To answer terrifying is to acknowledge the fact that the US is in a severe state of decay and decline and the result of a collapse will be devastating for the welfare people.
To answer inspiring is to acknowledge the fact that the US government is a completely broken system which is beyond the control of the people and the only way to rectify it is the complete collapse of it.
The 250 years comparison is completely meaningless to the question posed.
A better question would have been -
Do you think the US is in or near a state of collapse?
Yes or no
OR
Will the Trump administration cause the collapse of the US?
Y or N
Comparing to the Soviet Union?
The cold war between the two was fought supposedly over the "freedom" the US provided over the Soviet system.
Freedom to vote (now gone in the US)
Freedom to travel without "papers" (now gone with the Real Id)
Freedom from a surveillance society (Totally gone)
Freedom of speech (Gone gone extinct)
Freedom from a police state (Gone)
And on and on..... These are only a few.
The "Freedoms" the cold war were fought over are all gone and more.
We're already in the terrifying answer.
The only answer left is inspiring.
As to the rationing question - Educating to establish "degrowth" is the equitable solution there is no longer time enough to do it. Deprogramming the current population of consumers trained and programmed into over consumption would take decades they are clearly unwilling to consume less otherwise would have started already.
Enforced rationing would be opposed by left and right. It is the one thing that they can agree upon and is the one thing that the true leadership of America currently has, want. Profit by corporations.
Enforced rationing would need not be a detrimental thing but would be made out to be - "freedom" to buy and go in debt is the one "freedom" left to Americans. Willingness to "freely" accept an authoritarian slave society. The puppetmasters have designed a system where slavery has become sought after and willingly accepted by the enslaved.
The Soviet Union failed because of the same puppetmasters controlling the US. Reaganomics and the Star Wars program brought down the Soviet Union trying to keep up with the threat of a system being designed to enable a first strike capability. Star Wars was a completely fabricated imaginary system which was never intended to work. It was a massive propaganda campaign against the Soviet economy. Do you see it now in place? The anti ballistic missile systems orbiting above us?
My answer to your poll is both-
Terrifying in what is to come from the inspirational part of the inevitable collapse and the authoritarian dictator who will result.