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Do you feel like the world is falling apart at the seams?

posted 5 years ago by MovieBuff224 (5053)
75 replies | jump to latest

Ever since 9/11 I feel like society has been on a steady decline. People have become more and more unstable and guarded. No one trusts anyone anymore, human interaction has changed drastically and the arrival of smartphones along with the Great Recession further exacerbated these issues.

Everything is so in your face now, all of the cards are on the table. People are more divided than ever, with racial and political tensions in some ways the worst they’ve ever been relative to the progress we’ve made.

People’s spirits have been broken, the world lives one day at a time. Dreams of the future are less and less relevant with the uncertainty and fear lingering in the air in the fallout of the events that have transpired over the last 20 years.

And when things couldn’t possibly seem any more grim, a global pandemic hits completely sending us off the rails. Any remaining security or stability people felt has been shattered.

I think the economy and health of the world will recover long before our spirits. The mental impact of this final blow to the morale of the human race will be felt for generations to come, and will probably change the world forever.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Tell that to those cowards who flew themselves into the WTC. They wanted division.

[–] Quasimodo (16388) 5 years ago

I think the people who flew themselves into the WTC weren't cowards, they were brave scumbags.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

They killed thousands of people including themselves so they wouldn't have to pay for their disgusting actions.

[–] Quasimodo (16388) 5 years ago

Well they died, what more do you want ?

[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

72 virgins.

[–] Quasimodo (16388) 5 years ago

And a 44 gallon drum of lube ?

[–] degree7 (821) 5 years ago

Tbh America deserved it

[–] MovieBuff224 (5053) 5 years ago

American citizens who have nothing to do with foreign policy or its government? No, voting for said elected leaders does not make them culpable, our foreign policy is the same on both sides.

[–] degree7 (821) 5 years ago

I would say the Pentagon and White House were good (military) targets. If they’d only hit those it wouldn’t have been terrorism. Too bad about the twin towers. But then again, America has no one to blame but itself.

[–] MovieBuff224 (5053) 5 years ago

Again, using passenger jets filled with civilians is cruel and unjust. And there are 23,000 military and civilian employees in the Pentagon. You think they all deserved to die for the decisions of a few? Same w the White House. I think you are either misguided or just not really educated on how foreign policy works.

[–] degree7 (821) 5 years ago

Attacking military targets is literally not terrorism. I certainly don’t think they deserved it anymore than the sailors at Pearl Harbor, but when you goad someone into attacking you it’s not exactly surprising. As for civilian casualties, I guess we call that “collateral damage.” Just like the 1 million dead Iraqis. How else were they supposed to hijack the planes?

[–] MovieBuff224 (5053) 5 years ago

As I explained, the Pentagon and White House are not military targets. Attacking bases in the Arabian peninsula, that would make sense.

[–] degree7 (821) 5 years ago

They’re the headquarters of the DOD and the seat of the commander in chief of the US armed forces. They’re certainly military targets.

[–] MovieBuff224 (5053) 5 years ago

But the collateral damage of tens of thousands of innocent civilians and even military personnel makes it a war crime and a terrorist attack. This is not even taking into consideration the World Trade Center which completely negates any militaristic justification.

[–] degree7 (821) 5 years ago

There were only 47 civilian casualties from the Pentagon, but since they were working for the military, or were contractors, then technically they could be considered to be legitimate military targets too.

Also technically the WTC could be considered an economic target, which the US used liberally as a means of imperialist domination.

[–] Fandango (535) 5 years ago

Any ideology that places the physical at the forefront of everything will always win over the short-run, but will inevitably end up destroying itself through its decaying morality.

We have seen this with the USSR, which was able to create an unparalleled education system (juxtaposed with Western linearity) and placed the first man in space, among other things.

We saw it with Hitler's Nationalist Party, which took a war-torn Germany and transformed it into the most advanced country in Europe.

And we see it now with the U.S., whose Protestant ideals enabled it to become the greatest nation in the world, only to have the same principles that built it to great heights weaken it.

The commonality between all ideologies (e.g., capitalism, socialism) is that while they enable civilizational progress in the form of technological advances, they destroy cultural progress, because they base their ideas on the material.

Overindulgence in earthly pleasures inhibits any introspective development, eventually dissolving morality, as we've seen for decades in the U.S. now (look at films like The Network, Fight Club, and American Beauty).

We live in a world of extremes. On one end, you have capitalism, whose extreme was the triumph of the individual at the expense of the collective, creating the internal locus of control mindset. On the other end, you have socialism, whose extreme was the triumph of the collective, at the expense of private ownership, creating the external locus of control.

We live in a world where you're taught how to have anal sex, but you're not taught how to love.

Is our trajectory a surprise? As Schopenhauer put it, "culture creates civilization and civilization destroys culture."

[–] degree7 (821) 5 years ago

This is a good reply. Particularly the bit about Protestant ideals. A lot of that goes back to Europeans colonizing the new world. They were escaping hardship into a land that they believed was gifted to them from God. America was founded upon the ideal of freedom of movement, of limitless expansion (manifest destiny), and it has continued this philosophy into the 21st century: the problem is we’re running out of space.

[–] Fandango (535) 5 years ago

Indeed. The initial tenets of Protestantism stood as an opposing force to Roman Catholicism. Where one saw exuberant iconography as a catalyst in bringing one to proximity with God, the other saw faith with austerity, available to all.

These principles combined the importance of the material in the form of hard work as a token of virtue and moral culpability by means of agency. What followed was a nation that prospered and advanced, out-competing older civilizations.

[–] MovieBuff224 (5053) 5 years ago

Interesting, insightful response. I’m particularly curious about Hitler, is he really regarded by scholars as having “rescued” Germany from the post war rubble and transformed them into the technologically advanced nation they are today? I’ve never heard that.

[–] Fandango (535) 5 years ago

I should clarify that Hitler's Germany was elevated from a country in ruins to a country reaching its zenith at record speed, at the time. That's not to confuse Germany's modern ascension from post-world war II to the largest European economy. Much of the successes of today's Germany are attributed to Ludwig Erhard, who was coined the "father of the German economic miracle."

Hitler, in collaboration with Hjalmar Schacht (president of Germany's central bank), re-built Germany through the funding of public projects (e.g., Autobahn), which decreased the 30% unemployment rate that plagued the country at the time. This was done, in large part, through the issuance of bonds (Keynes as an influence). Additionally, at the time, many businesses were nationalized, so Schacht sold what he could to continue receiving funds. Hitler's main goal was set on the military, so a majority of the funds were appropriated to that effect. Eventually, material and food shortages were reached, and the only way forward was to cut back on spending.

Hitler was against the proposition, so to continue the money stream, he merely plundered the resources of the nations he conquered (Raubwirtschaft) to support Germany's endeavors.

The point to showcase here is that Hitler's vision was built on aesthetic and superiority. One need only look at videos of Berlin circa 1930s. It was a nation overly concentrated on the superficial. Love was directed toward the national party, which promoted ideals of genocide and imperialism as an answer to usury. There was no moral foundation present in its ideology, much like the rest of the world today, which has become a product of global capitalism.

Morality, which emphasizes common understanding and virtuous behavior cannot co-exist in symbiosis with any ideology that puts prosperity, wealth, or an ideal based on immoral deeds at the epicenter of life. Where one attempts to reach spiritual enlightenment, the other degrades it, taking civilization with it.

[–] MovieBuff224 (5053) 5 years ago

Interesting, thanks. How do you know so much, were you a history major?

[–] Fandango (535) 5 years ago

I would categorize myself as more of a dilettante in that regard, but I appreciate the kind words nevertheless.

Take care!

[–] AndyKing1967 (39874) 5 years ago

No I do not.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 5 years ago

I don't know if there are more bad events now than ever. I wouldn't be surprised if there was more crime simply because there are more people.

But as far as people being divided, you're completely right. People are fucking nuts. EVERYTHING is political. People just blurt it out at the most random opportunities. And then when it's the appropriate forum? Like an actual political "discussion"? Forget it. It's like children. Tensions are VERY high. Trump supporters are nuts. Bernie supporters are nuts. Both want society to fall apart so they can rebuild it how they see fit.

[–] MovieBuff224 (5053) 5 years ago

I think crime, poverty and international conflict are at historical lows. It’s society that is falling apart.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 5 years ago

Crime is not at a "historical low" http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm.

[–] Mrmojo4700 (21723) 5 years ago

Unless I’m missing something, the data you supplied shows all crimes down since the 80’s-90’s compared to now. Also the percentages would be better if you equate population increases.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 5 years ago

He said crime was at a "historical low", which it is not. I didn't say crime wasn't down compared to the 80s and 90s.

[–] Eggman (216) 5 years ago

Hundred years ago flu pandemic preceded World War 1. 100 years later Covid comes before World War 3. At least 5 ghost cities of China will get nuked during. God bless the survivors of the nuclear holocaust that's waiting to happen.

[–] TimMC (9143) 5 years ago

We can make it.

[–] johnmarti59 (2356) 5 years ago

We all need improvements.

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 5 years ago

Buck up, Buttercup!

This generation is a bunch of pussies! My parents' generation, The Greatest Generation, survived The Great Depression,
WW II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Stock Market Crash of 1987. Compared to all that, this current stuff
doesn't amount to a hill of beans!

And this too, shall pass.

😎