When I was in my 20’s the United States of America was still widely admired around the world. Sure the CIA got involved in some bad shit, but the country’s heart was always in the right place, and when it decided to do something (like defeat Nazi Germany, go to the moon, or eradicate polio) by God that shit got done. Now we suck. Can’t get anything done, AND our heart is in the wrong place.
…The endless cycles of one step forward, two steps back, on numerous issues takes its toll. Brief windows open up and then the powerful backlash forces step in.
Fanatical devotion to the status quo is, sadly, considered to be the height of seriousness in The Discourse. I’d even be more accepting of this if it was merely, “the status quo, but a bit more convenient,” but often it is impossible to stare down even the trivial forces that impose large burdens on the rest of us.I mean, “we” can’t even fix spam calls. There are also the related cycles of, “YOUNG PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF COLOR WILL SAVE US,” followed immediately by, “oh no, not like that.”