One of the quotes I think perfectly sums up the US, thoughts?
Discussion 'The US is a 3rd world country with a Gucci belt'
The post WW2 period of prosperity and stability that the West enjoyed was an anomaly.
The US never built lasting resilience, just optics. So now you have world class branding (tech, culture, finance) sitting on top of crumbling infrastructure, dysfunctional governance, and declining life expectancy. In that sense, the Gucci belt analogy holds cause its actually prestige without stability, image over substance.
Goes for the collective West actually.
This is because people became risk averse decline managers rather than reformers. They just wanted to manage their inheritance with minimum effort rather than vigilantly troubleshooting and adapting as needed. Prosperity breeds happiness which in turn breeds complacency.
It's just that greed has become a virtue in society, and that's it. If you're rich, why would you pay taxes to support infrastructure? Most wealthy individuals simply offshore their money, and that's it. The same applies to corrupt officials who steal and accept bribes. It's all about the exaggerated cult of money and success. If the majority of society consists of individuals who prioritize their own well-being, then so be it. The only redeeming feature of the United States is its easy access to weapons.
'X' Marks the Spot Where Inequality Took Root: Dig Here - Economic Opportunity Institute
www.opportunityinstitute.org
Greed didn’t just become fashionable, it became systemic because the architecture of American life incentivized it at every level. This isn’t about individual morality or even corruption per se but it’s the logical output of a system where markets aren’t just economic tools but metaphysical ideals. In such a system, everything from education to morality to human relationships is commodified. Greed is an evolved survival strategy.
Offshoring wealth, buying influence, ignoring collective needs etc aren't aberrations. They're rational moves in a late stage neoliberal shit society where success is divorced from contribution. You're right about the cult of money btw, but it runs deeper, cause the US exported its soul for quarterly growth and now finds itself hollow and clinging to symbolism (guns, flags, tech) while the core rots. Guns are the last tool left for atomized individuals to feel power in a system designed to make them irrelevant.
It’s the only real first world country.
Offshoring money is a giant meme
Yes, but in many countries with similar problems, like Britain, where people don't even have the opportunity to obtain weapons, they are even more powerless.
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