Is The US Becoming A Dystopia?

For some people, it always has been

Just joined the Patreon after watching this video. Truly fascinating yet horrifying at the same time. Fucked up times we live in.

Way more stuff is produced and thrown out than is actually consumed by end-consumers. The individual decisions of "I want a hamburger today" of regular people have negligible impact on how these things go - and if I choose not to buy a car, it doesn't stop the cars being produced. The production side must be changed before the consumption side can be. It's the engines of production which strip the Earth bare, pollutes it, and steals from whoever it can in the process. This is not "you can't go places or have fun anymore" and shouting that at people is not going to help spread the message. Degrowth need not mean sackcloth-and-ashes asceticism. It is likely to even mean a BETTER living standard for the majority of people, who won't have to scramble to find 3 jobs to make not-quite-enough-money, if we can just stop making Capitalism and start making a better world.

Ian Price

Thank you

Beltalowda

Your right. I think people know this intuitively, which is why we’re seeing more people “acting out” in violent anti-social ways, and why politics are so divided…only half of us have some sense of rationality the other has gone stark raving mad. We’ve (those living in industrial nations) have literally painted the world in a corner.” If we “do this” then this part of society will crumble,” “ if we do that then another part of society will crumble.” We’re in a Catch-22. “Damed if you do. Damned if you don’t.” Yes, all the homilies.

@DragiRaos. You’re right about THE PEOPLE having to give up a lot while the 1% gives up very little. But also many countries in South America and particularly Africa have not only received very much - with much stolen away (human laborers AND natural resources) - they also consume very little when compared to the “consumption gourging” of American citizens. So, in that respect THE PEOPLE in America need to consume a whole lot less to balance out resources. But we refuse and continue to exert our rights with, “If I’ve got the money then I ’ve got the right to buy whatever i want!” That industrial individual ruggedness - the one where we keep shooting ourselves in our NRA foot. Consuming more, like even electrical cars, isn’t giving up anything…stop buying cars. Period. Bike. Walk. Take public transportation. Habitually do ride share. THAT makes the difference. We THE PEOPLE have to give up much… to the point where it’s real uncomfortable AS the 1% needs to give up so much that it really hurts. But like money, our self comforts, personal desires and wants will unlikely not consider or appreciate the nobility of living with less things instead of more connections with others. The water turns up on our pot of frogs.

That's one of the lies were were been sold - that, in order to make our world sane, we have to give up much. THEY would have to give up a little. Take energy - renewables are actually cheaper than fossil fuel energy, even with all the subsidies being poured into the latter (and nuclear is expensive only because of artificial barriers and opposition by brain-washed "greens".)

Dragi Raos

Yeah, climate change is gonna hit us pretty hard. I've had a chance to talk to some top environmental scientists over the years and none of them are optimistic. I'd be surprised if society does not collapse completely in the coming ~20 years.

The so called filthy rich aren’t making money they are in the business of stealing money.

Recently I suffered two anxiety attacks and was totally freaked out not knowing what was going on. Checked some of my regular habits to realize that along with a worldwide pandemic (stress levels up 80%+) I was also immersed in a lot of sci-fi (what with self-isolation and all). It suddenly dawned on me how very different movies are today than just 10-15 years ago…where you could find hope and ideals for a better life. So, after cutting back on 24/7 negative and destructive media I’ve had no more attacks. Unfortunately, we’re stuck in a destructive system (capitalism on steroids) that few politicians, multinational corporations and people in general can find a way out of………UNLESS WE GIVE UP A LOT. I became vegan after being a meat LOVER (Baconnnn…yum) for decades. But vegans makeup 3% of our total population. It’s a beginning. However, few people, especially those with a lot, refuse to give up much of anything. Maybe a little inconveniences but that’s it. And politicians, for the most part, are just professional fund-raisers…they have no visions, no ideas for a better world because “it’s too hard.” The majority only go to ivy league universities to make connections to make money…nothing more than that. Mafia families send their children there. Many of these universities have produced brain dead money launderers. At one time people attended colleges to make the world a better place…few were truly prepared for how difficult the work could be initially and gave up too soon. If they had pushed through and organized WITH OTHERS we’d all be enjoying a much better life today. But denying oneself when presented with the power and allure of vulgar sums of money (all billionaires) reflects JJR Tolkien’s view of THE ONE RING TO RULE US ALL: MONEY ABOVE ALL THINGS is sooooo difficult to turn away from, especially without a strong spiritual or conscious awareness of the meaning of life. Such sums are nearly impossible to ignore. I remember a movie, probably 12-15 years ago, where a young boy was suffering from terrifying nightmares. And one sentence stuck out where the kid was able to share his nightmare in real time through new technology with a dream therapist, seeing his father sitting at the dining room table, while the kid along with the therapist were being chased by the monster said, “That’s my dad. He won’t help us.” Yep. Those are our politicians. They won’t help us. There’s big business. They won’t help us. In fact, they literally steal wages. There’s the police. They won’t protect us. They’re a hammer so everything is a nail. There’s the military. They won’t protect us either (attack on US capital - no orders from the “elite” - so they did nothing). There are THE PEOPLE. But in the past we couldn’t work together long enough to even protect ourselves. We’re getting better. THAT’S DYSTOPIAN. People not coming together. If only we weren’t forced to “push through” but evolve through…but time is running out…so PUSH it is. Join. Participate. Share. Sign-up. And hope. Love y’all. California transplant in Georgia:)

Isn’t it already a Dystopia for some groups of people?

Meri