by Demon of Undoing » Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:39 pm
The Soviet Union ( as an idea) was fueled by a lot of things, and in the end only lasted as long as the illusions could be maintained. The same could be said of America, that we will endure only as long as the illusion can be propped up. The American Dream was the gunpowder for our end of the fight; if we could say - with a straight face- that truth, justice and the American way were worth supporting because all the stories about rights and freedom and prosperity and people chopping down cherry trees and whatnot were true, then we had an edge. Who don't like freedom and having things? It beats a cold solidarity of the faceless masses, right?
Well, what if none of that is true? What if the commies had a point, and the bosses really aren't even into enlightened self interest? What if they really are entirely content to use the people as an engine of prosperity for themselves, and the rest get trickled on? Maybe the trickle-ees might not think that such a system is worth all that much more than what the Russians came up with. Better toys,great PR, but who can afford to be the superstars, especially if the mechanics to get to that level are statistically impossible? Need I remind you that the US is nowhere near the top in terms of social mobility any more?
Please, Mr P, tell me you have indeed thought from this angle before.
Don't know what it is, but I'm agin'it.