ADVERTISEMENT

Are you an optimist or a pessimist about the U.S.A.?

Did the United States peak in the 1990's (or pre-9/11/01)?

  • Yes, the U.S. will never be as powerful, rich, or admired as it was in the 1990s

    Votes: 15 68.2%
  • No, the U.S. will peak in the future

    Votes: 7 31.8%

  • Total voters
    22
  • Poll closed .

BradStevens

All-Big Ten
Silver Member
Sep 7, 2023
3,695
6,910
113
Here's a pretty pessimistic article.


And now a question for the audience. My guess is that in today's world, a majority of people in a party with the power are optimistic, and the party of of power is pessimistic.
 
Here's a pretty pessimistic article.


And now a question for the audience. My guess is that in today's world, a majority of people in a party with the power are optimistic, and the party of of power is pessimistic.
It’s the internet and social media that’s going to kill us and we’re the ones who brought it to the world. Techno-suicide.
 
The US has a big advantage compared to a lot of other countries based upon geography and latitude alone. There are large flat areas for farmland, some of the largest sources of fresh water in the world with the Great Lakes and resulting rivers, and is located in a relative "sweet-spot" for climate (not too hot, not too cold).
Also, despite the media going ballistic over the current culture wars in the classroom, we generally have a better education structure than most of the world. Certainly not the best, but still top 25.

So with those two items in mind, I suspect we will go through highs and lows of influence around the world for generations to come. How one defines the "peak" of that influence is subjective though. There are probably several that would say that post WW2 1950's could have been considered a higher peak than the '90's. I could easily see us having a greater impact in the future on some other scale.

Perhaps colonization of the moon or mars?
 
I think the US will look very different in 50-100 years, but I still think it'll be integral to the world economy and more or less drive the bus.
 
The US has a big advantage compared to a lot of other countries based upon geography and latitude alone. There are large flat areas for farmland, some of the largest sources of fresh water in the world with the Great Lakes and resulting rivers, and is located in a relative "sweet-spot" for climate (not too hot, not too cold).
Also, despite the media going ballistic over the current culture wars in the classroom, we generally have a better education structure than most of the world. Certainly not the best, but still top 25.

So with those two items in mind, I suspect we will go through highs and lows of influence around the world for generations to come. How one defines the "peak" of that influence is subjective though. There are probably several that would say that post WW2 1950's could have been considered a higher peak than the '90's. I could easily see us having a greater impact in the future on some other scale.

Perhaps colonization of the moon or mars?

Both China and India have over 4x our population so we have a lot less people to divvy up our resources to even with the immigrants coming into the country.

Wonder if it will ever move on from Americans/Chinese/Russians to just we are the human race. Probably takes an alien race attacking us to form that kind of unity (Independence Day movie style).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bloom. and Ohio Guy
Here's a pretty pessimistic article.


And now a question for the audience. My guess is that in today's world, a majority of people in a party with the power are optimistic, and the party of of power is pessimistic.

i have absolutely no idea what point you are trying to make, so please be more specific and we can discuss.

that said, once SCOTUS officially approved billionaires with no allegiance to anything other than more self wealth at any cost, and multinational corporate conglomerates with zero allegiance to any country or citizenry or even it's own long term growth and existence, but literally only to short term share price, to purchase both parties, our politicians, our policies, our laws, our regulatory agencies, thus our govt in general, and ALL media of scale, what did people expect would happen.

our govt and the media can only best serve it's citizenry when that is the agenda of the govt and the media, and currently that isn't the agenda of either in the slightest, nor can it be under the current ownership of both.

when govt is allowed to be bought, 100% chance it will be.

it was officially allowed to be bought, (thanks SCOTUS, you beyond treasonous scum), thus it was bought.

when all media is corporate, all media will serve the corporation itself first and no other entity.

what did people think would happen when SCOTUS approved money buying the US govt from the citizenry?

what did people think would happen when ALL media of scale became corporate, and 100% symbiotic to the money that bought the govt?

we know WHEN this happened.

the question now, is how does the citizenry reclaim the govt from the moneyed interests, and the media from the corporate interests.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mattndallas
I’m pessimistic on the U.S. being as powerful as it once was, but optimistic on humanity. I’ve bought into the theory that the 21st century is going to be the era of decentralization. Led by Bitcoin, which is the greatest innovation ever, possibly. Bitcoin will continue to carrying the torch if freedom into the future. Socialist and statist will fight like the Kings and Nobles fought democracy, but they’ll lose. Cheers @BradStevens.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BradStevens
Here's a pretty pessimistic article.


And now a question for the audience. My guess is that in today's world, a majority of people in a party with the power are optimistic, and the party of of power is pessimistic.
Optimism and pessimism are emotional states that can ignore facts. Batteries have two polarities that work together in balance to create energy. Be like the battery. You should be both at all times.

Is the glass half empty or half full? Or is it twice the size it needs to be?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: larsIU
Optimism and pessimism are emotional states that can ignore facts. Even batteries have two polarities that work together in balance to cause energy. You should be both at all times.

Is the glass half empty or half full? Or is it twice the size it needs to be?
ed4093139e1cfd97bd61b44ef63923d6.gif
 
Here's a pretty pessimistic article.


And now a question for the audience. My guess is that in today's world, a majority of people in a party with the power are optimistic, and the party of of power is pessimistic.
optimism. american spirit. ingenuity. fire. toughness. we make people like nowhere else in the world. like the veecks. watch the saint of second chances on netflix. chicago. dads. entrepreneurial spirit. an ode to baseball @Univee2 refund me some fines or issue a credit
 
optimism. american spirit. ingenuity. fire. toughness. we make people like nowhere else in the world. like the veecks. watch the saint of second chances on netflix. chicago. dads. entrepreneurial spirit. an ode to baseball @Univee2 refund me some fines or issue a credit
America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.

We survive, grow and prosper when we honor our past and dedicate ourselves to our futures and the futures of our children.
 
optimism. american spirit. ingenuity. fire. toughness. we make people like nowhere else in the world. like the veecks. watch the saint of second chances on netflix. chicago. dads. entrepreneurial spirit. an ode to baseball @Univee2 refund me some fines or issue a credit
All outstanding debts have been dropped into the Memory Hole. Honoring what has made America great is worth it, yes?
 
  • Love
Reactions: mcmurtry66
Just watch the show. It’s great
Field of Dreams is the one movie that never fails to make me cry at the end. It gets right to the absolute heart of everything.

I’m sure The Art of Racing in the Rain would get me but I refuse to watch it, having read the book. I have several pups waiting for me on the other side of Rainbow Bridge. No way I could watch it on a large screen.
 
Field of Dreams is the one movie that never fails to make me cry at the end. It gets right to the absolute heart of everything.

I’m sure The Art of Racing in the Rain would get me but I refuse to watch it, having read the book. I have several pups waiting for me on the other side of Rainbow Bridge. No way I could watch it on a large screen.
My last bulldog died 10 years ago. Still haven’t been able to bring myself to get another one. Watch the show. That veeck family were something else
 
I remain optimistic if only for to not be seems awful.

The USA changed the world. We need to change with it. We have ways to do that. Will we? We’ll see. Right now seems bad but I’m sure there was great pessimism in the mid to late 70’s but we rebounded pretty damn well.

There may have to be a shock of some sort. Probably economic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BradStevens
I remain optimistic if only for to not be seems awful.

The USA changed the world. We need to change with it. We have ways to do that. Will we? We’ll see. Right now seems bad but I’m sure there was great pessimism in the mid to late 70’s but we rebounded pretty damn well.

There may have to be a shock of some sort. Probably economic.
maybe it'll just be way different. you know how much i hate woke shit. but maybe that's just how it'll be. homeless everywhere. criminals running wild. but people not really bothered. just doin their own thing. happy. and if not committing crimes good to each other. it would almost be impossible for a school in the midwest to be more woke than my daughter's. i've known her crew since they were 5. i asked them just this past weekend if they seeing bullying. they looked at me like i was nuts. and they would tell me the truth. they tell me more than i want to hear/know. but they're a real mixed crew. exceptionally diverse. and they have furries at school that they talk about. and they laugh at them. but not in a mean way, if that makes sense. like they think it's funny but they are still accepted and in the mix. that's just their thing. like the furries laugh at them for wearing band shirts they never heard of. but they are all in it together. like Glee.

so maybe america will be a super high tech woke crowd of people with chips under their skin doing their thing. it's nothing i would like but if they're happy whatever. or maybe they will have their own region of the country per sope's plan
 
maybe it'll just be way different. you know how much i hate woke shit. but maybe that's just how it'll be. homeless everywhere. criminals running wild. but people not really bothered. just doin their own thing. happy. and if not committing crimes good to each other. it would almost be impossible for a school in the midwest to be more woke than my daughter's. i've known her crew since they were 5. i asked them just this past weekend if they seeing bullying. they looked at me like i was nuts. and they would tell me the truth. they tell me more than i want to hear/know. but they're a real mixed crew. exceptionally diverse. and they have furries at school that they talk about. and they laugh at them. but not in a mean way, if that makes sense. like they think it's funny but they are still accepted and in the mix. that's just their thing. like the furries laugh at them for wearing band shirts they never heard of. but they are all in it together. like Glee.

so maybe america will be a super high tech woke crowd of people with chips under their skin doing their thing. it's nothing i would like but if they're happy whatever. or maybe they will have their own region of the country per sope's plan
I think social media will change or become less “important” somehow. Less of a detractor. It’s hard for me to explain.

I think something related to robotics or AI is going to cause a massive shift in our lives that will be a pivot. Hopefully to something incredible.

I don’t think I’ll be around to see the after but I’d like to imagine I’ll see the foundations being built. Which would be cool.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mcmurtry66
I think social media will change or become less “important” somehow. Less of a detractor. It’s hard for me to explain.

I think something related to robotics or AI is going to cause a massive shift in our lives that will be a pivot. Hopefully to something incredible.

I don’t think I’ll be around to see the after but I’d like to imagine I’ll see the foundations being built. Which would be cool.
i hope you're right. i don't have a good feeling about AI. and it's not just the potential for bad, but stripping us of our creativity etc. my ex stoker was messaging daily about our kid. always the kid but messaging me daily. the blacademic doesn't really address that stuff. so i google it and on reddit or quora or something the AI answer popped up amongst all hte anonymous posts as it was something someone else posted as a topic. the AI answer was perfect. right on point. way better than the human answers. so maybe our creativity, art, lit, movies, will just be supplanted by better computer versions of our creative selves
 
maybe our creativity, art, lit, movies, will just be supplanted by better computer versions of our creative selves

AI, as it relates to art, will just be another medium.

Perhaps AI/robots will determine the only way to accomplish the prime directive is to destroy and forever eradicate all forms of digital technology.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: mcmurtry66
i have absolutely no idea what point you are trying to make, so please be more specific and we can discuss.

that said, once SCOTUS officially approved billionaires with no allegiance to anything other than more self wealth at any cost, and multinational corporate conglomerates with zero allegiance to any country or citizenry or even it's own long term growth and existence, but literally only to short term share price, to purchase both parties, our politicians, our policies, our laws, our regulatory agencies, thus our govt in general, and ALL media of scale, what did people expect would happen.

our govt and the media can only best serve it's citizenry when that is the agenda of the govt and the media, and currently that isn't the agenda of either in the slightest, nor can it be under the current ownership of both.

when govt is allowed to be bought, 100% chance it will be.

it was officially allowed to be bought, (thanks SCOTUS, you beyond treasonous scum), thus it was bought.

when all media is corporate, all media will serve the corporation itself first and no other entity.

what did people think would happen when SCOTUS approved money buying the US govt from the citizenry?

what did people think would happen when ALL media of scale became corporate, and 100% symbiotic to the money that bought the govt?

we know WHEN this happened.

the question now, is how does the citizenry reclaim the govt from the moneyed interests, and the media from the corporate interests.
Thank you, Lyndon Larouche.
 
I'm definitely pessimistic.

Look at the state of the political class. These people represent the population.
 
Here's a pretty pessimistic article.


And now a question for the audience. My guess is that in today's world, a majority of people in a party with the power are optimistic, and the party of of power is pessimistic.
Optimistic..for sure.
It could be a bumpy ride, but the explosive growth of the Christian Parallel Society movement and Christian Nationalism is encouraging.
People in every social strata are noticing the man behind the curtain, pulling the levers.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Bulk VanderHuge
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT