The Roman Empire of the 21st Century
I have this theory about America and Americans.
Watch how Americans behave. Just stop and watch people come and go during a typical weekday. You'll see a few meandering on by, a few stopping and chatting with one another. Even a few stopping to smell the roses, so to speak.
But the vast majority -kids included- 90% or more, I bet, are rushing around, frantically trying to get from one place to the next. Trying to beat the other people rushing around. And most Americans are doing this.
So what, you say? So here's my theory, I say.
America is going to burn itself out. There is such an intense level of competition and trying to beat the other guy, trying to take more of the other guy's money than he can take from you, that we are going to get more and more and more intense about it. Business are going to get more ruthless and get rid of more employees faster and faster. We've already given away to other countries most of the things we used to take such pride in making. We make almost nothing of our own now; China does most of it now. Its going to become even more important to cut corners to save money, to do whatever it takes to beat the other company, to beat the other guy.
And then we're going to explode into tiny, ineffectual, barely noticed scraps on the floor of history. We have no culture to be remembered for in history. Our art and literature has not existed long enough to be remembered.
Then what?
See, I think Europe has a better idea of things. They are more measured in their pace. They haven't let business take control of everything, like it has here. Money is important, but it isn't everything. And they have lasted. While America the Beautiful has become less significant because a global economy is more important, Great Britain is still Great Britain, Germany still builds great things, like Germans always have.
Until America decides that there are more important things than beating the guy next to you senseless just to get a few more of his dollars, we're going to destroy ourselves.
Watch how Americans behave. Just stop and watch people come and go during a typical weekday. You'll see a few meandering on by, a few stopping and chatting with one another. Even a few stopping to smell the roses, so to speak.
But the vast majority -kids included- 90% or more, I bet, are rushing around, frantically trying to get from one place to the next. Trying to beat the other people rushing around. And most Americans are doing this.
So what, you say? So here's my theory, I say.
America is going to burn itself out. There is such an intense level of competition and trying to beat the other guy, trying to take more of the other guy's money than he can take from you, that we are going to get more and more and more intense about it. Business are going to get more ruthless and get rid of more employees faster and faster. We've already given away to other countries most of the things we used to take such pride in making. We make almost nothing of our own now; China does most of it now. Its going to become even more important to cut corners to save money, to do whatever it takes to beat the other company, to beat the other guy.
And then we're going to explode into tiny, ineffectual, barely noticed scraps on the floor of history. We have no culture to be remembered for in history. Our art and literature has not existed long enough to be remembered.
Then what?
See, I think Europe has a better idea of things. They are more measured in their pace. They haven't let business take control of everything, like it has here. Money is important, but it isn't everything. And they have lasted. While America the Beautiful has become less significant because a global economy is more important, Great Britain is still Great Britain, Germany still builds great things, like Germans always have.
Until America decides that there are more important things than beating the guy next to you senseless just to get a few more of his dollars, we're going to destroy ourselves.
posted by JohnR at
9:16 PM
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