American collapse

We are in the twilight years of America. Our society is collapsing.

Such statements garner, to my experience, one of two reactions:

"No it's not! Things are fine. You're just so hyperbolic."
"I know, but what can I do about it, so let's not talk about it, k?"

Last month, a smart thinkpiece posted on Medium made the rounds, stirring objections and reflections. My kinda writing. One of my FB friends posted it on her wall and the title immediately snagged my attention: "Why We're Underestimating American Collapse." In the wake of recent news, I think it bears revisiting. 

It was by Umair Haque, Director of the Havas Media Lab in London. In the thinkpiece, Haque identifies what he calls three "pathologies" present in society:

-School shootings. Haque writes (and bear in mind this was published on 1/25/2018):
"America has had 11 school shootings in the last 23 days, which is more than anywhere else in the world, even Afghanistan or Iraq. In fact, the phenomenon of regular school shootings appears to be a unique feature of American collapse — it just doesn’t happen in any other country — and that is what I mean by “social pathologies of collapse”: a new, bizarre, terrible disease striking society."
It would be difficult to argue against Haque's contention that this is a unique phenomenon among modern nations, indeed industrialized societies in history. What's more, we now treat the news of such shootings as not really news anymore. That is unless it's particularly egregious, as was the case yesterday (which begs the question, what are the criteria to merit "special report" attention?) Otherwise, school shootings are facts of the human condition in America.

-The opioid epidemic. While that's been a popular boogeyman of the current administration, Haque keys in on just why it's uniquely American. Opioids are widely available in many parts of the world in any quantity one wants without a prescription. We should, therefore, see this kind of use and addiction on a global scale. We don't. What is driving Americans to self-medicate to such a magnitude?

-A predatory society. Haque defines that as: "A predatory society doesn’t just mean oligarchs ripping people off financially. In a truer way, it means people nodding and smiling and going about their everyday business as their neighbours, friends, and colleagues die early deaths in shallow graves."
With income inequality and 1% of the population controlling the vast majority of wealth, it is easy to lose sight of how we, the "commoners" for serious lack of a better phrase, view one another. The kind of social conditions already described would be utterly insufferable in other societies with a communal focus.

Other viewpoints might argue that's not a bad thing. It was the American values of "homesteading" and "rugged individualism" that birthed so many entrepreneurial achievements and products. There may be merit to that, yet over time systems can fall out of balance. Claims of indifference among the citizenry may also overestimate human altruism.

I would argue that Haque could also include consumerism as a pathology. I am regularly amazed and unsettled by the American obsession with consumer products. I've recently been inundated with conversations where others lament the closing of brick and mortar stores. I could not help but wonder where we might be if there was half as much concern for American intellectualism as there apparently is for retail. Then again, perhaps Haque did not include this aspect as America is not entirely unique in history in regard to consumerism. We did, however, take it to a whole new level.

Writers are quick to respond to these tectonic shifts. To see the cruel consequences of industrialization, go straight to Dickens. Writers in the UK are already constructing a whole sub-genre of Brexit literature. Sometimes writers are the first to see it coming or at least the potential of "it" happening, such as with Orwell and Huxley. In fact, I would argue that science fiction is at its best when envisioning the future shape of society. What will a collapsed America inspire?

I'm hesitant to suggest it. "Science fiction" carries any unfortunate definition with many, one that reads "that could never happen." The previously described "pathologies" are very real and happening...as are their consequences. As a punky kid, I reveled in all manner of post-collapse, dystopian fiction. Now, however, with a family to protect, utter dependence on steady employment, and a fully grown up sense of what "frightening" means, such scenarios hit too close to home and feel all-too plausible.

Let me tell you about two deadly logical fallacies I learned in 2017.

"People won't let things get that bad,"
"It can't happen to me/us."

The former presumes both competence and good intentions among those in leadership. The latter is an embarrassing cocktail of hubris and naivete.

What to do? I'm reminded of a few quotes from Terence McKenna:

"The nightmare of every government on earth is a million people assembled in the town square of your capital city, demanding that you pack up to Switzerland. no body can say No to a million people on the streets."

"I think if it's out of control then our side is winning."

If any of this intrigues you, you may also wish to read Haque's "The End of the American Experiment."


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