Tags
achievement, capitalism, centralized capitalism, communties, decentralized capitalism, dignity, equality, escapism, government efficacy, government paternalism, helicopter parenting, jingoism, local economies, millennials, narcissism, patriotism, profit maximization, self esteem, self-reliance, social welfare, socialism, wasteland of the free
… they grew up under helicopter parenting. They grew up under the delusion that someone, something — even if mom and/or dad failed at this — should provide protection. The expectation is that paternal government should take care of them.
For those on the left, when “mom” failed to secure the White House in 2016, this held the traumatic equivalency of witnessing one’s parent or parents being shot in front of them. Of course, those on the right saw the cheered ascendancy of the last macho, stern “dad” enter the White House, still believing in the illusion that a few welts on the ass will cure all of our troubles.
In either case, these deceived Americans cling to the belief, despite so much evidence to the contrary in the 21st century, that government should not only attend to all social ills (positively or negatively), but that it is still capable of attending to all social ills.
In addition, millennials are unaware of the distinctions between centralized and decentralized capitalism. Millennials were not around when the last neighborhood grocery stores and independent hardware stores disappeared in the ’60s and ’70s (save for some neighborhoods in major urban areas), when the last vestiges of the decentralized capitalism mentality from earlier times finally faded, when corporations turned from being stewards of their hometowns to focusing solely on profit maximization.
All changes in the zeitgeist that came at the expense of society’s welfare, of ensuring a level playing field.
And thanks to that profit maximization mentality, present and future generations of Americans will lose their sense of self responsibility, of looking out for others in their neighborhoods and communities, of knowing the dignity that comes with substantive achievement, and substantive failures— not achievement manufactured in a bubble to protect “self esteem.”
They will never be provided a chance to find their place under the sun. From here on out, the focus will increasingly be about survival, about the continued unfolding of the Shitty Society, of completing the formation of the Wasteland of the Free.
And so, the individual’s reliance on social media to “create themselves” or “find themselves” will remain. When that flavor enhancer loses its saltiness, they’ll increasingly turn to the use of legal and illegal drugs, of alcohol, of virtual reality games, of adrenaline-pumping extreme sports, of travel, of anything that feeds their narcissism, that provides escapism.
And the last vestiges of American society will disappear with this surge in misdirected motion disguised as effort.
All that will remain is senseless American patriotic jingoism, a paper-thin veneer to convince us we still have a country.
Until that veneer rips in two….
