On another blog I recently read the following comment, which was inspired by events of recent vintage.

This republic is going through another wave of gross insanity. Come to think of it like all nations it's always been a matter of controlling demented outbursts. Human beings as a whole are naturally insane. At heart we're hunter gatherers that wear socks, and pay taxes.

We never have really adjusted to what's loosely called Civilization. Our combined histories clearly shows this. Right now reading any info media platforms confirms we're in another storm of lunacy.

I'm as nuts as the rest. I have to force myself 'not' to climb the Chrysler Building in my shorts. This with a conical clown hat on my head, floppy shoes, a Roman candle sticking out of my butt shooting flares, all the while singing jingles from 1950's cigarette commercials.

It's a moment to moment struggle.

If that's not enough for ya, we'll add some extra crazy to da mix.

Edited 9/15/2017 04:48:31

I always believed in the food chain analogy.

Humans sort of have a food chain of it's own. Civilization is just a set of basic rules that prevent lions from having a feasts and dance in jubilation after, cheering its win in front of everyone else.

We all know that you can't domesticate a lion, though, and the world is full of lions.

the author of this quip is in for a shock when the US ends in a Rome-style collapse.

Rome-style collapse

Rome was threatened by external enemies throughout its history. The US does not enjoy the same circumstances. However if we feel the need I am sure my fellow citizens are up to the task of ruining a country which has its virtues.

...in for a shock...

Well, as far as that goes, things are never so bad, that they can not become shockingly worse.

Exceptions do put the rule to the test, but exceptions are exceptional.

Edited 9/17/2017 18:50:49

The US does not enjoy the same circumstances.

It certainly does; its European NATO allies and a few other countries such as Japan are the only allies it could count on; other "allies" have stolen secrets (Israel), funded US enemies (Turkey, Saudi Arabia) and switched sides too often to be reliable (countries like the Phillipines and Vietnam are opportunistic allies at best). Closer to home, there are increasingly demographics whose immediate interests are opposed to American ideals. The majority of any given group would rather have political power for themselves, rather than preserve abstract ideals for everyone. The urbanite cosmopolitans are the enemy of American ideals. So the US is threatened from the outside while being subverted from the inside.

Moving away from the US and seeing the bigger picture, we observe that every country has allies and enemies, every company has competition in the free market, and every individual competes for limited resources. Everything organic is under attack simultaneously.

Well, as far as that goes, things are never so bad, that they can not become shockingly worse.

Exceptions do put the rule to the test, but exceptions are exceptional.

For a person without strong historical knowledge whose entire perception of the humanities is limited to the American experiment, revolution-culture-authority are like colors to a blind person. If history is any indicator of the nature of politics, we know the US and all of the Western Civilization will fall. All these Boomer Sunday Morning Republicans and Democrats are indeed in for a shock when the US collapses.

Lol at you if you think there aren't numerous Americans in every city and town getting ready for which ever "big one" comes first. Doomsday prepping is an American tradition.

"Numerous" is a weasel-word. Look at a US presidential election map of any recent election - the Republicans carry the vast majority of land area, and the Democrats' voter base is concentrated in urban areas. Even with such small area, the Democrats are able to win or almost win presidential elections.

I say this as someone who isn't a Republican partisan and cringes at the very word "Conservative." The danger of a large, majoritarian class of urban workers, who tend to prefer welfare programs over right to property and collectivist ideology over freedom of speech and freedom of association, was known historically by the lights of Western thought. Thomas Jefferson being a notable example in an American context.

You're right that America probably wouldn't survive another "Wild West" if Urban areas were destroyed unless the rest of the world were having big problems of its own.

My guess is the United States would guarantee that, though.

I didn't make that argument but indeed having your urban areas bombed out is going to hurt your chance of survival.