Decline and fall: how American society unravelled

Guardian UK ^ | The Guardian, Wednesday 19 June 2013 12.47 EDT | George Packer

[Perdogg]

Thirty years ago, the old deal that held US society together started to unwind, with social cohesion sacrificed to greed. Was it an inevitable process – or was it engineered by self-interested elites?

In or around 1978, America's character changed. For almost half a century, the United States had been a relatively egalitarian, secure, middle-class democracy, with structures in place that supported the aspirations of ordinary people. You might call it the period of the Roosevelt Republic. Wars, strikes, racial tensions and youth rebellion all roiled national life, but a basic deal among Americans still held, in belief if not always in fact: work hard, follow the rules, educate your children, and you will be rewarded, not just with a decent life and the prospect of a better one for your kids, but with recognition from society, a place at the table.

[fuzzylogic]

Yeah, he lost me there too. Typical Brit, equates capitalism with only greed.

I bet he likes his iPhone though ;)

Of course the breakdown of the family and moral values have nothing to do with it!! Thank you liberals.

[mm427]

Americas down fall can be easily traced....

1. The 19th amendment.
2. Group right’s becoming more important that Right’s of the Individual.
3. Removal of Prayer from the public schools.
4. Abortion legalized.

Yep...that pretty much covers it.

[Theoria]

Good grief. George Packer isn't a brit. He's been writing op Ed's like this for while in support of his pov and book.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

In the 1960's those who formed this country, and operated its government over the centuries collapsed and abdicated their right to govern. The Third World eagerly stepped up and is in the process of taking control. Already the descendants of the white former governors are being beaten on the streets; their children cannot get into school and upon graduation must wait until the Third World ethnic studies major has his place in a government job-(as jobs in the private sector with few exceptions are largely gone.). The few large private companies still remaining largely hire minorities. My local Wells Fargo branch is all black with the exception of a Mexican female. When they do a service for you they have a cook book on how to do it. If the cook book does not handle the transaction they have a center they can call. (I saw the aforementioned.)

The above is the price my children for equality and surrendering the right to govern. At least you can gaze into your new masters shiny black face and sigh how wonderful you are.

[poobear]

Great minds... I love how they throw in Bull Chit over Horse Chit! Like it will stink less!

[Tzimisce]

Karl Marx HATED the middle class and the Capitalist system.

So here we sit in 2013, implementing Marxist idea after Marxist idea after Marxist idea - and the people who bring us this stuff sit in mystified wonder at where the middle class went.

This would be like the Nazis acting shocked that the Jewish population is disappearing...

[edwinland]

He says that the scoial contract changed in 1978 but actually the whole social compact changed in 1973 with Roe v. Wade.

[ogen hal]

The bottom is it all has to do with leftists...either DIMocRAT or republican. Pox on all of them.

[DwFry]

Multiculturalism killed the USA. Everything else is a footnote.

[Yardstick]

My thought too. Why not just come out and peg it at 1980.

[kabar]

The U.S. adds one international migrant (net) every 36 seconds. Immigrants account for one in 8 U.S. residents, the highest level in more than 90 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13. In a decade, it will be one in 7, the highest it has been in our history. And by 2050, one in 5 residents of the U.S. will be foreign-born.

The nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) reached 40 million in 2010, the highest number in our history. The U.S. immigrant population has doubled since 1990, nearly tripled since 1980, and quadrupled since 1970, when it stood at 9.7 million. Of the 40 million immigrants in the country in 2010, 13.9 million arrived in 2000 or later making it the highest decade of immigration in American history, even though there was a net loss of jobs during the decade.

Growth in the immigrant population has primarily been driven by high levels of legal immigration. Roughly three-fourths of immigrants in the country are here legally. With nearly 12 million immigrants, Mexico was by far the top immigrant-sending country, accounting for 29 percent of all immigrants and 29 percent of growth in the immigrant population from 2000 to 2010. The median age of immigrants in 2010 was 41.4 compared to 35.9 for natives.

We are not the same country we were 30 years ago. We are importing millions of uneducated, unskilled people--87% of whom are minorities as defined by the USG. We are becoming Balkanized along racial, ethnic, and linguistic lines. Tribal politics is the result.

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

Although well-intended, the Civil Rights Act was the first knife in Uncle Sam’s back. It created ‘protected classes’ where we were no longer Americans, only ‘groups’. Next came the women’s liberation movement, led by man-hater lesbians such as Bella Abzug and Gloria Steinem. The family unit became broken, females assumed the male role resulting in broken marriages. The divorce rate skyrocketed and perhaps worst of all, boys became emasculated without a father in the house. Case and point, Barack Hussein 0bama. He is the embodiment of how feminism destroyed America. He is not a man. He throws like a girl. He is obsessed with style over substance. He is a celebrity, not a leader.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

Interesting that they admit our society has unraveled. They are far off on the reasons for it. The main reason as I see it can be summed up in 1 word- Liberalism. And the tools of liberalism used to dismantle the greatest society that ever existed ie multiculturalism, feminism, govt dependency, affirmative action, moral decay, and contempt for the constitution.

[Noumenon]

Was it an inevitable process – or was it engineered by self-interested elites?

I'll take 'will-to-power driven monsters' for $50, Alex.

[Will88]

“Generally speaking, the Protective system in these days is conservative, while the Free Trade system works destructively. It breaks up old nationalities and carries antagonism of proletariat and bourgeoisie to the uttermost point. In a word, the Free Trade system hastens the Social Revolution. In this revolutionary sense alone, gentlemen, I am in favor of Free Trade.”

And Marx was right with that quote. Free trade is destructive and it does work to break up nationalities and national borders.

That's why the first step toward a unified Europe was free trade and the EEC, and then on to the destruction of national sovereignty and the grand EU.

And free trade is the first step to break up nationalities and national borders in the Western Hemisphere, and then on to some sort of North American Unionm, or whatever.

Large numbers of Americans who think they're just supporting free trade like they learned in college are unwittingly serving the purpose of those who do want to see an end to US sovereingty and the creation of a larger, borderless hemisphere and world.

[Bronzewound]

Check the comments below the Guardian article. Constant referencing of Marx. Disgusting.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Hindsight is always 20/20 vision. Except distorted by nostalgia, the current agenda, ignorance of history or current events, etc. In other words, the “good old days” were not seen as particularly good at the time.

The author bemoans the loss of American industrialism, but America moved away from industrialism because we were no longer competitive, and we didn’t want the pollution and other stuff that came with it. Who wants to do hard work in a steel mill when you can get paid almost as much, or more, for a desk job?

Charles Bronson was raised to be a coal miner, until he discovered that acting was where it’s at. At least compared to coal mining.

And a lot of today’s asocial or antisocial behavior was also voluntary. Kids were and are raised to *not* hang out with each other. Like the kids on South Park, your “friends” are just the kids you meet at the bus stop.

When you grow up, you want to get a home, get married, have kids, etc. You do not give two hoots *where* this is, or if any of your friends will live nearby. Zero “community”.

[Bronzewound]

Whatchyou talkin’ ‘bout Willis?

[fella]

ping

[lurk]

Government policies are the symptom. Most FReepers make the error of thinking that the symptom is the same as the cause.

The cause is the thinking that man is good, man is smart, man can solve his own problems, and that man can solve any problem acting as his own higher power.

Progressivism is simply the vehicle to advance the belief.