Do you think this book predicts the future?
- thebookaholic1
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Re: Do you think this book predicts the future?
As to your question, have you seen this scene from The Newsroom? (https://youtu.be/ZPHSXUS0_1c)
- Ksharmilla
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From a dystopian future point of view, I think that if humanity continues on its current path this could very well be the future. It would take drastic change to better the course for a brighter future.
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- SammiArch
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- grace8031
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I think you have something here. It is as if events are taking place that could push the US over the proverbial cliff. Taking freedom for granted and asking government to moderate too many aspects of citizens lives in its the type of society seen in the book.LaurenHaupt wrote: ↑01 Aug 2018, 23:44 It doesn't sound too far fetched. Hopefully this is not a problem that we will have to face later on. It's hard to predict if something like this could happen.
As a current world leader, the US is held to a different standard and a common pride (nationalism) is not allowed but is allowed for other countries. When a common pride for the country is lost citizens do not support education, innovation, and government. Societies become more fragmented and can give way to situations like this.
- koechcollins50
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- Doug Jones
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dbulkley, have you read Tim Marshall's book 'Prisoners of Geography'? He makes a great geopolitical case for your argument that the U.S. will continue to be the most powerful country on Earth thanks to its geographic position.
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Wow, I wouldn't have thought of mindless consumerism as the theme, more a motif. I rather thought that it was more about corporate deregulation and mass privatization, and that isn't caused by mindless consumerism, mindless consumerism is a symptom of it. The people behind these corporations who own the US government didn't get their riches by people buying their product; if they did, that would be honest. They got there through slave labor overseas, underpaying their legal US workers, exploiting undocumented immigrants, crushing unions, nonpayment of taxes by shell corporations and overseas tax havens, slashing people's benefits and retirement, and a multitude of other shady ways including outright theft. I agree with you that the book doesn't predict the future but only insofar as that version of the USA seems better than it is now, provided that there's no corporate violence (and even then, they do what they can to limit civilian casualties). From what I remember, the book made mention of the corporations (probably as marketing strategy) attempting to improve the environment and combat climate change, limiting poverty and unemployment, and protecting citizens from violence. IRL there is no iteration of capitalism that doesn't cause war, death, starvation, disease, and climate apocalypse, and the rich (who pay campaign contributions to legislators who then deregulate, privatize, and make swiss cheese of the tax code at their behest) are so utterly removed from anything resembling ordinary life that they have no capacity to understand that, and wouldn't care if they did.Zain A Blade wrote: ↑21 Sep 2018, 15:14 I think the book's theme points to a lot of things that are wrong with mindless consumerism, but I don't think it predicts the future.
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YES, I agree, and sooner rather than later. And those most responsible for its fall will be harmed by it the least. We can hope, but the unfortunate reality is that the overprivileged make decisions that enrich them to the detriment of marginalized people, and as long as we live under the rule of the capitalist elites, the marginalized will always be hurt first and worst, whether the country rises or falls. Under capitalism, compassion is just another marketing strategy.
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We're held to a higher standard because we believe we're exceptional, and if someone is exceptional then they merit a higher standard. If other countries laugh at what they think is our misplaced pride, our response shouldn't be that they need to lower their standards.ShareTheGift wrote: ↑07 Oct 2018, 11:37I think you have something here. It is as if events are taking place that could push the US over the proverbial cliff. Taking freedom for granted and asking government to moderate too many aspects of citizens lives in its the type of society seen in the book.LaurenHaupt wrote: ↑01 Aug 2018, 23:44 It doesn't sound too far fetched. Hopefully this is not a problem that we will have to face later on. It's hard to predict if something like this could happen.
As a current world leader, the US is held to a different standard and a common pride (nationalism) is not allowed but is allowed for other countries. When a common pride for the country is lost citizens do not support education, innovation, and government. Societies become more fragmented and can give way to situations like this.
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Agree. Local politics are crucial to rein things in when the federal government is out of control. The problem is that the federal government has bigger play in the attention economy, and we forget that we have a part in state and local politics. also agree--local government is often run by people who are every bit as wrongheaded as those in federal government.Dael Reader wrote: ↑14 Sep 2018, 14:18 While I do think the country is going to hell in a hand basket with the present administration, I don't think we're in quite as much danger of having the central government lose complete control to commercial enterprises. I think it would be more likely that more control would be shifted from the central government to state governments, which could lead to even greater problems as each state makes its own laws without respect for civil rights.
- liebemario
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