There is no boundary that stops Trump. There is no humanity in people who worship money and power. I agree that all of this is hard to comprehend. The sky is falling.
Thanks, Phil. Intellectually & often politically, I have been a socialist (and a Marxist economist). But, in this current culture, it seems like it's a pipe dream. Mostly what I mean by that is the abominable state of education, i.e., the preponderant, systemic absence of it in the US. Without better education, there is unlikely to be widespread support for socialism. Chicken & egg problem -- better education, better social system? And, for sure, the expectation of environmental destruction with continuing population & economic growth, without ameliorating policies & practices, is a real, palpable threat -- especially with the TruthSocialDent's denial of it & romping speedily toward the denigration of our physical surroundings and human health. Keep smiling....
Yeah! Education is a big part of it -Trump loves the poorly educated (a famous quote that one non-Trumpy pundit (Christian Parenti) recognized as both lauding ignorance, and conveying respect toward those without privilege), and clearly, Trump's base is made up of people who can be paid to undermine their own interests with theatrical cruelty and nothing else. Trump, illiterate himself, has mined the silver lining of ignorance like no one else in US history.
At this point I almost believe that any positive change in the US is a pipe dream. I recently read a piece that I can't retrieve in my Google History, nor remember the name of the author (technology and aged memory conspiring at once!), but I do recall the gist, sort of - the writer pointed out how suddenly, and without warning, that political systems and empires utterly collapse. I took this as sort of a fantasy smacking of false hope - that Trump's reign would suddenly expire in one spasmodic shiver, catching us all by surprise. If we ever find ourselves alive and buried in the rubble of imperial implosion, the first priority in our resurrection would be education. Stupidity may be Trump's super power, but it hasn't served us well. Even the authorities of Paradise City work hard to ruin schools.
BTW - I don't see environmental destruction as a palpable threat so much as a certainty. I am only accepting the conclusion of many scientists, as I have no expertise on the technical issues. Is amelioration a pipe dream?
Hey Tom. It seems at least imaginable that some sort of social democracy might emerge from the chaos of Trump's anticipated collapse, while the degrowth socialism that might rescue the environment has few adherents as yet - particularly in the US. Bernie Sanders seems to be gaining popularity. As Aaron Bastani proves, we can't even count on Marxists to embrace degrowth. The most important voices in the degrowth movement argue that nothing short of radical economic (planned) slow down and redistributed wealth has a chance of addressing environmental disaster. The scientific arguments warning us are overwhelmingly clear - we are fucked without immediate reduction and quick elimination of fossil fuels. (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/climate-risk-insurance-future-capitalism-g%C3%BCnther-thallinger-smw5f/) Here is one more (https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/06/06/nightmare-of-nightmares-new-big-co2-emissions/)
Of course, while we are swooning on utopian dreams, Trump is burning us to extinction, and there is no viable opposition.
There is no boundary that stops Trump. There is no humanity in people who worship money and power. I agree that all of this is hard to comprehend. The sky is falling.
Thanks, Phil. Intellectually & often politically, I have been a socialist (and a Marxist economist). But, in this current culture, it seems like it's a pipe dream. Mostly what I mean by that is the abominable state of education, i.e., the preponderant, systemic absence of it in the US. Without better education, there is unlikely to be widespread support for socialism. Chicken & egg problem -- better education, better social system? And, for sure, the expectation of environmental destruction with continuing population & economic growth, without ameliorating policies & practices, is a real, palpable threat -- especially with the TruthSocialDent's denial of it & romping speedily toward the denigration of our physical surroundings and human health. Keep smiling....
Yeah! Education is a big part of it -Trump loves the poorly educated (a famous quote that one non-Trumpy pundit (Christian Parenti) recognized as both lauding ignorance, and conveying respect toward those without privilege), and clearly, Trump's base is made up of people who can be paid to undermine their own interests with theatrical cruelty and nothing else. Trump, illiterate himself, has mined the silver lining of ignorance like no one else in US history.
At this point I almost believe that any positive change in the US is a pipe dream. I recently read a piece that I can't retrieve in my Google History, nor remember the name of the author (technology and aged memory conspiring at once!), but I do recall the gist, sort of - the writer pointed out how suddenly, and without warning, that political systems and empires utterly collapse. I took this as sort of a fantasy smacking of false hope - that Trump's reign would suddenly expire in one spasmodic shiver, catching us all by surprise. If we ever find ourselves alive and buried in the rubble of imperial implosion, the first priority in our resurrection would be education. Stupidity may be Trump's super power, but it hasn't served us well. Even the authorities of Paradise City work hard to ruin schools.
BTW - I don't see environmental destruction as a palpable threat so much as a certainty. I am only accepting the conclusion of many scientists, as I have no expertise on the technical issues. Is amelioration a pipe dream?
Love the ending, Phil. Maybe even social democracy could do that.
Hey Tom. It seems at least imaginable that some sort of social democracy might emerge from the chaos of Trump's anticipated collapse, while the degrowth socialism that might rescue the environment has few adherents as yet - particularly in the US. Bernie Sanders seems to be gaining popularity. As Aaron Bastani proves, we can't even count on Marxists to embrace degrowth. The most important voices in the degrowth movement argue that nothing short of radical economic (planned) slow down and redistributed wealth has a chance of addressing environmental disaster. The scientific arguments warning us are overwhelmingly clear - we are fucked without immediate reduction and quick elimination of fossil fuels. (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/climate-risk-insurance-future-capitalism-g%C3%BCnther-thallinger-smw5f/) Here is one more (https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/06/06/nightmare-of-nightmares-new-big-co2-emissions/)
Of course, while we are swooning on utopian dreams, Trump is burning us to extinction, and there is no viable opposition.