The U.S.A. Is Decadent And Depraved.

[WinterBorn]

Republicans are waging war on America.

We cannot blame everything on Donald Trump, much though we might want to. In the decadent stage of the Roman Empire, or of Louis XVI’s France, or the dying days of the Habsburg Empire so brilliantly captured in Robert Musil’s The Man Without Qualities, decadence seeped downward from the rulers to the ruled. But in a democracy, the process operates reciprocally. A decadent elite licenses degraded behavior, and a debased public chooses its worst leaders. Then our Nero panders to our worst attributes — and we reward him for doing so.

“Decadence,” in short, describes a cultural, moral, and spiritual disorder — the Donald Trump in us. It is the right, of course, that first introduced the language of civilizational decay to American political discourse. A quarter of a century ago, Patrick Buchanan bellowed at the Republican National Convention that the two parties were fighting “a religious war … for the soul of America.” Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) accused the Democrats of practicing “multicultural nihilistic hedonism,” of despising the values of ordinary Americans, of corruption, and of illegitimacy. That all-accusing voice became the voice of the Republican Party.

The United States of America Is Decadent and Depraved

Good thing we live in a republic with a constitution that severely restricts the government, and instead empowers the individual. Maybe, just maybe, the solution is to uphold the laws that make sure that avid trump supporters don’t have a say over what everyone else chooses to do with their time...and then when Bernie is president, his avid supporters also do not have a say in what everyone else does on their own time. Wow, what a concept, stop the groups from controlling the individuals and everyone benefits...because we all are individuals. Shocker.

It sounds great. The problem is, both parties thrive on the hostility between their followers. Neither the GOP nor the DNC was people to be viewed as individuals.

Going to sound rude, but no duh. We deserve what we get. So stop reaping stupid shit that you keep on sowing. The people in government aren’t pulling the lever for you. Stop blaming those in power, stop blaming “stupid” people around you, and do what you know you should do. Stop limiting yourself to a narrow amount of choice.

I have not limited myself to the narrow amount of choices. The simple truth is, however, that third party candidates don't stand a chance. In the last election, given our choice between Trump & Clinton, I thought we might see some movement. But the voters have become so accustomed to voting for the lesser of 2 evils, and told so many times that voting for a 3rd party only harms the outcome, that the overwhelming majority of votes are cast for one of two parties.

And I am not only blaming the people in power, although they do deserve much of the blame. But when I talk about the hostility, it is top to bottom.