My only issue with the article is the reference to America as a first-world country. Crumbling and non-existent transportation infrastructure, a desperate workforce who can’t survive on the wages they’re paid, unaffordable housing, groceries, education and healthcare, and every day adults and children are getting shot by their community members. How can the US still be labeled “first-world”?
What is left to transition to make the transformation into the second world complete? A violent political insurrection against the houses of government and interference in the democratic process by a sitting president? Check.
i hear ya… we suck… but i don’t think we’ve gone full Russia just yet… thus i view it more as we are transitioning into a second world country. It’s not happening over night… little by little these oligarchs are chipping away at all liberties and guardrails…
Yea, I see what you’re saying. I don’t even think we suck. I think those oligarchs you mentioned suck and it’s disapoointing that all of the people I grew up with and knew are dead inside for one crapitalist, institutional. hegemonic reason or another.
We need a new term for countries like Russia, the UK, the transition that the US (and soon to be China) is in/ has been going through since around the 90’s. Its more like a ‘failure to launch’ first world country issue. They had everything they needed to move into a more post-scarcity style economy like much of developed Europe and some SEA countries, but failed to stick the landing, largely as a result of internal politics and right wing radicalism and extremism/ corruption in market capitalism. At the same time there are plenty of countries who have landed on a good mix of social policies that ensure most of every one gets a mostly fair crack at life, while at the same time allowing for enough flexibility and freedom of choice in their economies, so its clearly not an inevitability. I’m also not convinced that these countries can’t make it out to a more reasonable state after a period of trouble.
My only issue with the article is the reference to America as a first-world country. Crumbling and non-existent transportation infrastructure, a desperate workforce who can’t survive on the wages they’re paid, unaffordable housing, groceries, education and healthcare, and every day adults and children are getting shot by their community members. How can the US still be labeled “first-world”?
Transitioning to second world is more like it.
What is left to transition to make the transformation into the second world complete? A violent political insurrection against the houses of government and interference in the democratic process by a sitting president? Check.
i hear ya… we suck… but i don’t think we’ve gone full Russia just yet… thus i view it more as we are transitioning into a second world country. It’s not happening over night… little by little these oligarchs are chipping away at all liberties and guardrails…
Yea, I see what you’re saying. I don’t even think we suck. I think those oligarchs you mentioned suck and it’s disapoointing that all of the people I grew up with and knew are dead inside for one crapitalist, institutional. hegemonic reason or another.
We need a new term for countries like Russia, the UK, the transition that the US (and soon to be China) is in/ has been going through since around the 90’s. Its more like a ‘failure to launch’ first world country issue. They had everything they needed to move into a more post-scarcity style economy like much of developed Europe and some SEA countries, but failed to stick the landing, largely as a result of internal politics and right wing radicalism and extremism/ corruption in market capitalism. At the same time there are plenty of countries who have landed on a good mix of social policies that ensure most of every one gets a mostly fair crack at life, while at the same time allowing for enough flexibility and freedom of choice in their economies, so its clearly not an inevitability. I’m also not convinced that these countries can’t make it out to a more reasonable state after a period of trouble.
0-1 world countries?
Exactly we haven’t (if ever) been a first world country.