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  1. #1
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    Is this the end of the American empire?

    All great civilizations have come to an end eventually so it stands to reason the American empire/civilisation will come to an end sooner or later, Is now the time?. Is this the end of the American dream?




    Is this the end of the American empire?-end-empire-png

    It won't be long before the U.S. is the equivalent of a south American Oligarchy, (or Russia) they've spent decades dumbing down the population to get to this point.
    “If we stop testing right now we’d have very few cases, if any.” Donald J Trump.

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Hard to say if it’s end but the damage Trump has done is incalculable and will be long lasting. He has made a mockery of checks and balances and even constantly undermines and attacks democracy. Another four years with him off the chain would utterly fuck the place.

  3. #3
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    If it is the end do you lot want your new masters to be the Chinese?

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    . Neverna's Avatar
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    What's your definition of the American "empire"?

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    ^
    Well I suppose since 1945 USA has been at the top of the tree.
    The world currency is the USD - all other currencies are measured against it.
    US military has been and is the most powerful in the world.
    US is the richest country in the world.
    The US President the most powerful individual on the planet.

    I suppose an empire in all but name.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Iceman123 View Post
    ^
    Well I suppose since 1945 USA has been at the top of the tree.
    The world currency is the USD - all other currencies are measured against it.
    US military has been and is the most powerful in the world.
    US is the richest country in the world.
    The US President the most powerful individual on the planet.

    I suppose an empire in all but name.
    There you go.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cujo View Post
    (or Russia) they've spent decades dumbing down the population to get to this point.
    Yeh, if you think to what level the country have been brought within last 25 years from almost bankruptcy? (by whom? yes, that's why they hate him so much...)

    Wasn't it you who posted here few days ago the perfect assessment of falling empire?
    The Unraveling of America
    Anthropologist Wade Davis on how COVID-19 signals the end of the American era

    How Covid-19 Signals the End of the American Era - Rolling Stone

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    Quote Originally Posted by bsnub View Post
    If it is the end do you lot want your new masters to be the Chinese?
    That's not the point, though. It's not what 'we' want or who would be better/worse - it's a statement that the US has lost its way, what made it great and now can only use its military strength to show the world what it is.

    Certainly the US has lost any claims to the moral high ground on fairly any issue. This president has done a lot to accelerate the demise

  9. #9
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    Americas decline started in the 1970's was Trump President then?

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    Quote Originally Posted by panama hat View Post
    Certainly the US has lost any claims to the moral high ground on fairly any issue. This president has done a lot to accelerate the demise
    I can't argue that point.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chico View Post
    Americas decline started in the 1970's
    Why? You must have reasons.

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    I watched the video in the OP. The author seemed mainly interested in universal healthcare for Americans and the president's response in the USA to Covid19 . He briefly mentioned race issues in the US and he briefly mentioned world leadership. It seemed from the video that the "empire" consists of only the United States of America.

    The author's article posted by Klondyke above also focuses on domestic issues in the USA. It seems to be saying that the USA is no longer as great as a country as it once was and the the United States in no longer united. The decline of the USA, "the end of the American era and the passing of the torch to Asia". The word "empire" seems to be just clickbait.

    Only half of Americans report having meaningful, face-to-face social interactions on a daily basis. The nation consumes two-thirds of the world’s production of antidepressant drugs. The collapse of the working-class family has been responsible in part for an opioid crisis that has displaced car accidents as the leading cause of death for Americans under 50.

    At the root of this transformation and decline lies an ever-widening chasm between Americans who have and those who have little or nothing. Economic disparities exist in all nations, creating a tension that can be as disruptive as the inequities are unjust. In any number of settings, however, the negative forces tearing apart a society are mitigated or even muted if there are other elements that reinforce social solidarity — religious faith, the strength and comfort of family, the pride of tradition, fidelity to the land, a spirit of place.

    But when all the old certainties are shown to be lies, when the promise of a good life for a working family is shattered as factories close and corporate leaders, growing wealthier by the day, ship jobs abroad, the social contract is irrevocably broken.

    In truth, at least in economic terms, the country of the 1950s resembled Denmark as much as the America of today. Marginal tax rates for the wealthy were 90 percent. The salaries of CEOs were, on average, just 20 times that of their mid-management employees.

    Today, the base pay of those at the top is commonly 400 times that of their salaried staff, with many earning orders of magnitude more in stock options and perks. The elite one percent of Americans control $30 trillion of assets, while the bottom half have more debt than assets. The three richest Americans have more money than the poorest 160 million of their countrymen. Fully a fifth of American households have zero or negative net worth, a figure that rises to 37 percent for black families. The median wealth of black households is a tenth that of whites. The vast majority of Americans — white, black, and brown — are two paychecks removed from bankruptcy.

    Though living in a nation that celebrates itself as the wealthiest in history, most Americans live on a high wire, with no safety net to brace a fall.

    COVID-19 didn’t lay America low; it simply revealed what had long been forsaken. As the crisis unfolded, with another American dying every minute of every day, a country that once turned out fighter planes by the hour could not manage to produce the paper masks or cotton swabs essential for tracking the disease. The nation that defeated smallpox and polio, and led the world for generations in medical innovation and discovery, was reduced to a laughing stock as a buffoon of a president advocated the use of household disinfectants as a treatment for a disease that intellectually he could not begin to understand.

    The American president lives to cultivate resentments, demonize his opponents, validate hatred. His main tool of governance is the lie; as of July 9th, 2020, the documented tally of his distortions and false statements numbered 20,055. If America’s first president, George Washington, famously could not tell a lie, the current one can’t recognize the truth. Inverting the words and sentiments of Abraham Lincoln, this dark troll of a man celebrates malice for all, and charity for none.

    Odious as he may be, Trump is less the cause of America’s decline than a product of its descent. As they stare into the mirror and perceive only the myth of their exceptionalism, Americans remain almost bizarrely incapable of seeing what has actually become of their country.

    How can the rest of the world expect America to lead on global threats — climate change, the extinction crisis, pandemics — when the country no longer has a sense of benign purpose, or collective well-being, even within its own national community?

  13. #13
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    I think the answer is yes but it may take another 30 to 50 years or possibly longer. It will depend on how the democratic world unites against the current dictators.

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    The anti-depressant drug use figure is interesting.
    With so many people drugged-up the nation cannot be functioning well.
    Also, the prevalence of drug use of comparatively benign drugs such as marijuana and MDMA contributes to a disrespect for the law.

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    Quote Originally Posted by docmartin View Post
    Also, the prevalence of drug use of comparatively benign drugs such as marijuana and MDMA contributes to a disrespect for the law.
    Interestingly there are two referenda questions (is that a tautology?) that are part of October's general elections here - legalisation of marijuana and assisted-suicide.

    Pros and cons for both, I'd say

  16. #16
    I Amn't In Jail PlanK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neverna View Post
    The author's article posted by Klondyke above also focuses on domestic issues in the USA. It seems to be saying that the USA is no longer as great as a country as it once was and the the United States in no longer united. The decline of the USA, "the end of the American era and the passing of the torch to Asia". The word "empire" seems to be just clickbait.
    No, he's pointing out that it's a symptom of an empire's decline. Historically when an empire starts to fall apart it begins to look inwards rather than outwards and internal strife becomes more common. The rise of celebrity chefs is also another symptom, so we're all doomed.

    Doomed I tell ya.

    DOOMED!!!
    Some people think it don't, but it be.

  17. #17
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chico View Post
    Americas decline started in the 1970's was Trump President then?
    No, but you were doubtless missing the point even back then.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Iceman123 View Post
    ^
    Well I suppose since 1945 USA has been at the top of the tree.
    The world currency is the USD - all other currencies are measured against it.
    US military has been and is the most powerful in the world.
    US is the richest country in the world.
    The US President the most powerful individual on the planet.

    I suppose an empire in all but name.
    All of the above, in slow but steady decline.

    UK had 18th and 19th centuries, US 20th and roughly half of 21, but something will have to replace it; they way things are going I would guess it won't be a calm and peaceful transition, and a couple of generations down the road the rest of the world will wish they could have the American 'Empire' back.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    Yeh, if you think to what level the country have been brought within last 25 years from almost bankruptcy? (by whom? yes, that's why they hate him so much...)

    Wasn't it you who posted here few days ago the perfect assessment of falling empire?
    The Unraveling of America
    Anthropologist Wade Davis on how COVID-19 signals the end of the American era

    How Covid-19 Signals the End of the American Era - Rolling Stone
    didnt he used to be the explorer in residence at national geographic?

    whic besides being the best job title ever is a bit of an oxymoron

    as to the thread, yes, there's fiddles and fires

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by bsnub View Post
    If it is the end do you lot want your new masters to be the Chinese?
    The US is printing enough money to make that inevitable

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Iceman123 View Post
    ^
    Well I suppose since 1945 USA has been at the top of the tree.
    The world currency is the USD - all other currencies are measured against it.
    US military has been and is the most powerful in the world.
    US is the richest country in the world.
    The US President the most powerful individual on the planet.

    I suppose an empire in all but name.
    1)whatever

    2)No. More currencies are pegged to the Euro than USD and it makes up 30-50%+ of reserves and has more gold than the US.

    3) That's great. If its paid for which it isn't. China owns more of the US navy than the US does.

    4) No the US isn't the richest country in the world. That is a far more complicated question than you think.


    \



  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Plan B View Post
    he's pointing out that it's a symptom of an empire's decline. Historically when an empire starts to fall apart it begins to look inwards rather than outwards and internal strife becomes more common.
    Agreed, that's what he said. So he's using the word "empire" as an analogy to point out his view of the decline of the USA.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Backspin View Post
    2)No. More currencies are pegged to the Euro than USD and it makes up 30-50%+ of reserves and has more gold than the US.

    3) That's great. If its paid for which it isn't. China owns more of the US navy than the US does.

    4) No the US isn't the richest country in the world. That is a far more complicated question than you think.
    Worst financial crash coming: ‘US is the LARGEST DEBTOR NATION in the history of the world’ – legendary investor Jim Rogers
    20 Aug, 2020

    While monetary stimulus may have provided short-term relief to the financial markets, the enormous amount of debt created as a result will create negative consequences for the economy in the long-term.

    That’s according to investment guru Jim Rogers, whose Quantum Fund returned 4,200 percent in the first ten years since its establishment.

    Rogers told Kitco News that the rally in equities since March was largely due to the debt build-up from quantitative easing. “Six months ago, the United States was the largest debtor nation in the history of the world. Never has anybody been so deep in debt. Since then, the US has increased its debt by trillions more. If you give me a few trillion dollars, I will show you a very, very good time,” he said.

    The next financial crash could be even worse than what we saw this year, Rogers warned. “This certainly has been the worst in my lifetime. We’ve had a huge rally because governments everywhere have printed and spent staggering amounts of money, but it just means that the next time it’s going to be worse still.”

    On the subject of gold, the investment guru said prices still have a lot of room left to climb: “If I’m right, gold is going to go much, much, much higher before this is over. Gold may well turn into a bubble. I hope it doesn’t, because if it turns into a bubble, I’ll have to sell it and I never want to sell it. I want my children to have my gold and silver someday.”
    Worst financial crash coming: ‘US is the LARGEST DEBTOR NATION in the history of the world’ – legendary investor Jim Rogers — RT Business News

  24. #24
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    Klongdick, I don't think you get it. We all pretty much agree it's at least the beginning of the end for the U.S. as a global power of any import or influence.
    At the moment they have superior military power but they soon won't be able to afford it.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cujo View Post
    At the moment they have superior military power
    You obviously have listened to the presidential contenders (one or the other) to get such "superior" knowledge. Not only the best chocolate cake in the world, but also the greatest country in the world as I heard yesterday... (no longer the exceptional one?)

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