Greater Depression, and Reactive Culture Fails Again

[theheretic]

America, and modern industrial democracy, is a reactive culture. We wait for disaster to strike, then we talk about it, vote, and throw money at it until it goes away. That's what we've been doing since the deficit spending initiated by FDR in 1934, socialist that he was. Now we've reached the end of deficit spending, having exported our jobs,

Comments

[peristaltor]

Just for fun, I'm going to balk at your description of US society as largely "reactive." Many of them are very proactive, leading their lives as fully as possible in preparation for the future they see is important. . . not the one on this earth, the one in heaven.

Those that understand what's coming, like many more per capita in Europe and Canada, for example, seem more educated, while those that prepare for Rapture or Armagenddon or whatever don't worry about worldly problems. I mention Europe and Canada because the level of peak preparedness and understanding there dwarfs that of our, less "socialist", worldview. The important distinction proves to be not economic, as you imply with your FDR dig, but more grounded in everyday reality

[theheretic]

I do not think most people give 2 lumps of horse pucky about "The Rapture". Only the crazies, and they are few, care. The rest of us are busy making a living and snorting in amusement at those kind of idiots.

[venuspluto]

Well, most people outside the Confederacy states, perhaps.

[theheretic]

The Southerners I know are very sensible and don't hold with that Northern Rapture Claptrap. They've got bills to pay too. The claim that The Rapture will fix things, and that the Rest of the Population supports wacko POV is just general paranoia at work. If you ever find yourself thinking the entire population is crazy, just settle down with a spot of tea and take a relaxing breath. The population may not fix things before they're a disaster, but they aren't Waiting For Jesus To Take Them Home.

[evilref]

Markets operate by supply and demand. The markets react to fluctuations in supply and demand by altering prices to keep things in balance.

Since modern economies are all controlled by market forces, for the most part, they are reactive. They cannot be anything else. Until the market has responded to a change in supply and demand (peak oil, for example) the prices will not change enough to provide the incentive to do something about it.

As you observe, by then it may be too late.

Market forces are great for keeping things balanced in normal times, but they cannot respond to extraordinary events. Unfortunately, in today's world, that's all there is.

But don't blame Roosevelt. Blame "the markets", and the leaders who abdicated their responsibility to lead in favour of "the markets".

[aaroads]

That is one of the scariest things I've read...

[theheretic]

Really? I toned it down pretty good compared to my work a few months ago.

[zebulen]

These are the symptoms of a market-driven world economy, not socialism. And ironically for you, the last President to reach for any solutions to the oil crisis was another "socialist."

[theheretic]

Carter wasn't a socialist. He was a nuclear power engineer, US Naval graduate. That's a long way from Socialist. He just stepped on toes for cutting pork from the budget, mainly unneeded dams in bad locations.

Aegion

[theheretic]

Apologies to the forum, but I'm getting rather tired of Aegion's trolling. He never posts, just snipes and flames