General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: A segment of DU is very invested in painting a dystopian picture of the US [View all]Martin Eden
(12,864 posts)Unfortunately it's a lot closer to DYSTOPIA than it needs to be, given the enormous wealth and technology available to us.
This is mostly because our political system is highly DYSFUNCTIONAL.
The representative democracy created by our nation's Founders depends on the informed consent of the governed, but large segments of the public don't bother to vote and/or they are terribly uninformed/misinformed and susceptible to manipulation by the false perceptions crafted by the relative few who own most of this country including the major media. Consent is manufactured, elections are theater, and government is largely controlled by those who finance political campaigns.
The growing disparity of wealth in this country indicates we are heading in the opposite direction of UTOPIA (which can never be fully attained, but the concept here is our relative position on a sliding scale that includes DYSTOPIA).
And, of course, the true health of a society should not and can not be measured solely in terms of wealth and employment. The health of our minds and our bodies and the planetary environment which sustains life itself are far more important that dollar signs in an economy characterized by consumerism and values based on material possessions. What good is working 50-60 hours a week and having the latest toys if you're stressed out and have very little quality time with your spouse and children?
And how healthy is a society that incarerates more people than any country on the planet; that has a police force and a citizenry constantly shooting/killing each other; that has a deteriorating public infrastructure while spending more on the military than the next 17 nations combined pursuant to fraudulent wars that perpetuate rather than eradicate global terrorism?
Personally, I live a fairly comfortable middle class life. At age 57 I have a steady secure job, I am not in debt, and I go on regular vacations. This post of mine is not the product of bitter personal experience, but I pay attention to what goes on in my country and try to stay informed about the real world (not the prepacked perceptions delivered to us via the main$tream media).
Just calling it as I see it. We, as a society, are falling far short of what should be reasonably expected given the resources we have. But it's not just a matter of falling short. Climate change, economic disparity, and political dysfunction are combining to create the very real danger of ACTUAL DYSTOPIA for our children or their children ...
... if we don't change course soon.