Of course the United States has been very successful in the past, leading to our current position, which I don’t think is quite as firmly or permanently primary

Of course the United States has been very successful in the past, leading to our current position, which I don’t think is quite as firmly or permanently primary as you believe. The reasons for American dominance in the late 20th century are numerous. I’d point out that we weren’t the site of any major wars in the 20th century, unlike most other developed nations. The “people who can’t make it while times are good” are already surviving under the difficult conditions we are discussing, so I’m not sure what you mean. I do believe that emotional fortitude is a real thing that affects people’s ability to function under duress. And you’re correct, America currently maintains an incredibly expensive military dominance. I’m not sure how you think that addresses anything I said. My concerns are about the social fabric of the country not being particularly resilient and middle/upper class individuals being entirely inexperienced at dealing with actual physical hardships. That’s not something that a strong military or past success is going to fix for us. The (very briefly touched upon) topic is what Americans would do if they had to endure conditions such as those experienced in the USSR, for any theoretical reason. Basically all I said is that many people would find it difficult, having never experienced that.