3 ms·
The same. I left the country about a decade ago. I don’t observe much positive dynamism when I return: grinding morass and retrograde motion. Reactionary poli
by matttproud 5y ago
The same. I left the country about a decade ago. I don’t observe much positive dynamism when I return: grinding morass and retrograde motion. Reactionary politics, regulatory capture, graft, and naive faith in the market hold such a disproportionate sway on the levers of power. What is big is too damned big, and it crowds out everything else. The exceptions to this don’t outweigh the general trend. Consolidation in the private and underinvestment in public goods are the most striking.
From a raw cultural perspective, it strikes me how commercially uniform the country became: outside of enjoying differences topography and pre-homogenization (what remains of walkable old towns), I deeply don’t find much of a compelling reason to travel within the country due to how damned cookie cutter it feels.
I am sufficiently concerned about this trajectory (among a suit of other more significant concerns) to aim to get a second citizenship for my family.
- defterGoose 5y agoWhaddya mean? Everybody loves Chipotle! /s
- lotsofpulp 5y agoWhile I do like Chipotle, a lot of homogenization is simply the result of efficiency. Cookie cutter succeeds because cookie cutter is what people want. The pace of homogenization might have increased because technology greatly enables it. If you want a product just type “best whatever’s” into Reddit or wire cutter or consumer reports and you can have thousands of people’s experiences distilled down within minutes. Same thing for food and travel. Do I want to take chances on various stores owned by various owners sourcing goods from various places? Or do I want to get my sister a gift from Target, where if she does not like it, she can go home and return at the Target near her home.
- fearfulofview4 5y agoTrillions of flies eating feces doesn’t make it haute cuisine.
- LurkingPenguin 5y ago> From a raw cultural perspective, it strikes me how commercially uniform the country became: outside of enjoying differences topography and pre-homogenization (what remains of walkable old towns), I deeply don’t find much of a compelling reason to travel within the country due to how damned cookie cutter it feels. If you love nature, America is still one of the best countries to travel in. It has some of the most magnificent natural places and is massive, so even if you're driven away from popular parks because of overtourism, there are many less popular places that are amazing. Unfortunately, the camping plans for my visit were severely hampered by wildfires, which looks to be a permanent fixture of the American west going forward.