2 ms·
More specifically, the post-WWII era is ending and now we're reverting to the mean of most of human history, which was oligarchic wealth and authoritarianism. I
by Analemma_ 3y ago
More specifically, the post-WWII era is ending and now we're reverting to the mean of most of human history, which was oligarchic wealth and authoritarianism. It's sort of a tragic irony that the largest generation thus far saw the 1945-1975 period as "normal" and how things should be, because it was actually a highly anomalous point in history generated by a perfect storm of factors (the demographic peak from previous medical advances, multiple huge agrarian economies rapidly industrializing, a huge war that resulted in massive downward wealth redistribution) which will not repeat, and now it's coming to an end.
- futureamish 3y agoI think it's more useful to think of "a huge war" as the effect of the cause of allowing nonsensical wealth concentration via allowing the individual wealth concentrators to use the media, the banks, and governments (the nation's militaries) to enforce hegemony at home and abroad through debt and the use of violence to collect. International trade (as it did in the early 20th century global wars) becomes a vice, as indebted nations are divided between the wealthy that seek to preserve the value of their currency by bone-grinding the locals, fascist forces that seek to become the next bone-grinders, and socialists and idealists whom would rather at the end of the day see debt restructured around social welfare. We've consistently only chosen the first two options throughout all human history.