4 ms·

What folks like Fukuyama don't get is that this situation was predicted in the 1960-1970 time frame and looking back seems fated, inevitable. 1962 https://en.

What folks like Fukuyama don't get is that this situation was predicted in the 1960-1970 time frame and looking back seems fated, inevitable. 1962 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Image:_A_Guide_to_Pseudo-events_in_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Image:_A_Guide_to_Pseudo-e... predicts that television performers will eventually overtake and outclass conventional politicians 1964 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understanding_Media https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understanding_Media Marshall McLuhan predicts that 'television' will displace the 'Gutenberg Galaxy' of print but it could do it in the form of ABC/NBC/CBS but take the same (physically, later functionally) screen attached to an image synthesizer and versatile communication network and you get YouTube, which does. 1971 The Information Machines: Their Impact on Men and the Media by Ben Bagdikian reports on studies at the RAND corporation predicting that something like the WWW would come online in the early 1980s -- and technically it did in the form of services like Compuserve and The Source. Bagdikian pitched this vision to leaders in the media industry and was roundly rejected and was the origin story that led to his famous https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Bagdikian#The_Media_Monopoly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Bagdikian#The_Media_Monopo... In the 1970-1995 period the development of communication networks lagged behind all predictions because incumbents didn't want to make investments -- had they done so, Google, Facebook, Amazon and such would have been strangled in their cribs. The WWW seemed to take over so fast because it was actually delayed ten years and the technology to realize it had been sitting around latent and underutilized. 1975 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legitimation_Crisis_(book) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legitimation_Crisis_(book) by Jürgen Habermas outlines a conflict between "expertise required to make decisions concerning complex science and technology" and "public participation" that he sees no way to resolve. --------------- The "legitimation crisis" is the immediate crisis that Fukuyama sees, but connected to it is a long term breakdown in community pointed out by the likes of Nisbet and Putnam which manifests as a breakdown in household formation. We're pressing the panic button right now to save children who are halfway through school but... boy we are in trouble.

aebtebeten 11mo ago
> The WWW seemed to take over so fast because it was actually delayed ten years and the technology to realize it had been sitting around latent and underutilized. Not so sure about this point: IIRC modem development was going on in a big way during the initial growth phase of the WWW? Thanks for the pointer to "Legitimation Crisis"; 'a conflict between "expertise required to make decisions concerning complex science and technology" and "public participation"' sounds like the fundamental problem of anarchism as well. As for household formation, I think the root lies deeper: take a look at "Democracy in America": https://www.gutenberg.org/files/815/815-h/815-h.htm#link2HCH0028 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/815/815-h/815-h.htm#link2HCH... ; my experience has been that the voluntary associations described (thus forming a "felt", not a "fabric" of society) are way more alive on this continent than I recall them being, back across the Atlantic in the Old World of America.
- gsf_emergency_6 11mo ago
  https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Legitimation-crisis-%E2%80%99-in-the-later-work-of-Heath/b0535d2361d54a1067898f28fc22f734fe65959c/figure/3 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Legitimation-crisis-%E... https://archive.ph/2025.12.29-080655/https://www.independent.org/tir/2018-spring/straight-talk-on-trade/#:~:text=is%20worth%20noting%20that%2C%20like%20%E2%80%9Cstraight%20talk%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Ctrust%20me%2C%E2%80%9D%20if https://archive.ph/2025.12.29-080655/https://www.independent... ("Taxes & Loyalty") Does it get more anarchic with age? https://www.rsm.global/switzerland/en/service/tax-and-legal/swiss-gift-inheritance-tax/swiss-inheritance-tax-guide#:~:text=Exceptions%3A,Obwald%20ad%20Luzern. https://www.rsm.global/switzerland/en/service/tax-and-legal/... Think about the "legitimation crisis" through the narcissism lens? Radio (and somewhat WWW up till fiber-era postMaBell) suffered no "legitimation crisis" because it is non-narcissistic ("Goldmund")? See other thread. What would be the regulatory trajectory of "Co(s)mically narcissistic tech" Eg nuclear fusion in MMM, rnatech in XXX.. Charitably to PH (:), I would consider mechanosynthesis co(s)mically narcissistic For CH, managed narcissistic aspect of guns without going through LC? https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1pd8eea/swiss_senate_rejects_soldiers_taking_home/ns401b0/ https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1pd8eea/swiss_se...
  - aebtebeten 11mo ago
    (I was once chatting with a swiss lawyer, and asked if he were familiar with the concept of "venue shopping". He pointed out the 26 cantons[0] and asked if he needed to proceed any further?) ("Welfare & Steering": JH's 1973 "relative success of the welfare-state compromise" may be a bit dated? I get the impression that ever since 1980, and distinctly accelerating since 1992, the Old Country's politics has, on average, been reducing both outputs: welfare and steering) For CH, I think https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjlT4BME2aE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjlT4BME2aE and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgYJ5V2HYy4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgYJ5V2HYy4 captured the difference in vibe well. (one detail SwissBloke didn't go into the weeds on: the army asks dozens of people to leave each year, on grounds largely ranging from far left extremism through fundamentalist islamic extremism to far right extremism, and a consequence of that is that one has to return one's service rifle. Part of having a hunting license[1] is being a member of a hunting club, and presumably they too will kick you out should you start to seem too crazy to associate with) [0] it'd be a bit more difficult to game, but as far as gun ownership by foreigners is concerned, it's max(home country, CH), so there could be up to 195 potential venues involved, and I have the distinct impression that, having come from the States, I would have only hit the limit at local[2] law. [1] another example of difference in vibe: in the US, folks complain bitterly if the exam for a hunting license takes more than 1 day; in my old part of CH, the process took 2 years, involving classroom time, community service, and practical, written, and oral tests. [2] the cantonal police got a call about an old nutter in my first few years here. I was impressed, because apparently they just went out, talked with him, and left him all his legal weaponry, but took the full auto weapons, grenades, and other explosives with them when they left. I imagine in the Old Country that kind of visit might've been closer to a Waco? Reflection: there's the societal vibe difference, and then there's not having an expansively interpreted 2A. Our constitution dates all the way back to 1999, because we believe in cleaning up the legacy cruft.

aebtebeten 11mo ago

> The WWW seemed to take over so fast because it was actually delayed ten years and the technology to realize it had been sitting around latent and underutilized. Not so sure about this point: IIRC modem development was going on in a big way during the initial growth phase of the WWW? Thanks for the pointer to "Legitimation Crisis"; 'a conflict between "expertise required to make decisions concerning complex science and technology" and "public participation"' sounds like the fundamental problem of anarchism as well. As for household formation, I think the root lies deeper: take a look at "Democracy in America": https://www.gutenberg.org/files/815/815-h/815-h.htm#link2HCH0028 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/815/815-h/815-h.htm#link2HCH... ; my experience has been that the voluntary associations described (thus forming a "felt", not a "fabric" of society) are way more alive on this continent than I recall them being, back across the Atlantic in the Old World of America.

gsf_emergency_6 11mo ago
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Legitimation-crisis-%E2%80%99-in-the-later-work-of-Heath/b0535d2361d54a1067898f28fc22f734fe65959c/figure/3 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Legitimation-crisis-%E... https://archive.ph/2025.12.29-080655/https://www.independent.org/tir/2018-spring/straight-talk-on-trade/#:~:text=is%20worth%20noting%20that%2C%20like%20%E2%80%9Cstraight%20talk%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Ctrust%20me%2C%E2%80%9D%20if https://archive.ph/2025.12.29-080655/https://www.independent... ("Taxes & Loyalty") Does it get more anarchic with age? https://www.rsm.global/switzerland/en/service/tax-and-legal/swiss-gift-inheritance-tax/swiss-inheritance-tax-guide#:~:text=Exceptions%3A,Obwald%20ad%20Luzern. https://www.rsm.global/switzerland/en/service/tax-and-legal/... Think about the "legitimation crisis" through the narcissism lens? Radio (and somewhat WWW up till fiber-era postMaBell) suffered no "legitimation crisis" because it is non-narcissistic ("Goldmund")? See other thread. What would be the regulatory trajectory of "Co(s)mically narcissistic tech" Eg nuclear fusion in MMM, rnatech in XXX.. Charitably to PH (:), I would consider mechanosynthesis co(s)mically narcissistic For CH, managed narcissistic aspect of guns without going through LC? https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1pd8eea/swiss_senate_rejects_soldiers_taking_home/ns401b0/ https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1pd8eea/swiss_se...
- aebtebeten 11mo ago
  (I was once chatting with a swiss lawyer, and asked if he were familiar with the concept of "venue shopping". He pointed out the 26 cantons[0] and asked if he needed to proceed any further?) ("Welfare & Steering": JH's 1973 "relative success of the welfare-state compromise" may be a bit dated? I get the impression that ever since 1980, and distinctly accelerating since 1992, the Old Country's politics has, on average, been reducing both outputs: welfare and steering) For CH, I think https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjlT4BME2aE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjlT4BME2aE and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgYJ5V2HYy4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgYJ5V2HYy4 captured the difference in vibe well. (one detail SwissBloke didn't go into the weeds on: the army asks dozens of people to leave each year, on grounds largely ranging from far left extremism through fundamentalist islamic extremism to far right extremism, and a consequence of that is that one has to return one's service rifle. Part of having a hunting license[1] is being a member of a hunting club, and presumably they too will kick you out should you start to seem too crazy to associate with) [0] it'd be a bit more difficult to game, but as far as gun ownership by foreigners is concerned, it's max(home country, CH), so there could be up to 195 potential venues involved, and I have the distinct impression that, having come from the States, I would have only hit the limit at local[2] law. [1] another example of difference in vibe: in the US, folks complain bitterly if the exam for a hunting license takes more than 1 day; in my old part of CH, the process took 2 years, involving classroom time, community service, and practical, written, and oral tests. [2] the cantonal police got a call about an old nutter in my first few years here. I was impressed, because apparently they just went out, talked with him, and left him all his legal weaponry, but took the full auto weapons, grenades, and other explosives with them when they left. I imagine in the Old Country that kind of visit might've been closer to a Waco? Reflection: there's the societal vibe difference, and then there's not having an expansively interpreted 2A. Our constitution dates all the way back to 1999, because we believe in cleaning up the legacy cruft.