Decline of the US empire

The current crisis of democracy within the USA has not been a surprise. The reality of what is happening on a day-to-day basis is absolutely shocking and horrible to watch.

But this painful situation is the result of decades of the corrupted political and corporate systems that have defined the USA. That’s another more complex story!

While the common acceptance has been that the USA was exceptional and was there to provide world leadership, this wishful thinking has always been and remains a myth.

We have travelled to the United States 6 times or more and enjoyed the visits.

Like so many, our views on the country have changed given that the majority of the US voters endorsed a liar, grifter, narcissist and convicted felon (to name a few things) to be their president – along with a bunch of horrible and corrupted hangers-on.

This re-think of the United States has penetrated thinking on anything from the United States. Some things are hard to avoid, such as using Apple computers and iphones.

Then there are their TV programs; being the means by which till now other parts of the world have ‘admired’ their culture. Now this is also questioned.

The other night we switched over to watch a documentary series – Griff’s Great American South. Minutes into the program, I paused and asked ‘do we care?’

Nope – we changed programs. We both thought that having watched just the first few minutes of visuals and heard the voice overs, any former interest in what is an American is now diminished – to almost zero.

The challenge for us and probably much of the world, is that as the United States is to become even less relevant to our lives, how do we actually exclude it even more so that it no longer has a negative effect on our culture and way of life?

We have absolutely no plans to travel to the USA. We know there are wonderful people there – and we enjoy their company. But the country as a whole has now accepted corruption as normal. We have other things to do and other places to enjoy.

BUT – having said all that, I have just ordered the new book by Rebecca Solnit;

life was not meant to be simple!