Re: JRNyquist - persönliche e-mail
Geschrieben von BBouvier am 01. November 2003 13:01:31:
Als Antwort auf: JRNyquist - persönliche e-mail geschrieben von Thymos am 01. November 2003 07:56:52:
Lieber Thymos!Dank Dir!
...ist schon recht "originell", dass er das Jahr 2008
erwähnt, wo auch die Kenner dieses Forums die
Zäsur vermuten.
Und es ist präzise Das Jahr, das man der
"Mongolischen von 1890" entnehmen kann...BB
>Hallo Foris,
>Kürzlich schrieb ich Mr. Nyquist ein paar kritische Fragen zum Zustand von Amerika. Für jemanden, der seine Analysen hauptsächlich über die potentiellen Gefahrenherde Rußland & China (und deren Unterstützung für terroristische Aktivitäten) schreibt, hat er sehr offen und auch kritisch über sein Land geschrieben.
>Schönen Gruß,
>Thymos
>
>I don't know if you have read my book, but it levels some very strong criticisms of U.S. consumer society -- what I call "the shopping mall regime." But a person has to be careful in criticizing something that has made life so much better, in terms of possibilities, opportunities and yes -- comfort.
>Wealth, power and freedom are relative things. America is wealthy compared to other countries, it is powerful when compared to other powers, it is free when we consider the resitrictions placed on other peoples. It is desirable to be wealthy, powerful and free. It is enviable even as it's hard to understand why a country like America, which does not have the great culture of Europe, the solid educational system of Canada or the sensible eating habits of old Japan (i.e., a diet based rice and fish), should be so successful in relative terms.
>Junk food and overeating is a problem here. It is mostly a problem of the lower classes. People are free to eat as they choose. Gluttony is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, it is true. And the country is on a downward spiral in terms of discipline and moral tone. But we should not compare this type of corruption with the corruption found in Russia, Asia and the Third World -- which is of a brutal type.
>The girl you spoke with, who lived for years in America, is not giving a representative picture. I don't know where she lived here, but I've lived and worked in various places, I've traveled extensively and I've never been afraid to speak honestly with the police. I've worked with the police in the past, and I know the rules they have to follow (which are very restrictive). I've lived here 45 years, and there have been changes, but an increasing police presence is not one of them. If anything, society is more rebellious, more anarchic, more prone to break the rules and ignore constraints, more liable to spit in the face of authority than at any time in our history. This country was much more orderly, well-mannered and respectful of authority in 1965, when I was in primary school. Those who write of a "police state" are confused. There has been an increase in regulations, especially involving the use of land and the environment. And some of the laws are crazy. But we don't live in a police state.
>What has increased here is freedom and prosperity, to the detriment of good discipline and respectfulness. This is not something I care to admit, nor does it set well with a person who loves freedom (that is, to realize freedom's dark side), but there it is.
>I agree that America's problem is an inside problem. But such problems cannot be cured, except for the advance of outside evils that force people to confront inward errors and slovenliness. When confronting an outside enemy you either pull together and discipline yourself inwardly, or you find yourself eaten away.
>America is still rich, powerful and free, because the system is still producing abundance and the military machine is still supplied. The Constitution is still respected, however imperfectly. But when the crisis begins, probably with a severe economic upset, the system will be challenged. It may not pass the test.
>It will then be up to human beings without system, and their quality will determine the outcome. I am not entirely optimistic about this outcome. At the same time, I am not entirely pessimistic. Things are very mixed here. It is difficult to say which way the country will turn. My guess is that the rest of the world will suffer a greater crisis, because America has provided something that will be sorely missed.
>I think we won't make it passed 2008.
>JRN