Carl Sagan left us 28 years ago. I don’t think he’d be too impressed with the changes this country has gone through since.
For example, in 2016, we elected Donald Trump president of the United States. Now a convicted felon, he’s facing another ~60 criminal counts–and half the country is desperate to get him back in the White House, so he can re-establish order and Make America Great Again.
The battles we’re fighting on present-day Earth include putting an end to military hostilities and preventing the spread of world fascism.
At the same time, it would be a very good thing if we could apply the brakes to global warming. The problem we’re facing here, however, is that this will require international cooperation, trust, and sacrifice. Is this something we’re capable of mustering?
Interesting thought from Max Plank here, but I wonder if it’s true.
I grant that there is no guarantee that humankind will eventually nail down the details of cosmogeny and cosmology, and come to a comprehensive understanding of our consciousness, but I wouldn’t say that it’s impossible.
As this guy points out, being a Trump supporter means accepting an endless sea of criminality–or living in a world of total delusion and denial.
On top of that you need to believe Trump’s claim that the country is falling apart and that, once again, he’s the only one who can fix it.
The speaker makes an interesting point to the effect that the country obviously isn’t falling apart, thought it actually could be doing so in “Trump-centric neighborhoods.”
I question that. Think about the reddest, most backwards regions of America, perhaps the Deep South. Neither you nor I would want to live there, but these areas are not going downhill, in terms of the most significant metrics: education, economic opportunity, healthcare outcomes, etc. They are already at the bottom, and they’ve stayed there for more than a century. These folks are totally comfortable with that. They aspire to nothing more.
Can’t be good for one’s mental health.
FWIW, I have never mentioned this subject to either of my two kids.
I figured a) my integrity forbids my teaching them something I don’t believe, and b) they’ll have ample access to religious indoctrination through friends and school, and can deal with the topic as they wish.
Here’s another example of how aggressively meat-eaters deal with vegans. Is this really necessary?
Deer-hunters who eat what they kill and thin a herd that would ultimately starve to death are 100% fine with any sane person, regardless of their dietary habits.
Needless to say, our society is divided on many issues, and a lot of this makes sense. For instance, Trump supporters are not likely to support socialized medicine and free college tuition. I get that.
But now we have meat-eaters who bear a seething hatred of vegans, and nuts like the one whose truck is pictured here. Why does he feel that EVs are “electric shit?”
FWIW, I don’t feel this way at all.
With Trumpism on the rise, we live in a time of great peril, not only for the United States, but for the entire planet. If this goes the wrong way, we have world fascism and a baking planet.
I doubt there were many people who felt this way during World War II, when the future of our whole civilization was at stake. The same is the case here and now.
The answer to the question above really could be yes. World fascism/authoritarianism is a real possibility.
Some might say that if it can happen in the United States, it can happen anywhere.
