If we're not going to use all this economic power for good, what's the point?
America and other classical democracies are in a phase of aging where a decline in prosperity combined with a die-hard (unthinking) application of absolute freedom of speech are paralyzing action. Everyone is disagreeing with each other over a shrinking pie, pitting demographic against demographic, and not only that, any genuine disagreement and decision making is muddied by agents trying to confuse people.
There is no prioritization or restriction on who may say what, how loudly, or regardless of how harmful or counter to the public good it is. And, may I add, most democratic governments do not have a strong enough perspective (in this period) on what the public good is.
As a result, those places that have harnessed the power of demographics while also controlling the message are gaining power. Obviously I mean China. Yes they have anti-absolute-free-speech restrictions that are repugnant to us. But you're damn sure they stay on message as a country/government.
Unfortunately this situation is also to the benefit of chaotic actors like Russia, where they benefit from just other countries being paralyzed and them being able to do what they want.
In the absence of government leadership, corporations had the chance of filling in the role. But now we see that in the face of power, they recoil as well. We did this to ourselves, by letting our priorities get muddled as we got richer. We didn't "stay hungry", my friends.
In these cases I fear, in the long term, we just have to count on the human nature to want to be able to make noise.
Corporations never had a chance of filling the role because they are very undemocratic, even in the United States. Things need to get bad enough for the only democratic system we have to take action. We aren't there yet.
Those heathen commies don’t know what’s good for them as much as I, an ill-informed American, do. I must dictate to them what laws they can or cannot have after briefly hearing about their society in the news!
Which goal is that?
- To protect the world from devastation
- To unite all peoples within our nation
- To denounce the evils of truth and love
- To extend our reach to the stars aboveWhy not western nations in general?
Canada, USA, Mexico, what are the other 20?
From Wikipedia's article on Central America:
"Central America consists of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama."
Greenland is also part of NA.
So, is Asia only a distinct continent so Europeans can other Asians?
Technically I think north-western Iceland should be included too since it's on the western side of the mid-Atlantic ridge.
Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile.