The Trajectory of America

From Social Matter: SWPLs, Amerikaners, The Alt-Right, And The Coming State

This passage stood out:

The system is decaying and unsustainable. It is increasingly liquidating a limited pool of capital to keep the economic charade going, while all the real productivity, and the culture of hardworking self-reliance that goes with it, goes overseas.

See one of three outcomes:

1. A continuation of what we have now, as the contributions of America’s smartest, most productive are sufficient to offset the decay, or as some call ‘entropy’ vs. ‘order’. In the tug-of-war between productivity vs. decay and parasitism, the former is still winning, although the gap may be narrowing. There is evidence of it narrowing (rising rates of out of wedlock births, growing entitlement spending, etc., for example), but also evidence it isn’t (technological progress, steady GDP growth, etc.).

I predict this will be the most likely ‘trajectory’ – a continuation of what we have now. Although there will more internecine strife and racial division in America, the general economy will remain intact, thanks mainly to the contributions of America’s most economically productive and America’s overall global economic dominance and strength, particularity for intellectual property.

This mistake is some assume that because there is some evidence of decay, that the whole system must fail.

America’s Protestant work ethic, punitive justice system, and culture of individualism that prizes merit, are probably contributing factors for America’s stability and economic success, compared to its peers that seem to constantly struggle with corruption, high inflation, and economic stagnation. Although East Asian countries score well on achievement tests and have high national IQs, their culture is a more collectivist one. Same for Northern Europe, which is also more collectivist than America.

Anatoly Karlin has done extensive research on this.

Related: Explaining America’s Economic and Social Stability

2. Figurative collapse – ‘entropy’ gradually wins, and the American economic and cultural hegemony is significantly weakened. The stock market may crash and fail to ever recover. There may be high inflation due to capital flight out of the US dollar and treasuries, as well as ‘cognitive flight’ of America’s smartest and most productive. In the process, America becomes more like Europe or Japan, as possibly China fills the power vacuum. I don’t see this happening – it could happen but seems improbable. Some argue that America is already in this state, but the actual economic data and other trends suggests otherwise.

3. Literal collapse, possibly due to nuclear war, terrorism, or civil war, resulting in substantial devastation, economic disruption, and loss of life. The Civil War is probably the closest America has come to this.