You thought you were smarter, stronger, and wiser just because you were the ones on top. But something is changing inside you. You don’t want to admit it...
I think you’re being too optimistic. The collapse of the U.S. isn’t like the implosion of the USSR or the decline of the British Empire. What appears to be happening is that American elites are just discarding the “U.S. A” like a suit of old clothes. Capital has outgrown nation states. Capital now has at its disposal cryptocurrency, private security forces, spyware, and AI. They don’t need foreign services, state treasuries or pension plans. And the world’s oligarchs have decided they won’t pay for any of those things any more. The United States may be falling apart but Blackstone is doing fine. Largest landlord in Madrid. Netflix and YouTube are spoon feeding culture to the masses from Tokyo to Lima to Nairobi. When you get down to fundamentals Putin, MBS, Trump, Musk, and Ackman all have a lot more in common with each other than they do with ordinary Russians, Saudis or Americans. We are all the peripheral people, living in a world run by billionaires.
This was one of the great quotes from Vidal in that United States of Amnesia documentary when asked about the conspiracy theory of history, paraphrasing, “they don’t have to conspire if they all think a like. You won’t get the CEO of GM and Morgan bank disagreeing on much.”
The state security forces are still working for the capitalist elites just fine for now. Private security is just a luxury for last minute trips to Manhattan for dinner or the kid's play.
Peripheral Men are, justifiably, laughing at the decline and/or downfall of America, or what this American born Sri Lankan author refers to as "The White Empire."
Your short article also reminded me of something else, since I guess Hitler has been on the mind lately.
As Aimé Césaire said in his Discourse On Colonialism:
“At bottom, what [white men] cannot forgive Hitler for is not crime in itself … it is the fact that he applied to Europe colonialist procedures which until then had been reserved exclusively for the Arabs of Algeria, the coolies of India, and the n — of Africa.”
IOW, Hitler tried to colonize other white people [treat them like Peripheral Men], using all the tricks in the colonialist playbook, and that was his only real sin.
All of the techniques developed in the 3rd world are now returning home to be used on the "little people" in USA (and in Europe, possibly even more so). Elites are not outraged.
Malcolm went on a Haj to Mecca, met real Muslims from all over (lots of whom were "white", or at least not distinctly "black")- And Malcolm realized that he didn't hate white people per se, he hated people who were using, abusive assholes. Before the Haj he has already started to figure out that Elijah was a cult leader and womanizing conman, then on the Haj discovered he was not really a Muslim. After getting back, Makcolm started thinking and talking about economics, class warfare and even mentioned that poor white trash might be just "niggers" too. THAT was definitely not on either Elijah Muhammad OR J. Edgar Hoover's list of approved black folks behaviors, much less the local NY PD "red squad"/CIA affiliated assets. Same kind of things Dr. King had said right before getting shot. As long as Malcolm hated white people, he was useful. When he started focusing on abusive rich assholes (including black ones, Elijah Muhammad was a piece of work), not so much.
When you say "useful" I assume you mean to the US government. Implying that once MLK Jr. and Malcolm X started preaching class consciousness - including across "racial" boundaries, they became liabilities. In so much as when Malcolm X was hating the white man, he served as a scary bogeyman for Hoover et. al?
I think you’re being too optimistic. The collapse of the U.S. isn’t like the implosion of the USSR or the decline of the British Empire. What appears to be happening is that American elites are just discarding the “U.S. A” like a suit of old clothes. Capital has outgrown nation states. Capital now has at its disposal cryptocurrency, private security forces, spyware, and AI. They don’t need foreign services, state treasuries or pension plans. And the world’s oligarchs have decided they won’t pay for any of those things any more. The United States may be falling apart but Blackstone is doing fine. Largest landlord in Madrid. Netflix and YouTube are spoon feeding culture to the masses from Tokyo to Lima to Nairobi. When you get down to fundamentals Putin, MBS, Trump, Musk, and Ackman all have a lot more in common with each other than they do with ordinary Russians, Saudis or Americans. We are all the peripheral people, living in a world run by billionaires.
This was one of the great quotes from Vidal in that United States of Amnesia documentary when asked about the conspiracy theory of history, paraphrasing, “they don’t have to conspire if they all think a like. You won’t get the CEO of GM and Morgan bank disagreeing on much.”
The state security forces are still working for the capitalist elites just fine for now. Private security is just a luxury for last minute trips to Manhattan for dinner or the kid's play.
Peripheral Men are, justifiably, laughing at the decline and/or downfall of America, or what this American born Sri Lankan author refers to as "The White Empire."
https://indi.ca/america-is-crashing-like-sri-lanka-did-hopefully-worse/
Your short article also reminded me of something else, since I guess Hitler has been on the mind lately.
As Aimé Césaire said in his Discourse On Colonialism:
“At bottom, what [white men] cannot forgive Hitler for is not crime in itself … it is the fact that he applied to Europe colonialist procedures which until then had been reserved exclusively for the Arabs of Algeria, the coolies of India, and the n — of Africa.”
IOW, Hitler tried to colonize other white people [treat them like Peripheral Men], using all the tricks in the colonialist playbook, and that was his only real sin.
@Tom
All of the techniques developed in the 3rd world are now returning home to be used on the "little people" in USA (and in Europe, possibly even more so). Elites are not outraged.
Or as Malcolm X would say: The chickens are coming home to roost.
@Tom
Malcolm went on a Haj to Mecca, met real Muslims from all over (lots of whom were "white", or at least not distinctly "black")- And Malcolm realized that he didn't hate white people per se, he hated people who were using, abusive assholes. Before the Haj he has already started to figure out that Elijah was a cult leader and womanizing conman, then on the Haj discovered he was not really a Muslim. After getting back, Makcolm started thinking and talking about economics, class warfare and even mentioned that poor white trash might be just "niggers" too. THAT was definitely not on either Elijah Muhammad OR J. Edgar Hoover's list of approved black folks behaviors, much less the local NY PD "red squad"/CIA affiliated assets. Same kind of things Dr. King had said right before getting shot. As long as Malcolm hated white people, he was useful. When he started focusing on abusive rich assholes (including black ones, Elijah Muhammad was a piece of work), not so much.
When you say "useful" I assume you mean to the US government. Implying that once MLK Jr. and Malcolm X started preaching class consciousness - including across "racial" boundaries, they became liabilities. In so much as when Malcolm X was hating the white man, he served as a scary bogeyman for Hoover et. al?
If so, I agree.
@Tom
You take my meaning.
Gotchoo bud!