Throughout the world, this crumbling empire has made its presence known in the worst ways, whether through disrupting the governments of other countries, or taking resources while promising breakthroughs that usually land them more profit. Almost no one within this country is willing to acknowledge that when “American culture” lands somewhere else, things usually change for the worse. Even as the residents who see the truth are fleeing, there are still people who want to pretend that when this empire invades, everything improves. I wanted to be a teacher back in the day, so I would grade imperial residents at a “C.”
“C” is for consumption: Thanks to the rampant need for “profits at all costs,” everything about the United States takes more consumption, whether energy, labor, resources, or space. Consequently, the people within the empire are expected to consume more, which is why there has been obsessive discussion about having and raising babies, despite the lack of capital to do so. In the remake of “Sabrina” with Julia Ormond, Harrison Ford, and Greg Kinnear, there was a great line that I keep close to my heart, which is, “‘More’ isn’t always ‘better,’ Linus. Sometimes, it’s just ‘more.'” Now that everyone is expected to consume constantly, there are barely any spaces in public where anyone can be without being expected to consume, making it nearly impossible to find rest outside one’s home, even in nature.
“C” is for credit: More appalling is that even as people are expected to consume more, they are not paid more or given time to enjoy what they consume, which is why credit debt has taken over the empire. So many aspects of life require credit checks, and even if people wanted to avoid getting into debt, that is the nature of life within the empire. Not having credit can mean being homeless, jobless, without a car in rural areas, and most importantly, unable to get business loans due to a lack of credit history. To be fair, Congress has set a terrible example as it uses public funds to spend to its heart’s delight, which then pretending to make a fuss about the deficit. After kicking out all the migrants based on the attitudes of bigots, Social Security is about to crash, and there will be no more people to force to labor and use credit to keep us stuck in one place.
“C” is for crap: How is anyone supposed to have anywhere to put any of the mountains of things that people are supposed to be buying? That is impossible, but the imperial expectation is that everyone needs to buy everything we see, and fill up the houses we supposedly want with all the extra stuff. Years ago, I told people to stop buying me gifts because the apartments I could afford kept getting smaller and smaller, and the ones who listened are still in my life. If there is a consistent lack of affordable housing, it is impossible to think that everyone should constantly be buying, especially when none of us have the money.
“C” is for Congress Avenue: In Austin, Texas, there is a ridiculous street called “Congress Avenue,” and everything about that street is based on consumption. It reaches all the way to the Capitol, but the only message that is being sent on that street is, “Consume, consume, consume.” There is no real soul to the street anymore, and as a native Austinite, there is nothing that makes me want to spend any time on that street anymore. Someone very close to me used to work on that street, and he was thoroughly sick of it by the time we both left the city, and that is now one of our least fond memories.
“C” is for Chapultepec (realmente, “Avenida Chapultepec”): Remember when I said that there are places all over the world where people have imitated “American” culture? One of the most frustrating locations to see that influence has been Mexico, except I have seen that Mexico does most things better than the United States. On Chapultepec in Guadalajara, there are several expensive restaurants and stores–but there is a long place to sit without having to spend anything, and there are regular protests. There are wide lanes of traffic on either side of the street–but there is a monument to those who have disappeared, because there is one thing I love about Mexico more than anything else, and it is their open activism. Even as there is income inequality, the “rich” spots are forced to endure the presence of poverty, and nobody lies about it like the imperial United States.
Generally speaking, “C” would mean about average, and that is the conclusion I would make about many imperial residents and our understanding of how the empire works in the rest of the world. While people are waking up, fewer individuals are wanting to stay here and stay stuck in the mindsets that kept this nation going for generations. That can only be a good thing, and most of us are waiting to see the downfall of those who only wished ill on everyone else, whether honestly or not.
Chasing A Dying Empire 