U.S.A.- Future Utopia or Distopia

[SigurdReginson]

Is the U.S.A. headed towards becoming more of a Utopia, or a Distopia in the future?

Will whoever is elected influence or change wether we will head towards more of a Utopia or a Distopia?

Also, will the president chosen in this election cycle change the course we are headed now that will be felt in any meaningful way 100 years from now?

Just curious about your folks' thoughts on the matter.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Is the U.S.A. headed towards becoming more of a Utopia, or a Distopia in the future?

Will whoever is elected influence or change wether we will head towards more of a Utopia or a Distopia?

Also, will the president chosen in this election cycle change the course we are headed now that will be felt in any meaningful way 100 years from now?

Just curious about your folks' thoughts on the matter.

I'm not really a 'sky is falling' sort of person, so I think the most likely future state is that it becomes neither, and sort of muddles along somewhere in the middle. But if forced to pick out of those, I would say 'dystopia'. I see no evidence it's becoming Utopian, and suspect that any path to such a place would be paved with dystopian pain.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

“... the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” - MLK

 

[Heyo]

Idiocracy was a documentary.

 

[Revoltingest]

I'm an optimist & a survivor.
Utopia...dystopia....opinions will vary.
I say it'll be neither, but it'll offer opportunities to enjoy life.

 

[Stevicus]

Is the U.S.A. headed towards becoming more of a Utopia, or a Distopia in the future?

Probably neither, although I can see why some might say we are a nation in decline.

Will whoever is elected influence or change wether we will head towards more of a Utopia or a Distopia?

Perhaps over the long term, elections might shift the direction we take, although I think it would take more than a single election or a single politician to change things.

Also, will the president chosen in this election cycle change the course we are headed now that will be felt in any meaningful way 100 years from now?

Just curious about your folks' thoughts on the matter.

I suppose anything is possible, but I think it might be measured more in political movements, not so much with individual politicians.

If the US is falling into distopia, it might be more useful to consider the questions of how and why did it happen, not who did it.

 

[joe1776]

Utopia, but not in our lifetime because social changes are slow.

There are two mega-trends happening: We humans are making moral progress and we are learning from our experience. The two trends combined, make the Utopia prediction, the logical choice. Some future generation will have it all figured out.

 

[Quintessence]

Both.

What is one human's utopia is another human's dystopia (and vice versa). In any case, the universe is constantly changing anyway so it will cycle between these two depending on one's point of view. Then, eventually, it will end as a nation.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Is the U.S.A. headed towards becoming more of a Utopia, or a Distopia in the future?

Will whoever is elected influence or change wether we will head towards more of a Utopia or a Distopia?

Also, will the president chosen in this election cycle change the course we are headed now that will be felt in any meaningful way 100 years from now?

Just curious about your folks' thoughts on the matter.

Definitely dystopia. We already are well on that road.

 

[Flankerl]

(X) 3rd World Country

 

[joe1776]

Both.

What is one human's utopia is another human's dystopia (and vice versa). In any case, the universe is constantly changing anyway so it will cycle between these two depending on one's point of view. Then, eventually, it will end as a nation.

Utopia: Almost all citizens are well-fed, sheltered, clothed, safe and enjoying life.

Can you explain how a sane person would find such a life unlivable?

 

[Nakosis]

Is the U.S.A. headed towards becoming more of a Utopia, or a Distopia in the future?

Will whoever is elected influence or change wether we will head towards more of a Utopia or a Distopia?

Also, will the president chosen in this election cycle change the course we are headed now that will be felt in any meaningful way 100 years from now?

Just curious about your folks' thoughts on the matter.

I don't think the upcoming election will matter much. The president is only one man.

 

[bobhikes]

Is the U.S.A. headed towards becoming more of a Utopia, or a Distopia in the future?

Will whoever is elected influence or change wether we will head towards more of a Utopia or a Distopia?

Also, will the president chosen in this election cycle change the course we are headed now that will be felt in any meaningful way 100 years from now?

Just curious about your folks' thoughts on the matter.

The US has a unique situation; whereas, the entire constitution can be changed not just amended. This allows for the country to bend but not fully break. That being said there will never be a Utopia but the US will always adapt to the world.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I don't think the upcoming election will matter much. The president is only one man.

I think the primary problem has to do with the oligarchs who run and control government policy and removed representation of the people in place of their own for which government is designed for the benefit of the controlling elite.

I discovered we actually had the situation before in US history and it was eventually rectified for awhile. Now its back and verified in the 2014 report* and this time around, I fear we are at the point of no return to correct it.

*
Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy

 

[Quintessence]

Utopia: Almost all citizens are well-fed, sheltered, clothed, safe and enjoying life.

Can you explain how a sane person would find such a life unlivable?

When you put it that way, absolutely not. You'd conclude any such explanation is "insanity" and be done with it. Never mind that "utopia" isn't necessarily so simplistically defined or any of that. Nope, it's just insane to recognize that different peoples - whether humans, the land, the sea, the sky, the winged ones, the furry ones, and so forth - have different needs that are inherently in conflict with one another.

 

[joe1776]

I think the primary problem has to do with the oligarchs who run and control government policy and removed representation of the people in place of their own for which government is designed for the benefit of the controlling elite.

I discovered we actually had the situation before in US history and it was eventually rectified for awhile. Now its back and verified in the 2014 report* and this time around, I fear we are at the point of no return to correct it.

*
Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy

You're right about the problem, but I think you're wrong about it not being correctable although the solution may not come quickly enough to avoid a lot of economic pain.

 

[Nakosis]

I think the primary problem has to do with the oligarchs who run and control government policy and removed representation of the people in place of their own for which government is designed for the benefit of the controlling elite.

I discovered we actually had the situation before in US history and it was eventually rectified for awhile. Now its back and verified in the 2014 report* and this time around, I fear we are at the point of no return to correct it.

*
Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy

I suspect part of the problem is that each party can blame the other for the influence of the oligarchs.
Another player I think though is the media, the major broadcasting companies. They also have a vested interest in policy and they have a lot of influence. I don't think the media is as independent of political policy as maybe they ought to be. Without real independence of the media, I don't think we have a path to resolution.

 

[joe1776]

When you put it that way, absolutely not. You'd conclude any such explanation is "insanity" and be done with it. Never mind that "utopia" isn't necessarily so simplistically defined or any of that. Nope, it's just insane to recognize that different peoples - whether humans, the land, the sea, the sky, the winged ones, the furry ones, and so forth - have different needs that are inherently in conflict with one another.

I described an ideal society for most humans. That's what the word "utopia" means. However, if you will define 'utopia" as you think it ought to be defined, then I might better understand your argument.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I'm on team "All Utopias are Dystopias in Disguise."

 

[sun rise]

Is the U.S.A. headed towards becoming more of a Utopia, or a Distopia in the future?

It depends on the timetable. As a follower of Meher Baba, I note his statement that the US was destined to lead the world spiritually. There was no time associated with this.

But reaching back, I see the promise in John Winthrop's "City on a Hill" image in 1630, the Declaration of Independence's statement that we're all equal with equal rights, the Great Seal's statement of a "New order of the ages" and other such things.

Of course we've been far far FAR from realizing this and there's been an ongoing struggle to get rid of slavery, give women and all citizens the right to vote, to deal with systematic discrimination and rule by the powerful and so forth. The journey has miles to go. But I see progress none-the-less.

Also, will the president chosen in this election cycle change the course we are headed now that will be felt in any meaningful way 100 years from now?

To me this election represents an existential choice. On one hand, we have an authoritarian wannabe peddling fear and hatred who lies and is not ashamed when his lies are pointed out but keeps on lying. To me, he's an archetype of the past. Biden, by contrast represents a more humanistic view of humanity. Trump makes everything about himself pleading "please like me" which is the call of someone who is hollow inside. Biden has acted throughout his life as one who is oriented around giving.

This to me is not about policy. Trump has done a very few things I've liked. I'm sure Biden will do things I absolutely disagree with. It's about character and the effect that character of the President has on our society.