“If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other.”
― Ulysses S. Grant, 1875
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”
― Alvin Toffler
Earlier today, I reviewed the movie "Civil War," which came out last year. I had wanted to go see it in the theaters while it was still playing. After actually seeing the movie on the day of Trump's inauguration about a week and a half or so ago, I am actually glad that I did not go see it in the theaters, or give the movie more of my money.
It lacked substance. It lacked depth. It lacked any semblance of reality.
In the fictional world of this movie, Texas and California - two huge states with some similarities, but which are on opposite ends of the current political divide in this country - form a Western Alliance and fight an abusive, dictatorial president. Eventually, they win, and at the end of the movie, it is insinuated that all is right with the world afterwards.
That was disappointing. But I should have known better than to rely on Hollywood for any kind of serious depth or analysis. It was meant as entertainment, and a product of what we have come to call the "entertainment industry." You cannot expect much more from a movie.
However, an actual civil war seems to be more of a real possibility these days than ever before. It feels entirely avoidable, frankly. Yet, I cannot say with certainty that we actually will manage to avoid it.
Why?
Because it seems that some people actually want another civil war. I have met some of these people, and also have seen some people (most of us know them as internet trollers) who have given voice to this kind of sick desire.
There are real problems in the United States, and more generally the world, at the moment. In fact, the problems often seem to be coming at us from everywhere, closing in from every angle. There are elites who want to "drill, baby, drill" everywhere while they still can, and they rally a certain segment of the population for the supposed purpose of energy independence and cheaper gas prices. These same people often claim that the red tape and prices for environmentally responsible business policies are too costly, and that somehow, if we remove the red tape with the old "deregulation" spirit that has pretty much triumphed in the United States for many decades now, all would be well with the world.
Yet, environmental deterioration is real. So is climate change, whether you like it or not. The science is clear and has been settled for quite some time. The only debate left is by those who do not understand - and in many, if not most cases, do not wish to understand - the science behind it. Yes, climate change/global warming is real, and it is a threat.
So is the threat of World War II. Of course, we have been living with the threat of nuclear weapons, although there have been times when leaders have tried to convince us that the threat is minimal, or has largely been extinguished. I remember leaders claiming that the world was far safer after the Cold War had ended.
Clearly, they have been proven wrong. The world is every bit as dangerous now as it ever was. In fact, it feels more dangerous, with more players holding an astonishing and alarming number of deadly weapons. The United States, China, and Russia all have tensions with one another, and these countries have far and away the largest nuclear arsenals. We know that France and Great Britain have nuclear weapons, and the growing tensions between these European nations and Russia, as well as the United States, should be an obvious source of concern. Then we can look at Israel, and we see how other countries in the region hostile to Israel desire nuclear weapons. India and Pakistan both have nuclear weapons, and it seems often times that they still hate each other. Plus, we see the threat of terrorists, and how they seem to come into power in some countries (like Afghanistan and Syria).
Given all of that, it hardly feels like this world is safer at all. In fact, it feels like the situation is more volatile and dangerous than ever before.
Let's then add a world situation - which is also true for us within the United States - of glaring and staggering levels of economic inequality. Wealthy corporations have built modern day empires, and hold increasing sway over our lives. There are more people than ever before, and they are competing for a diminishing number of quality jobs that provide decent pay and benefits. In fact, more and more people are competing even for jobs that do not pay so well, and hardly have any real quality benefits at all. Plus, that dramatically increased world population is obviously adding increased pressure on the planet's environment, which is an issue I already addressed. Add to that automation, where technology is replacing actual human beings and their jobs, and it begins to get downright scary.
All of those things are relevant with the entire world. But in the United States, we have had to deal with adjusting to a seemingly diminishing national status. For all of his bluster, Trump's too quick promises and claims of making the country great again is a message that is divisive. After all, if you want to believe him, you will. But for the rest of us, who see those problems which I already mentioned, plus see other unique problems which I have not mentioned, which includes a nation which is astonishingly polarized, and which has something like $34 trillion in debt, and which has not managed to balance a budget in over a quarter of a century, and where the military industrial complex, as well as the technological industrial complex that Biden mentioned, as well as more and more Americans personally being heavily in debt and with fairly serious inflation to boot, and you have something of a crisis.
Another problem is that our education system has been failing now for many decades. The result is a dumber population that lacks the critical thinking skills to see through charlatans. Plus - and this is particularly true for white males - there is a growing immaturity, which I suspect is linked to their perceived sense of diminishing status over the course of decades, and you have many seeds of a crisis being planted.
And yet, I still believe that much of this is largely overblown. The fact of the matter is that, at least for the time being, Americans still enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. But that could be easily lost with a civil war.
One thing about all of those men (and some women as well, of course) is that they have almost been conditioned to be immature. Far too many men whom I know personally (and most likely, you the reader also know such men) are living almost as overgrown children themselves. They play video games too often, and watch movies which glorify violence, but with very little substance. And too many of these men feel that their problems can be solved with violence, including a another civil war. In short, they are bored and frustrated, and they mistake the war games they play for real life. They play those games to alleviate their boredom, and so an actual civil war might feel like something interesting and entertaining. They know nothing of what actual war is like, or the uncertainties and instability that such a war would have on much of the country, possibly including themselves and their own families.
In other words, another civil war is a greater possibility than ever before in my lifetime because too many men - white men in particular - want to play soldier for real, instead of just in a video game or watching them in movies. It is a product of ignorance, as well as of frustration, and that is why I added that quote by Ulysses S. Grant, who obviously knew quite a bit about actual civil war.
It just seemed like something worth mentioning here and now, as we are witnessing some of the most polarized times in modern history, especially here in the United States. My sincerest hope is that we can avoid an actual civil war, which will absolutely destabilize the country - and possibly the world - far more than many of those tacitly advocating and waiting for it to break out may be able to understand or appreciate.
Yes, I hope that we can avoid an actual civil war. But at this point, I cannot say with confidence that we actually will avoid one, although it sure feels, at least in theory, like we should be able to avoid one.
A Nation Divided? Nearly Half of Americans Think U.S. Could See Another Civil War, May 21, 2024:
https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/a-nation-divided/
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