#american decline

[erebusvincent]

Neo-atheism, led by many prominent atheists, advocated for a secular, rationalist worldview and the rejection of religious dogma. However, it is essential to recognize that every policy decision or movement has second-order effects that are often overlooked. In the case of neo-atheism, some argue that it has inadvertently contributed to the rise of Atheism+ and “wokeism,” resulting in unintended societal consequences.

Neo-atheism initially arose with noble intentions, seeking to challenge the negative aspects of religious belief and promote reason and critical thinking. However, critics argue that in its zeal to combat religious dogma, neo-atheism may have thrown the baby out with the bathwater, discarding the positive aspects of religion and leaving behind a societal vacuum. This vacuum led to the emergence of Atheism+, a movement that aimed to address the perceived shortcomings of traditional atheism.

Atheism+ sought to incorporate social justice, feminism, and other progressive issues into the atheist discourse, departing from traditional atheism’s focus on the nonexistence of deities. As religion often provides a sense of meaning and purpose, some individuals who embraced atheism turned to these progressive issues to find meaning in their lives. By incorporating social justice, feminism, and other progressive issues into its framework, Atheism+ aimed to create a more inclusive and morally engaged atheist community.

The rise of wokeism, a term used to describe an increased awareness of and commitment to social justice issues, can be seen as a by-product of the shift towards Atheism+. Wokeism is a child of neo-atheism, resulting from a one-night stand that produced a new generation of activists seeking meaning in a post-religious world. Social media has played a significant role in the spread of wokeism, providing a platform for activists to share their ideas and connect with like-minded individuals.

Wokeism represents a broader cultural trend that emphasizes social justice and activism. With its roots in the civil rights movement, wokeism has evolved to encompass various issues, from racial and gender equality to LGBTQ+ rights and environmental justice. Some argue that the rise of wokeism can be linked to the decline of traditional religious institutions and the search for new sources of meaning and community in a secular world.

However, this shift in focus has yet to be universally embraced, with some critics arguing that Atheism+ has strayed too far from its original purpose and become overly politicized. As individuals turn away from religion, they may be drawn to secular movements that offer a sense of purpose and moral guidance, such as wokeism and Atheism+.

However, both Atheism+ and wokeism have faced criticism for their perceived dogmatism and intolerance. Opponents argue that these movements can sometimes resemble the religious dogmas they claim to reject, with rigid adherence to certain beliefs and the suppression of dissenting voices. Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff, in their book The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure have explained how the culture of safetyism, which prioritizes emotional and psychological safety, can lead to an overemphasis on microaggressions—small, unintentional slights that some individuals can perceive as harmful. They suggest that constantly focusing on microaggressions can create a hostile environment and perpetuate a victim mentality, undermining young people’s resilience and emotional well-being…

[commonsensecommentary]

From my blog archive (pre-Covid craziness):

“Nero may have (or so the Roman legend says) fiddled while Rome burned, but the American epitaph might well be that our elected officials talked—and talked and talked and talked—while our nation fell to pieces.”

[olderandweirder]

It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. The entire premise of the Republican Party is that government is incompetent so we should give everything to private industry.

If they demonstrated competence at governing, it would ruin their entire purpose for existing, so they sow chaos and discord and destruction and leverage the suffering it causes into votes by leaning on aggrieved peoples prejudices. Hey, it’s not *our* fault that your life sucks, it must be those brown people / young people / gay people / insert boogeyman here. Vote for me to punish them — I won’t make your life better but I’ll make theirs worse.

They’re not incompetent, they’re sinister.

WTAF are these guys doing

[victusinveritas]

[almaprincess66]

Broke my tumblr silence just to sprinkle a little sad into your day! You are welcome!

[kerriclarkcreative]

Video & captioning by kerriclarkcreative This post features a video of a deaf individual using sign language to express her thoughts about streaming services. She highlights the convenience these platforms provide, allowing users to access a wide range of content from the comfort of their homes. She also shares her perspective that movie theaters may be facing extinction, as more people opt for the ease and flexibility of streaming. Captions are provided for hearing viewers to follow along with her insights.

Transcript: Regarding the future of streaming platforms, I strongly believe that movie theaters will see a decline in attendance. Instead, everything will be streamed at home. Streaming is more affordable and convenient; you can pause anytime, enjoy your own sound system, and eat your own food—all within your own space. This setup allows for a greater sense of control while enjoying movies with your family, partner, friends, or even by yourself. This is the future, and we are already living in that era.

[myowndesertplaces]

Defending Ashton's choice and trying to make it rational, self-less, or heroic is a little like trying to argue Percy was completely in control and not at all consumed by vengeance in the Briarwood arc.

You're not supposed to agree with Ashton's choice anymore than you're supposed to agree with the hubris of Laerryn or Zerxus no matter how much you love those characters. Taliesin knew exactly what he was doing in that moment.

With that said, you are more than welcome to agree with Taliesin's choice. You can like how this decision fit perfectly with what Taliesin has been exploring with Ashton for 10 episodes. You can like the big risk/big reward mentality. You can like that this created conflict and drama. You can like how Taliesin is exploring Ashton's hypocrisy or the hypocrisy of the punk movement. You can like how Taliesin is deconstructing superheroes. You can love the terrible decision his character made for how terrible it was. But let's not try to pretend Ashton did anything sensible and trustworthy here.

[mist-the-wannabe-linguist]

Call me a boomer or whatever but I feel like fairy tales with the trope of "help elderly/disabled/homeless people because any of them might be a fairy in disguise who will bless you, but you cannot do it for the reward, it has to be out of genuine desire to do good or else the magic won't work" are very important in raising kids who are just starting to develop a sense of right and wrong and don't yet fully grasp that "you should help people because they need it"

[crimeronan]

if anyone here is in the "doesn't watch the news but loves to see american republicans in peril" club, u guys should know that today mitch mcconnell froze completely during a regular televised meeting staring blankly into the void for 19 whole seconds before being wrestled offstage. he returned a few minutes later supposedly fine and now absolutely refuses to say anything about his health or what the fuck happened except "i'm fine" and "i can do my job." you can watch that elderly fascist crawl hand-over-hand ever-closer to death's door in this fucking hilariously public spectacle here.

[coolpeanutmiracle20]

vance after blaming gun violence on the mental health crisis (he won't do anything to help and he will bring in policies that will harm mental health even more)

[ophilosoraptoro]

Why American Sperm Count Dropped 41% in 50 years

[tomorrowusa]

Former Gov. Chris Christie in conversation with Frank Bruni about Donald Trump and other topics. (excerpt)

Frank Bruni: Listening to you just now, I was thinking that Trump is a kind of one-man antonym to every single value we try to inculcate in children. Chris Christie: I used to use the children analogy all the time — that as parents, we would never put up with this. And, by the way, neither did his parents. They sent him off to military school. Frank Bruni: Is he not as cognitively fit as he was a year ago, two years ago, four years ago? Chris Christie: He’s not. He wasn’t as good in 2020 as he was in 2016. (In Trump debate prep) I played Hillary Clinton in 2016. I played Joe Biden in 2020. I saw decline in his skills in ’20 from ’16, and you see significant declines still. What masks it is that he is still physically pretty vibrant and energetic, unlike the president. But if you listen to him and his ability to make a point, it’s not nearly as good now as it was in 2016, not nearly. Today’s Donald Trump would not have come up with the Rosie O’Donnell line in response to what Megyn Kelly did in that first debate. He would have yelled at her and cursed at her.

source

If I may expand on Frank Bruni's comment, Donald Trump is a one-man antonym of ideal American values.

[tendercoretroglodyke]

queen did you forget that the biden "apple" we picked is very much also killing people. like literally thousands of people. currently and actively??

[k-wame]

so empire is spiraling toward civil & revolutionary wars

[quasi-normalcy]

It's kind of strange, historically, how you had very overtly political TV shows in the 70s like MASH and All in the Family, and then in the 80s and 90s, the politics is way more muted and/or hegemonic (at least outside of maybe a few science fiction shows); and then, in the 2000s and afterward, suddenly TV gets very overtly political again. I feel like this is just how late-Cold War "End of History" narratives manifested in pop culture.

[lasseling]

The Death of Meritocracy: Why Woke Culture is Destroying America

In the United States, freedom of speech has long been regarded as one of the most fundamental rights. Enshrined in the First Amendment, this principle ensures that every citizen has the right to express their ideas, opinions, and beliefs without fear of government retribution.