Are we reliving the 1950's? how about the 1920's?

[IronLionZion]

When I think of the current state of the American people, two words come to mind: apathy and idiocy. People seem to not know what's going on, and don't seem to care. They are told to just be content and spend their money, and they do it.

The 1920's were marked by irresponsible personal spending, and robber barons reaping dishonest profits at the expense of good people. Lots of financial fraud and corruption. We all know what happened at the end of this decade: A crushing worldwide depression, the social programs and domestic infrastructure of the New Deal, and it took a massive world war to get out of the depression.

The 1950's were marked by the big scary bogeyman named communism who hates America. Everyone should just be afraid, but still buy lots of stuff. Life is just swell, but be afraid of the dirty commies. This decade was followed by all kinds of social movements, civil rights, Great Society, Vietnam, anti-war, and so on.

Both times, America seemed kind of stupid while Republicans were in the White House, and more intelligent when Democrats took over.

And I suppose it could be the 1980's too. Iran Contra, fatally flawed Mideast and energy policies, followed by Clinton and the roaring 90's.

So where do you think we are and where are we headed in the near future? I hope it's toward Democrats taking over and all kinds of positive improvements rather than a depression and world war.

[endarkenment]

1. Germany 1933 - 1938. nt.

[MadMaddie]

3. 1950's...Fear, Fear, Fear 2006 Fear, Fear, Fear....

1950's Have the school childeren hide under their desks for protection from a nuclear bomb.
2006 Put masking tape around all of your doors and windos WMD's

1950's Racism is alive and well
2006 Homophobia and Racism, and class warfare is alive and well

1950's Spy on your neigbors, black ball all truth tellers
2006 Spy on your neighbors, black ball all truth tellers

[raccoon]

17. Except the economy was a lot better and it was much easier

to get a good job, especially if you were a white man, in the 1950's.

And for many people, their standard of living was steadily rising.

But yeah, a lot of fear around again.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Actually, more like Germany (or the US) in the late 1920s

Economic and social parallels are strong.

[IronLionZion]

6. Germany in the 30's was investing heavily in it's own infrastructure

They were putting unemployed white protestant males to work on massive labor projects. We're not doing that. If anything, the RepubliCONS are selling off America.

But I get the parallels with the merger of state and corporate power. Along with belligerant nationalism and racism.

[Roland99]

8. Big difference between the US now and Germany then

The German economy was in complete shambles in the 30s.

[DBoon]

2. 1890's

Robber Barons, mass unemployment, private militia hired by robber barons to shoot down "labor agitators"

[PhilipShore]

9. CIA/PNAC=Private militia hired by robber barons

[DBoon]

12. Oh and I forgot imperalist wars fought for bogus reasons

Spanish American War, fought because a boiler blew up in a warship.

Ended up with Cuba and the Philipines as US colonies.

And with their indigenous liberation movements betrayed by the USA.

[valerief]

5. In 10 years it'll be like the Dark Ages

All crusades and plagues with 401Ks just a big joke.

[Boojatta]

7. "it took a massive world war to get out of the depression"

Could you demonstrate that there was a cause-effect relationship?

What if the money had been spent on fireworks instead of bullets and bombs?

Would groups of people from around the world coming together to watch colorful July 4th style displays have ended the depression or was a blood sacrifice necessary to appease the economic gods?

[IronLionZion]

18. actually, that's a great topic for discussion

The depression was one of the causes of the Nazi takeover of Germany and their subsequent military and infrastructure buildup.

And the US was looking relatively better in the late 30's before building up for the war. Personally, I think the New Deal was the greatest thing to happen to our economy in the past 100 years. Fireworks are nice, but I wish Truman had passed his national health insurance plan. In retrospect, that should have been part of the New Deal when America was still in a socialist mood.

[baldguy]

10. Closer to the '90s.

The 1090s, that is. Feudalism, the Crusades, religious wars, persecution of Jews & women - the start of the Dark Ages.

[happydreams]

11. George Herbert Walker, Dubya's great-granddaddy

made a killing at WH Harriman Co. off of speculation in the re-building/rearming of Germany. He pulled his dough out a few months prior to the crash of 29'. I'd say things are similar today.

[IronLionZion]

14. The Nazis took power after that

the depression helped the Nazis.

But yes, a lot of stock fraud and financial corruption caused the stock market crash.

[sandnsea]

13. All three

Which is why it is so bad and so hard to combat. There's the excesses of the 20's, just look at Hollywood. There's the traditional ostriches like in the 50's. And there's the outsourcing and loss of US manufacturing like in the 80's. There's the terrorism scare, like the communism scare. And the same group of 80's neocon Iran/Contra yahoos as well. Not to mention the Cuyahoga on fire and numerous animals near extinction, much like the pending doom from global warming today.

I don't know where it will all lead, but if we don't turn back from the brink soon, I think it'll be worse than WWII.

[ddzimm]

15. All human civilizations?

If any socio-economic system were indefinitely sustainable, we would all be Mesopotamians, or possibly some long forgotten African-Tribe-Nation.

The details might be different in each case, but the result is always the same: Growth and Collapse. The one reoccurring theme in each case, however, was (and is) that the majority of great thinkers and leaders believe that their Socio-economic system is somehow immune to collapse. No one PLANS for changes caused by population growth, advances in technology, shifts in the economic base structure and the adaptation of the *.ism or *.acy to the needs at the time. It just grows and grows and grows until the sheer size of the system makes it unmanageable and easily exploited by the greedy.

It’s the story of human history, repeated over and over again. Unfortunately for us, as the “Oppressed Masses” of Colonial Europe had, we have no “New World” to colonize, and no real hope of a viable space program to open up real “New Worlds”.

“Kool-Aid Drinker” is what the common term is now? Nihilist, Defeatist, Socialist, whatever. Yet suggest something radical and most run back to the comfort of the very system that is causing the problems, applying Band-Aids and administering aspirin to a patent with major organ failure.

The underlying problem is the same as it has always been, those in power exploit those who they lead and groups of people fight, argue and hate because they are different. We are fundamentally no different than several packs of Lions fighting over an ever shrinking territory.

There are two solutions. One is a restructuring of all human beliefs and methodologies to a Human Collective (which requires far more individual sacrifice than most are willing to give). The second is to get off this planet and open enough free space so that all *.ism or
*.acy do not have to fight.

Otherwise, some hundreds or years from now Democracy will be yet another footnote, along with Communism, Colonialism and Theocracy.

[Gruenemann]

16. Take all the worst characteristics...

of all those peroids...and lump them all together...THEN it will be representative of today.