America's Uncertain Future

[Washington Resistance Army]

Any ideas what that could be? Because short of a major war with another power I'm not seeing anything that could make us come together tbh.

War with China! Trump for emperor?

Y E S

[Trumptonium1]

Yes, and I believe that there will be intervening events in the interim that will prevent any civil war arising from political polarisation. Perhaps not legislation as such, but some societal events that will dilute the polarisation slightly.

Any ideas what that could be? Because short of a major war with another power I'm not seeing anything that could make us come together tbh.

Like Vietnam did?

[Washington Resistance Army]

Any ideas what that could be? Because short of a major war with another power I'm not seeing anything that could make us come together tbh.

Like Vietnam did?

Vietnam wasn't a war against a major power. I'm talking about us getting into actual blows with Russia or China or someone, and even then I'm not sure it would bring people together tbh.

[Dahon]

Yes, and I believe that there will be intervening events in the interim that will prevent any civil war arising from political polarisation. Perhaps not legislation as such, but some societal events that will dilute the polarisation slightly.

Any ideas what that could be? Because short of a major war with another power I'm not seeing anything that could make us come together tbh.

As of right now? Nothing, as American democracy itself -- how your country has conducted itself for the past 250 years -- is in the hot seat this time around. Democracy not only a pillar of the American identity, it is the American identity -- question that in a fundamental way, and everything else falls apart.

[The Greater Ohio Valley]

Yes, and I believe that there will be intervening events in the interim that will prevent any civil war arising from political polarisation. Perhaps not legislation as such, but some societal events that will dilute the polarisation slightly.

Any ideas what that could be? Because short of a major war with another power I'm not seeing anything that could make us come together tbh.

Maybe we just need Independence Day to happen IRL so we can all unite to kick some alien ass, that should definitely do it.

[Dooom35796821595]

We should all know that the second American civil war will happen in 2096, after terrorists destroy the Statue of Liberty.

[Dahon]

Like Vietnam did?

Vietnam wasn't a war against a major power. I'm talking about us getting into actual blows with Russia or China or someone, and even then I'm not sure it would bring people together tbh.

You'd want it to be a protracted war against an ideological opponent, and China, while not a slouch militarily (and possibly the only one that has the men and materiel to offset US technological supeiority) is only an economic opponent. So any war with a major power will in the end exacerbate your already overheated climate.

[The New California Republic]

Yes, and I believe that there will be intervening events in the interim that will prevent any civil war arising from political polarisation. Perhaps not legislation as such, but some societal events that will dilute the polarisation slightly.

Any ideas what that could be? Because short of a major war with another power I'm not seeing anything that could make us come together tbh.

I don't like to make predictions of specific events as we consistently see that society has a habit of giving rise to the most bizarre of scenarios on a whim that disrupt or block predictions, that's the only constant I can see. Stuff arises all the time that is novel or just plain weird, and that feeds into societal shifts. Another major war with another nation in the works? Possible. Even national disasters of unprecedented scale can also have the effect of drawing people together.

[Dahon]

Any ideas what that could be? Because short of a major war with another power I'm not seeing anything that could make us come together tbh.

I don't like to make predictions of specific events as we consistently see that society has a habit of giving rise to the most bizarre of scenarios on a whim that disrupt or block predictions, that's the only constant I can see. Stuff arises all the time that is novel or just plain weird, and that feeds into societal shifts. Another major war with another nation in the works? Possible. Even national disasters of unprecedented scale can also have the effect of drawing people together.

So Yellowstone it is -- that's the only event that can really draw Americans together, by making them refugees.

Along with the rest of the world.

O God who won't make me drunk...

[Washington Resistance Army]

Any ideas what that could be? Because short of a major war with another power I'm not seeing anything that could make us come together tbh.

I don't like to make predictions of specific events as we consistently see that society has a habit of giving rise to the most bizarre of scenarios on a whim that disrupt or block predictions, that's the only constant I can see. Stuff arises all the time that is novel or just plain weird, and that feeds into societal shifts. Another major war with another nation in the works? Possible. Even national disasters of unprecedented scale can also have the effect of drawing people together.

Not anymore lol, it's not hard to find examples of Americans being openly happy or optimistic about such things nowadays. Shit it's not even hard to find people hoping for another economic crash so it fucks over the other side, or people being happy when a natural disaster strikes an area that voted for the other team etc etc.

[Caracasus]

Eh, short of climate change really throwing something utterly random out, that massive volcano in Yellowstone blowing up or some alien invasion it's safe to say the US will be around in some form in the next 25 years. What form that takes will probably be quite different - at a guess.

What's always fascinated me about the US is the vast differences between the different states and indeed within states. Sometimes that's a good thing I'd guess - other times (when you've got what are essentially living conditions that wouldn't be out of place in the most impoverished slums across the world v.s. affluent middle and upper class neighborhoods) that's not that great or conducive to a unified country.

Obviously, plenty of people here are already talking about polorization of opinions/views/politics etc. but I wonder if these are more a symptom of underlying problems than the actual problem itself. Similarly, I'm really not very sure at all that a war or whatever would unify the country. Surely if one "side" despises the other - wouldn't a war simply drive them further apart?

[Frievolk]

Eh, short of climate change really throwing something utterly random out, that massive volcano in Yellowstone blowing up or some alien invasion it's safe to say the US will be around in some form in the next 25 years. What form that takes will probably be quite different - at a guess.

What's always fascinated me about the US is the vast differences between the different states and indeed within states. Sometimes that's a good thing I'd guess - other times (when you've got what are essentially living conditions that wouldn't be out of place in the most impoverished slums across the world v.s. affluent middle and upper class neighborhoods) that's not that great or conducive to a unified country.

Obviously, plenty of people here are already talking about polorization of opinions/views/politics etc. but I wonder if these are more a symptom of underlying problems than the actual problem itself. Similarly, I'm really not very sure at all that a war or whatever would unify the country. Surely if one "side" despises the other - wouldn't a war simply drive them further apart?

I don't think anyone's denying that the US will exist. It's just that the "in some form and shape" might mean "no longer the world's strongest superpower or economic powerhouse", and even "no longer the only country controlling the area between Mexico and Canada" (if the two other countries still exist after whatever cataclysm happens, ofc)

[The New California Republic]

I don't like to make predictions of specific events as we consistently see that society has a habit of giving rise to the most bizarre of scenarios on a whim that disrupt or block predictions, that's the only constant I can see. Stuff arises all the time that is novel or just plain weird, and that feeds into societal shifts. Another major war with another nation in the works? Possible. Even national disasters of unprecedented scale can also have the effect of drawing people together.

Not anymore lol, it's not hard to find examples of Americans being openly happy or optimistic about such things nowadays. Shit it's not even hard to find people hoping for another economic crash so it fucks over the other side, or people being happy when a natural disaster strikes an area that voted for the other team etc etc.

Internet ceases to exist. Now that is a disaster that'd drag people out of their echo chambers kicking and screaming...

[Dahon]

Not anymore lol, it's not hard to find examples of Americans being openly happy or optimistic about such things nowadays. Shit it's not even hard to find people hoping for another economic crash so it fucks over the other side, or people being happy when a natural disaster strikes an area that voted for the other team etc etc.

Internet ceases to exist. Now that is a disaster that'd drag people out of their echo chambers kicking and screaming...

... this assumes the places people live aren't also echo chambers.

[Mystic Warriors]

I don't like to make predictions of specific events as we consistently see that society has a habit of giving rise to the most bizarre of scenarios on a whim that disrupt or block predictions, that's the only constant I can see. Stuff arises all the time that is novel or just plain weird, and that feeds into societal shifts. Another major war with another nation in the works? Possible. Even national disasters of unprecedented scale can also have the effect of drawing people together.

Not anymore lol, it's not hard to find examples of Americans being openly happy or optimistic about such things nowadays. Shit it's not even hard to find people hoping for another economic crash so it fucks over the other side, or people being happy when a natural disaster strikes an area that voted for the other team etc etc.

True. I saw conservatives laughing over the volcano in Hawaii and liberals jumping for joy over the current hurricane. Whatever fucks the other side gets praise now. This is mainly because of they feel that unless the other fails they wont get power back.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Internet ceases to exist. Now that is a disaster that'd drag people out of their echo chambers kicking and screaming...

... this assumes the places people live aren't also echo chambers.

This is a very real thing. Idk if it's true for right wingers but I'm pretty certain there's stuff out there to show that liberals have increasingly self segregated to relatively small areas of the country.

[Mystic Warriors]

... this assumes the places people live aren't also echo chambers.

This is a very real thing. Idk if it's true for right wingers but I'm pretty certain there's stuff out there to show that liberals have increasingly self segregated to relatively small areas of the country.

Look at the US south.

[Skaldia]

This is a very real thing. Idk if it's true for right wingers but I'm pretty certain there's stuff out there to show that liberals have increasingly self segregated to relatively small areas of the country.

Look at the US south.

The South has some liberal strongholds as well. Conservatism can be found quite a bit in rural areas throughout the entire country. Liberals tend to cluster in urban zones.

[The New California Republic]

... this assumes the places people live aren't also echo chambers.

This is a very real thing. Idk if it's true for right wingers but I'm pretty certain there's stuff out there to show that liberals have increasingly self segregated to relatively small areas of the country.

Sure, but I think the online echo chambers are feeding the polarisation more than any real life echo chambers are.

[Washington Resistance Army]

This is a very real thing. Idk if it's true for right wingers but I'm pretty certain there's stuff out there to show that liberals have increasingly self segregated to relatively small areas of the country.

Look at the US south.

It's not even just the south. The entire country is a sea of red with some liberal clusters spread out.

[Skaldia]

Look at the US south.

It's not even just the south. The entire country is a sea of red with some liberal clusters spread out.

As I said above: urban zones predominately liberal.
Rural: conservative.

[Mystic Warriors]

Look at the US south.

The South has some liberal strongholds as well. Conservatism can be found quite a bit in rural areas throughout the entire country. Liberals tend to cluster in urban zones.

I disagree. I am in a rural area and its mostly liberal.

[Skaldia]

The South has some liberal strongholds as well. Conservatism can be found quite a bit in rural areas throughout the entire country. Liberals tend to cluster in urban zones.

I disagree. I am in a rural area and its mostly liberal.

I'm not saying ALL rural areas are conservative. I'm saying the vast majority of them are. And vice versa for urban zones.

[Mystic Warriors]

Look at the US south.

It's not even just the south. The entire country is a sea of red with some liberal clusters spread out.

Look at the population of those areas. By that map Trump should have won NY instead of losing it by 22 points.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

Things are going down hill with both sides getting more extreme and calling each other names.

If you lean left according to the right you are an SJW Communist. You lean right according to the left you are a Racist Neo Nazi.

But America can still stand this. It's an amazing country with beautiful ideals. Those ideals will be stood by no mater what.

It just needs more centrists to tell the extremists to chill out.