George Cooper2 said:To answer the bolded parts: I'm from Des Moines, so I know exactly what the social climate is like.
Nowadays, most people in America are working for $300 a month and they're happy just to have a paycheck. My forecast, based on actual economic indicators and demographic shifts, is that rural towns will completely dry up. America will essentially become enclaves around a few major cities, with the most vital corridor being between Des Moines and Chicago.
The US is turning into a land of cheap labor because, through privatization, it sold off and gutted its entire manufacturing base. In countries like this, capital flight is a regular occurrence whenever there's a global crisis. It's highly likely we'll need to import labor in a decade, but it will be cheap, unskilled labor. It won't be young, educated people.
Drug dealers have a highly developed business and entire networks in America. They've become role models for the youth. Recently, I was at a club and witnessed a couple of drug dealers walk in with their "entourage" and sponsors, causing a literal eruption of excitement in the room. They don't command that kind of respect in society, not even close to professors or doctors. Drugs are everywhere, as are the addicts, and our cities are right at the top of that list.
http://www.nytimes.com/news/us/amsterdam-style-trends
We’re seeing prostitution evolve from street corners and clubs into this "high-class" tier—including those social media influencers acting as sugar babies, which has basically become the default blueprint for how young women carry themselves today.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/culture-festivals-vs-modern-times
What we are actually looking at is a deeply ingrained cultural pattern. It is incredibly stubborn, and honestly, there isn't a single sign suggesting things might ever pivot back toward decency.
The nation's moral compass hasn't just drifted; it’s been completely destroyed.
Then there is the education system, which is arguably where the rot is most visible. Private colleges are popping up on every corner, churning out degrees overnight. Suddenly, anyone with a pulse can walk around with a diploma—something that was practically impossible just a decade ago.
Meanwhile, our state universities have gutted their own standards just to compete with the private sector; they can't afford to lose the revenue if non-subsidized students jump ship to the private institutions.
It has all devolved into a pursuit of profit and prestige titles. Real learning? Actual knowledge? Those aren't the priorities anymore, and frankly, nobody seems capable of regulating the madness.
We are witnessing a hyper-production of questionable PhDs. It’s a systematic devaluation of an educational framework that actually meant something back in the mid-2000s.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/social-impact-on-america.html
As for fertility rates, don't expect them to climb under these conditions, especially in a society facing such intense social devastation. We are seeing much smaller generations stepping onto the stage, which makes the fertility question absolutely critical if we want to slow down this decline. If birth rates stay where they are—which is the realistic expectation—the combination of shrinking younger cohorts will lead to nothing short of catastrophic results.
So, you went ahead and bolded my sentences—and all that other stuff too—and then claimed you were going to "give me an answer"... yet, honestly, the only thing you actually answered properly was where you're from...
You didn't actually address a single one of my questions—not even one!—instead, you just kept charging ahead with your own agenda... talking in circles about things I already know inside and out. Honestly...
You keep posting these pessimistic takes—which, let’s face it, are always the easiest ones to write—just so other users can chime in with a "yeah" or a "bravo" or "you're right" to validate their own hidden agendas... motives I honestly can't wrap my head around, though I've seen this pattern more times than I care to admit. And you frame everything using facts we’re already intimately familiar with—honestly, we know this stuff much better than you do! Like when you wrote that "America is turning into a nation of cheap labor because privatization essentially gutted and sold off all our manufacturing capacity"... Well, bravo! Just brilliant... absolutely riveting...
Just wanted to follow up regarding the college situation.
Even last year, we started seeing this massive surge in enrollment quotas at state universities because—thank God—more and more prospective students are finally waking up to how useless those private degrees from mommy and daddy's money can be.
It’s becoming common knowledge that landing a decent job is way harder with a private degree compared to a state one. Honestly, I don't think a single major Fortune 500 company in the States would even look twice at someone with a degree from a private college.
Take, for instance, the Wharton School—which is exactly where I’m aiming to enroll next year—they actually bumped their general track quota from 500 up to 540, yet the required entrance score dropped from 75 down to 55 simply because the exam was significantly tougher than last year's. It was all designed to ensure much stricter selection of the incoming students.
Personally, I’m not hoping for an easier exam (though, let's be real, it wouldn't hurt 🙂), but rather that people study harder so the overall results improve. Physics and math have been going pretty well for me lately, so I'm not too worried about my own chances... 😁
