Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of the United States?

[Sympthsical]

51. We're not. This is nonsense internet panic.

But it is the internet, so people need to ramp up that drama.

We just read someone saying we can only manage right-wingers by shooting them in the head. And that post is still sitting there.

The country has been through far worse and survived just fine. We'll weather this too, even if it's unpleasant.

People, especially on the internet, suffer from recentism. "Now is the worst time ever!" It's not. More difficult than usual? Absolutely. Look at 1918-20. They had a pandemic that killed far, far more people, a World War, and a President who stroked out to the point that his wife was more or less running the country.

Herd panic is made worse by social media and bubble communities. It only takes a few to bring everyone with them.

Things don't get better until people resist the impulse.