Dennis Prager often trades with Joe Soucheray as my 2nd favorite talk show host. He is incredibly intelligent, goes way further into the rabbit hole than the superficial skimming Sean Hannity does, and crafts his shows meticulously.
He is also incredibly dangerous.
The reason I say Dennis is incredibly dangerous is because he (albeit unintentionally) conveys hope to people where there is none. Specifically when he references his book "Still the Best Hope - Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph" during his show where he is typically suggesting people still have hope for America, invest in America, and believe in America. And while this is nice and what many of us would like to believe, it unfortunately just isn't true.
America and to a larger extent, Western Civilization, has seen it's zenith and is now barreling its way down to 2nd and 3rd world status. With government debt approaching 110% GDP, economic growth half of what it used to be, and with unfunded commitments and liabilities running at 10x's our annual economic production, it is economically and mathematically impossible for this debt-ridden sloth of a country to ever achieve, let alone deliver on whatever hopes Mr. Prager claims it has the potential for.
But the real reason there is no hope in America is not so much its already-handicapped economy; it's what has always determined whether a country is great or pathetic - it's people.
In nearly every aspect of the country you see a decay in the quality and caliber of the people that make up the US.
A younger generation so steeped in leftist indoctrination they voted in a guy who has done nothing more than mortgage their futures. These same kids also naively believe majoring in philosophy or Hate-White-Male-Studies is going to land them a job. And they're so unforgivably ignorant in terms of economics NONE of them are capable of supporting themselves financially, let alone know the basics of public finance (oh, and BTW, this is the generation Prager is pinning his hopes on to "save" the country).
The youth are not the only culprits. Gen X, now thoroughly in what could be considered "parenting age" are failing miserably at that. With divorce rates no different than their parents' generation, we are ensuring the young are dropped off in daycare, raised by the state, alienated from their parents, and are even going to be more inept and incompetent than the adult children that populate our colleges today. But at least Gen X women are empowered.
Of course, who can forget the parasite generation known as the baby boomers? Not only are they parasitical in terms of the resources they will consume via social security and medicare, but the also in their absolute abysmal failure to lead the country. Be it the housing bubble, the government debt crisis, the education bubble, you name it, every major financial and economic problem we have today was done under the reign and leadership of baby boomers.
And hey, let's not forget the newcomers to this country. Why we'll let anybody in. Don't want to learn the language? Sure, come on in! Don't want to work for a living? Sure! Come on in! Want to leave your crappy country, but continue practicing your crappy traditions that made your country crappy in the first place, foolishly thinking just because you're located on a different part of the globe everything will be better? Come on in! And make sure to out-breed the productive members of society because you still haven't learned the concept of income per capita.
Naturally, the result has been predictable. As the quality of humans drops, so does the culture.
Miley Ray Syphilis is on the stage and not Doris Day.
"Black Box" and "Sex and the City" is on TV and not Hogan's Heroes.
"Figgityfoe and His Two Bitch Ho" album outsells Duke Ellington.
And any inferior culture is deemed superior to American Culture simply because it is not American.
Success is failure.
Beauty is ugly.
Excellence is criminal.
Now, are you going to tell me, with all of the decay, all of the corruption, all of the idiots, and all of the just plain evil, you're going to invest in this kind of country?
While Dennis' intention is absolutely noble, honorable, and well-intentioned, unfortunately anybody who follows his advice and decides to tie their anchor to America is going to ruin their one and finite lives. And thus nearly every channel of investing in America is pointless.
Want an education in the US? You're nuts. 50% of your tuition money goes to unnecessary pre-req classes to keep worthless professors employed. And what classes remain will still have a leftist slant berating you for daring to be white, male, or aspiring to succeed. That's when they're not too busy shoving bogus sexual assault statistics down your throat and accusing you of whatever variant of privilege you're unaware you have. And the final parting gift is a crippling level of debt sure to ruin the rest of your life.
Want a career in the US? You're foolish. There are no jobs here, and there CERTAINLY is not the economic growth needed to provide something as unicorny and mythical as a "career." And heaven help you if you dared to exercise your freedom of speech in the past, as your employer (now thoroughly corrupted into totalitarian leftist thought) will fire you with impunity.
Want a family in the US? You are insane, especially if you're a man. The women are spoiled, entitled, obese and divorce-prone. The schools are there to separate you from your children. And if you have the intellectual temerity and honor that most Pragerites have, you will likely raise your child with a decent work ethic, which will only serve to make them hosts for the parasites of lesser parents they will suffer and serve under.
Want a house in the US? Too bad, you can't own a house. OH sure, they'll say it's yours and give you a deed. But in the end all you've managed to do was buy a perpetuity liability where you promise to pay (ever increasing) property taxes to the state.
And all of this under an ever-increasing public debt, declining economic growth, and increasing hostility towards conservatives, libertarians, and otherwise noble and successful people.
No, for anybody with an ounce of temerity or a desire to enjoy a happy and successful life, you'd be wise to ignore Prager's advice and look for greener pastures. Not that he's a bad man, he's just a man from a bygone era hopelessly in love with an idea that is no longer tenable for younger generations.
Enjoy the decline.
Prager is also one of my favorite people to listen to on the radio. I've got to keep it to the portions of the show that aren't about politics or America, because like you said, he doesn't see the writting on the wall. It seems difficult for anyone in his generation to see what's become of this country.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Hogan's Heroes, you can watch every episode on YouTube, i was just watching some today!
ReplyDeleteAnd regarding radio hosts, what's your opinion on El Rushbo?
Aaron I'm an admirer of much of your work, but this kind of negativity is poisonous both to you and your audience. Yes, we may be in a decline as you wrote in your book but look at the rest of the world! People still want to come here to live and work, and there are still opportunities in the us unlike any other place.
ReplyDeleteAs a millenial, I would like to see you focus more on how to "hack" the american dream. You've alluded to this in your video about becoming an entrepeneur, and in your book Worthless where you said going into the military and trades was a far cheaper and more profitable option than the standard college-career track. This is the kind of guidance the younger folks need from older more experienced men like you, not just doom and gloom nonsense.
Look, there's a reason I follow the "manosphere", we both agree the women are fucked up, the culture sucks, and we both refuse to feel any shame for our background and history, you don't have to preach to the converted about these things anymore. How about in the future focusing more on stories of young men (or older men) who are happily enjoying the decline, or if they're ambitious, found success by either following your advice or going their own way.
I would have guessed you'd be a Jason Lewis fan. What do you think of America's Mr. Right?
ReplyDeleteNaz, you know what's worse than my "negativity?" It's people who mistake realism for negativity.
ReplyDeleteYou go put down roots in this poisoned soil. Ain't nobody stopping you.
Cheer up captain with luck it'll a blow up and reshuffle the deck.....
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the revolution will be peaceful....
Captain,
ReplyDeletedo you think it would be feasible (legally, I mean) to buy an area of land outright from a government, and live there in an enclave exempt from the laws of the surrounding nation?
As a member of the older, hubris laden, parasitic boomer generation, (nobody hates them more than I do), I keep forgetting how utterly soul suffocating it is out there for younger people. As an alpha nerd I’ve been relatively protected from the collapse of middle class but I see it all around me and I completely agree with your long term forecasts. Smart young people today should be looking to bail on the US, or follow your advice and “Enjoy the Decline.” My own adult children are now suffering the Obama recovery. They have done one thing right; they didn’t take on student debt. It’s marginally better to be unemployed without debt than unemployed with debt but the sad truth remains the only winners today are connected cronies or welfare parasites. The American dream was always more bullshit that reality but now it’s the sickest and blackest of humor. Don’t just enjoy the decline: hasten it, relish it, profit from it. Chaos is the headmaster of history and ignorant Boobus Americanus is due for some serious schooling.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. This country is done. The boomers are keeping the propaganda going so that the machine is in place long enough for them to die off!
ReplyDeletePrager is intelligent, but corrupt ... I think he actually lacks empathy. He lived during a good time and he's economically well off, so of course he's going to maintain the party line of there's hope.
I think its actually somewhat evil (willfully ignorant) to tell a young person to work hard or make something of themselves in America today following the traditional path.
The average young person has about 40% of their paycheck go to student loans, Obamacare for boomers, SS and Medicare they will never see, welfare bums, and a corrupt pension system. Nevermind inflation.
I tell all young white I meet to drop out of society, get a trade, or get a job without a college degree.
I stopped listening to 'El Rushbo'by the late 90's since I recognized him for an establishment hack. Sure, he is truthful on some issues, but the fact he did not endorse Ron Paul first in 2012 tells you a lot about how worthless he is to this country.
ReplyDeleteNow, I do admire him for creating a niche for himself and making a living at it, but the man is co-opted by evil. He is every bit the hypocrite as the liberals he criticizes.
Cap,
ReplyDeleteWalk away for 24 hours and take another look at naz' comment (4/28 1:16 pm) - especially the second and third paragraph.
I think his thoughts are worth a second look.
OT
ReplyDeleteCapt:
You should check out the link given below. I did not agree with the video for the most part because I thought that the gal was speaking through the lens of feminism to make her case. The part about sexism/benevolent sexism etc was irritating at best. The comments section of the article is very good and many are speaking their minds.
http://www.infowars.com/how-feminism-betrayed-women/
I'd say more like 77.5% of college is there to waste your time and money.
ReplyDeleteOut of the 120 credit hours needed to graduate, only 27 of them were my field of study (accounting).
Cappy, hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me you're falling into the trap that usually snags lesser witers than yourself. Specifically, overgeneralization.
Sure, large percentages of our countrymen demonstrate the qualities you so eloquently deride. But there are individuals building good lives, good families in the midst of all this.
Now I must cut this letter short to go decide which of my three motorcycles to prep for an upcoming four-day ride in the mountains with good friends, while my super-achieving wife wishes me well, and takes care of the four our children still at home.
I agree that optimism in the American dream is misplaced. Personally I really hate conservatives who have a saccharine flavored optimism in America, such as the mentioned Sean Hannity. I think they give conservatives a bad name and make us just look... stupid. The best of conservative thought is always tainted with the tragic. Read Sowell, Burke, and the Federalist Papers. At the best, humanity can hope for coping by before the eschaton.
ReplyDeleteWell said Captain, well said.If you don't like all this "doom and gloom" stuff then sorry, the world isn't all puppy dogs and kittens. The truth is always ugly.
ReplyDeleteI think inspiring hope that the current situation in the U.S is reversible at this point is doing more harm than good.
ReplyDeleteHowever, young conservative men do need some motivation to continue living and find some way to derive meaning from life whilst standing on the deck of the Titanic as it were.
The ones that don't arm themselves with some resolution to make the best of things won't make it at all.
At one time I very badly wanted to become an American. Not anymore.
ReplyDeleteI'm now living in Germany and working for the automotive industry over here. I would have preferred the US, but with no jobs, I had to move to Germany in order to keep working.
While the rest of Europe is a basket case, the unemployment rate in Germany continues to go down. On the other hand, if you're a foreigner in this country and can't get a job, you get deported. No Human Rights commission, no protests from the lefties, no nothing; and this from a country that is largely left leaning.
Put down the razor blades. Yes, the situation looks beyond dire, but mere humanoids aren't the ones in charge. He is. And I believe there are more than 10 good people in the whole country.
ReplyDeleteNaz has a point somewhere in this. I mean, its hard to want to be an entrepreneur or go to the gym or even following minimalism lifestyle. All of that still takes work and work towards something that means some kind of world that allow it to exist.
ReplyDeleteWhile minimalism is a reaction to lack of better offers in our society, it is not actually the most minimal. The most minimal is staying home as long as possible with your parents (no cooking, no cleaning), huge usage of escapism (usually said as as video games, but any medium to distract and provide some substitute to trying to live), and getting fat.
To go beyond that level, it still mean some expectation of a society that allow some form of standing up. Even having a friend still mean some kind of root. Even "doing it just for yourself" still mean some level of expectation.
EXCELLENT
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely excellent post Captain.
Most people who live in the end times of a culture do not see the end coming. Most people lack long term vision and critical thinking skills, they see what they want and assume that THEIR world will never change. If that were true we will all be living in the modern day global Kingdom of Alexander the Great.
ReplyDeleteThis is a God Damn brilliant analysis of the current situation in America. You pulled no punches on this one.
ReplyDelete"know what's worse than my "negativity?" It's people who mistake realism for negativity."
ReplyDeleteHe's young, Cap. When he reaches our age he will have figured it out. Keep in mind, the millenials were brought up to be super positive. Not particularly realistic, but optimistic. Unrestrained optimism is part of thier upbringing.
Keep bringing the reality for the rest of us older guys who want a dose of it.
Dreamer, the end of society as we know it is not the same thing as the world imploding into a black hole. The captain actually sugar coated this and put a cherry on top, but as bad and inescapable as it is, it's not death's door. Once you let go of the fantasy being sold, accept that the constitution is an irreparable failure (because people can't be counted on to uphold it) and the whole global system is doomed to leftward singularity you can then build up your expectations and plan the adventures of your life. There are still things that can be done for yourself, for the people in your inner circle. The world is fucked, but you already have the tools handed to you by the wider manosphere to build a new world around yourself. Live in this world but don't be of this world and you won't mourn it's passing (no I'm not a Christian). The United States will fall but you will not counted as among the last Americans, you will be remembered as among the first Men of a new age. Enjoy the decline.
ReplyDeleteObviously some of my reasoning is based on religious views you don't share, but I respectfully disagree:
ReplyDeletehttp://alphaisassumed.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/mission-for-the-manosphere/
Hey Cappy,
ReplyDeleteI saw this and thought you might like it:
Shortest fairy tale ever
This is depressing.
ReplyDelete