>>514178555
America’s decline isn’t about losing “coolness” - it’s about capitalism’s inherent contradictions finally catching up after decades of exploitation.

The post-WWII “golden age” was built on: destroyed global competition, strong unions (won through struggle), and New Deal social programs. But capital always seeks maximum profit, so:

Deindustrialization: Moving production to China wasn’t inevitable - it was capitalists chasing cheaper labor and higher profits. This gutted working-class communities while enriching shareholders.

Financialization: As manufacturing profits declined, capital shifted to Wall Street speculation. The 2008 crash was capitalism working as designed - privatize gains, socialize losses.

Imperial overstretch: Endless wars (accelerated post-9/11) drain resources that could fund healthcare, education, infrastructure. The military-industrial complex profits while society crumbles.

Class warfare: Since the 1970s, real wages stagnated while productivity soared. All gains went to the top 1%. Union-busting, deregulation, and tax cuts for the rich weren’t accidents.

The “American Dream” was always limited - built on stolen Indigenous land, slave labor, and imperial exploitation. What’s changed is that these contradictions now affect white middle-class Americans too.

Other nations seem “cooler” because they maintained stronger social programs and worker protections. America’s decay is capitalism working exactly as intended: maximum profit for the few, austerity for the many.

The solution isn’t nostalgia for an imagined past, but building worker power to challenge capitalist control entirely.