[ennui2]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'w')hy you leave the Democrats out of it. When they were in complete control of the White House and Congress there was little to no difference in our foreign policies.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ennui2', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'w')hy you leave the Democrats out of it. When they were in complete control of the White House and Congress there was little to no difference in our foreign policies.

[careinke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ennui2', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'w')hy you leave the Democrats out of it. When they were in complete control of the White House and Congress there was little to no difference in our foreign policies.

[ennui2]

Yeah, if only we had voted in McCain, then we'd "bomb bomb, Iran" and all the WWIII dreams we read about here would have come true by now.

Nobody here has proper perspective when it comes to foreign policy. It's either absolute isolationism or the US is deemed a hawkish "empire". No middle-ground.

[Cog]

There is a proper middle ground of course. Invading other countries to bring them our version of democracy is a fool's errand. Alliances to keep the peace and to keep other countries from getting too ambitious is a perfectly acceptable use of force or the implication of the use of force. NATO is such an alliance that has kept the peace and kept a hot war from developing between the USA and Russia. No nuclear war happened which I consider a win.

Ejecting Saddam Hussein from Kuwait and not pursuing the invasion of Iraq in 1991 was a model of restraint by the USA. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was just outright retarded.

[DesuMaiden]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Rod_Cloutier', 'T')he company I work for announced major restructuring, and 1200 layoffs this week, because sales growth is only 7% instead of the target of 15%.

Most people don't understand that it is impossible for the economy to grow forever; furthermore 15% growth per year is increasingly unlikely.

The company argues and has shown 'proof' that growth over the last 30 years has averaged 15% per year. While this is impressive, it seems like a delusional fairy-tale to expect this to continue indefinitely.

It scares me to think- what will happen when the economy starts contracting at 1-2 % a year?

[Rod_Cloutier]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')As many ecologists have already noticed, even at 7 billion people, the Earth's ecosystems and life support systems are under serious strain. I doubt we can support 7 billion people, let alone 9 billion people, for much longer given how much damage we've inflicted to the planet's biosphere

[ennui2]

I await your doomer novel, PStarr. I mean, you seem to have an unquenchable thirst to share your apocalyptic visions, no matter how over-the-top the imagery. You really missed the boat on your profession.

[peripato]

Most people's attitude towards the idea of real existential disaster is:

"All my life I have not died therefore the chances of me dying in the future are nil."

- Wolf Richter

Unless it deals with shit that is completely bogus, like Zombie Apocalypses, Alien Invasions, or the Rapture. Then it's got their full attention...

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DesuMaiden', '
')Sadly, most people don't understand how powerful exponential growth is. Of course, if you understood how powerful exponential growth is, then you will also realize how powerful exponential decline is.

Humanity has been growing in population for the most part during most of its history. It was only during a few instances our population growth was reversed by serious natural catastrophes like mega-volcanic eruptions, famine and plague.

There is a statistic some peak oiler's and environmentalists say: if human population continued to grow at its current rate (of 1% per year), we will have a population of humans so large that every square meter of dry land area will have a human standing on it by 2600-2700 AD.

This proves how laughable the claim that "growth can continue forever" is.

[ennui2]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AdamB', 't')hat the claim being made today, was already disproven soon after Malthus said the same, and the same effects that disproved it, are still with us today.

[slackercruster]

OP...I concur.

https://danielteolijr.files.wordpress.c ... oli-jr.jpg

People may have some sort of inner uneasiness about their future, maybe that is why heroin / drugs are so big nowadays as a means to escape life.

[DesuMaiden]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ennui2', 'I') have a very low opinion of the average intelligence of humans, but youtube comments, or comments under news articles on controversial topics (like AGW), are the lowest of the low. Total knuckle-dragging trolls. So I would try to resist drawing conclusions from that alone.

When I was in Transition Training they explained how people's doom-awareness is not binary (red pill / blue pill) but rather a continuum. Dig a under people's denial and you'll find a large chunk, perhaps the vast majority of people, deep down, know we're screwed. They have constructed a denialist facade as a copying mechanism, sort of like how OJ has probably convinced himself he didn't kill Nicole to avoid the guilt/shame.

You'd think that if this were true, then it would be easier to maybe nudge people enough to reveal their true fears, but not necessarily. Those facades are on really tight.

[onlooker]

Yes, I would say many people are now aware something is very wrong with the entire makeup of the planet, our worldwide civilization and the path we are on. Having said that I think what Ennui said is spot on, people do NOT want to deal with it and try to push this suspicion or knowledge to the unconscious or back of their mind. They simply do not wish to think about or deal with this realization.

[DesuMaiden]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onlooker', 'Y')es, I would say many people are now aware something is very wrong with the entire makeup of the planet, our worldwide civilization and the path we are on. Having said that I think what Ennui said is spot on, people do NOT want to deal with it and try to push this suspicion or knowledge to the unconscious or back of their mind. They simply do not wish to think about or deal with this realization.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ennui2', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AdamB', 't')hat the claim being made today, was already disproven soon after Malthus said the same, and the same effects that disproved it, are still with us today.