« First « Previous Comments 220 - 234 of 234 Search these comments
There is also the notion that our economy has progressed to the point where wealth disparity is unlikely to lead to the kinds of social/political unrest it has in the past (French, Russian Revolutions, etc.), because for the most part, citizens' basic physical needs are still being met. A.k.a., the "bread and circuses" argument
I have a feeling that Sportsball is really on the decline, esp. with the younger generations.
AmericanKulak says
I have a feeling that Sportsball is really on the decline, esp. with the younger generations.
Too much to do. All you have is the the NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL and throw in Tennis and golf I guess? Everyone knows they aren't gonna make it statistically, so less interest. My kids are done with baseball. My oldest would rather play volleyball. Golf. The others are good with golf, track, soccer, etc.
Football is going away. Too much brain damage.
Sports tourism (softball, soccer, baseball and lacrosse tournaments) is becoming the rage in Panama City Beach, especially at the newly built Panama City Beach Sports Complex.
Its a tourism magnet from Tennessee and Georgia rich white suburbs as they come down for the sports tournament and then spend a few days on the beach after it.
The bottom 50% don’t own squat.
« First « Previous Comments 220 - 234 of 234 Search these comments
Some of the regulars here (myself included) view this as an alarming trend, with some disturbing implications, such as:
Some of our Patrick.net regulars appear to think this may be a symptom of an inevitable mega-trend that no amount of social engineering or tax redistribution can stop. Some even consider the emergence of a large, prosperous middle class as a historical aberration, that we are now in the process of "correcting". Peter P has often commented that, "no matter how you redistribute wealth, it always ends up in the same hands". And there may be validity to this view: consider the spectacular rise and fall of Communism in the Twentieth Century. There is also the notion that our economy has progressed to the point where wealth disparity is unlikely to lead to the kinds of social/political unrest it has in the past (French, Russian Revolutions, etc.), because for the most part, citizens' basic physical needs are still being met. A.k.a., the "bread and circuses" argument (see Maslow's hierarchy of needs).
The big questions for me are:
1) Is the decline of the middle class and bifurcation of the U.S. economy an inevitable result of macro-economic and historical forces beyond our ability to influence (such as global wage arbitrage and the transition from being an industrial power to a primarily service-based economy)?
2) Is it theoretically possible to reverse this trend through social/economic policies, and if so, how? Is Different Sean-style socialism the only way? (see "How does one regulate 'well'?")
3) If such reforms are theoretically possible, are they practically feasible? (i.e., is it realistic to assume political opposition from entrenched special interests can ever be overcome?)
Discuss, enjoy...
HARM