Two thumbs up. I'm a Canadian transplant who's been very fortunate to have had parents who believed I traveling the world. I love the US and my friends here but yeah, this place is f***ed up.

The USA, like Portland, is bursting at the seams, with people trying to get in and get a some of the action.

"The corruption from the massive industries that control our government’s policies, and the fat complacency of the people to sit around and let it happen."

How well the Mystery Train to Milwaukie regime fits that description.

The Portland region is ripe with the kind of influence and policy making that would never be voter approved. Yet the voters keep electing those who perpetrate it.

One dytopian viewpoint is that the next Great Depression is only being delayed, but can't be avoided.

A deflationary stagnation is the ONLY solution, as fiat money collapses and central bankers are incapable of priming the pump, because they've debased the currency.

What follows is famine, lawlessness, and a breakdown of civil society on a global scale. Clearly, that wasn't the outcome of Japan's credit crisis, but their currency never became worthless.

Sadly, I assume the robber barons would still be better off, as many of their wordly possessions are paid for, and they have sufficient land to grow their own food. Between the massive government debt, the drought, and a bunch of petty thieves running our cities and financial markets, we're screwed. But that doesn't mean we can't have a few more months/years of fun!

dystopian.

I love it when you introduce me to thought-provoking blogs. Thanks, Jack.

Lots of gripes and hang ups and denial for sure. She is a beautiful thing nonetheless, this country, And provincialism/lack of geographic knowledge abound the world over, so I take issue with his statement that we are more ignorant than other peoples as a rule.

Excellent read and I agree with his statements.
What is sad is that we in the United States do tend to think we are better and better off than everyone else when we are not.

Having been out and about a time or two, I think ignorance is pretty well global.

Here in Amerika, we are subject to organized and intentional ignorance. The dumbing down of education is intentional. The destruction of manufacturing is intentional. The fear-based crisis/response events are intentional. The lowering of living standards is intentional.

The first step to solving a problem is to recognize the problem. Here in Amerika, nothing can be solved until we see that most of our big problems are manufactured from the hidden layers of control that we cannot see except from the shadow puppets that move about in what we call corporations and government.

There is no reason for any of those particular predictions to come true. This is still a great nation of opportunity, if you have the work ethic to pursue it. That's why so many people from around the world still seek residency here, legal or otherwise.

Interesting piece. Basically, it is very valuable to get outside of your zone as much as practicable in order to get perspective on it.

Get out of the house, your neighborhood, the city, the state, the country, etc. etc. Take time off of work. As much as resources will allow, which isn't easy for all of us.

America suffers from its geographic isolation. It is much easier for the average European to experience many nearby cultures and therefore get some perspective on their own. It's only worse out West.

Perhaps if Mark Manson spent more of his efforts trying to make positive changes he wouldn't come off as the entitled 'other' whom he assails with cliched generalities.

The comment in the blog about how people in other countries "can't believe we voted for George W. Bush" is stupid. It makes me question the validity of any of his observations and conclusions.

My thoughts exactly Taco Dave.

We spend a great deal of time in Canada at a vacation home we have here. The people we know here are pretty incredulous about Geo W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, and now Mitt Romney; so are our friends in England, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, and Switzerland.
Just sayin'...

People who were appalled by W who are not equally appalled by the sitting POTUS are biased or not paying attention.

Last time I was out of country, we met some Brits who were specifically incredulous that we had twice elected GW Bush. And not for show. Genuinely flummoxed.

Portland native, I've been in Australia and New Zealand lately and I find people not incredulous. They fall more in Manson's 2."few people think about us or care about us". And most that will delve into what they really feel about us don't hate us.

Reading the newspapers from that part of the world has much more international perspective than here.

That writer is ignorant. America has the highest standard of living for the most people ever.

Name one medical breakthrough in the past 50 years from outside America. Hell, Name any invention discovered in the past 50 years you use that wasn't invented in America.

No other country except maybe Germany does any R&D. they just copy us, saving them trillions and milenia of man hours, which is fine.

Has that idiot ever been to a slum? Has he ever put *$$$$* into a begging widow's hand? Has he seen the miles and miles of cardboard and aluminum shacks in this word? You think there are free schools for kids in Africa or many parts of south America? He should talk to the teenagers in Oregon who risk their lives to enter the America illegally and hope for a job cutting lawns so their family doesn't starve, himself being the only one physically capable of the journey.

Haha, people don't think about America? Every newspaper in the world reports on America events. Everyone in the world with any money put it in an American/western bank, and the DJIA is published every day everywhere.

This place is great because its people are hardworking and hold highly the values of human rights and property rights. There is much room for improvement; I just posted crtisicm of the water bureau earlier today. But to discount the achievements and prospects of America is patent ignorance.

He forgot to mention the hordes of people who believe that government can provide for their every need and whim

Having spent a fair amount of time living abroad, I have to agree with the majority of the sentiments expressed here. One major one that stuck out though was #8---"We're Status Obsessed and Seek Attention," as it relates to my experience in Portland.

When we moved here, I was immediately struck by the seeming cult of home-ownership and how one was at times judged by whether one was a "renter" or a "homeowner." When we told people we were renting (since we didn't know how long we wanted to stay and the market seemed overpriced) we were told we were stupid, and the lament, "Oh, you're a renter..." in our neighborhood common.

Compared to other countries, people here seem inordinately obsessed with their houses, how they look, and the message it sends to others. Mind you, I have nothing against homeowners, and the neighborhoods here filled with nice-looking houses is nice, but the American obsession with it all, just seems a little odd.

I've been saying almost everything he's wrote for years. And I didn't need to travel outside of the country to do so. :(

HEY EVERYBODY......Shut Up and Go To Work.