While American bravado and propaganda are remarkable, the truth is that the US empire and the republic are imploding. Here is a long thread🧵on the profound systemic problems:
1. Crumbling Infrastructure & Decaying Towns
Bridges, dams, railways, highways, metro... much of it is decades old and crumbling.
And the decay has spread like cancer. Thousands of towns -- once flourishing, like Gary, Indiana -- across the US have turned into depressing ghost towns. No jobs, no people, no hospitals, no schools, and sometimes not even a grocery store -- this is the reality in many towns in middle America.
Below are two shocking videos:
Dying towns all across the US -- from Ohio to Arkansas, Oregon to West Virginia...
2. Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Death of Despair
Thanks to de-industrialization of America and predatory financial capitalism, bottom 50% of the US are stuck with low-wage jobs and poverty. They have barely $1,000 in savings.
Homelessness is at a record level in 2023; and drug addiction has been on the rise for two decades.
Suicide rate in USA = 3x China.
Every year, whopping 100,000+ Americans are dying from drug overdose. That's twice the number of deaths during entire Vietnam War.
Some sociologists call this unique American phenomenon the “deaths of despair.”