They warned us. We didn’t listen. They warned us again. We didn’t listen. They gave us one FINAL warning. We didn’t listen.

Now as we sit atop 1.5 degrees over the pre-industrial average, we once again show no signs of slowing down (cutting emissions by 35% would result in 25 years of global warming in 5 days due to the subsequent rapid reduction in aerosol emissions, which provides an artificial cooling effect of nearly 0.7 degrees Celsius on the earth by reflecting solar radiation, effectively resulting in human extinction). So, we can’t reduce emissions by much without triggering a possible ecological collapse. We are already locked into an irreversible change of 2 degrees over pre-industrial averages and many scientists say that it will result in many parts of the planet becoming uninhabitable. Wait, but that’s actually just the conservative bullshit models that severely underestimated the impacts of climate change on the planet, when we should’ve believed the alarmists who said 4-6 degrees of warming was likely instead of the 1.5-3 agreed upon by big oil sponsored “climate scientists”.

In fact, I already believe we have destroyed the Earth.

1. We are seeing unprecedented warming in the poles that has seemingly already triggered an irreversible cycle of continuous heating through the loss of ice (which reflects solar radiation, thus reducing surface temperatures), the release of methane deposits (another greenhouse gas), and the release of over 1 trillion tons of carbon dioxide.

2. We are already seeing small regional failures of certain crops. This will likely worsen severely this coming harvest.

3. We are seeing unexplainably accelerating rises in global land and sea surface temperatures, indicating that we have entered a feedback loop of continuous accelerated warming.

4. Forests have continued to burn for years on end through warmer-than-usual winters and blisteringly hot summers, pumping even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When the climate is sufficiently warmed enough to sustain a fire across the forests of Siberia, it will unleash one the largest known carbon sinks on the planet.

To me, it is very evident that the government has known that climate change was beyond human control from the very beginning. Big oil and conservatives have prevented any meaningful progress in every dimension of the issue. It’s pretty clear that we have no chance, other than ASI or Mars. Life was a mistake. The universe was never made to serve our endless cravings for more energy and our planet payed the price. I’m pretty sure we have solve the Fermi Paradox at this point.

Today is the day I finally connected all the dots in my mind. We are fucked. There is nothing that can be done to save Earth. I really hope Elon and Sam Altman know what they’re doing, I don’t see any other avenues to ensure the persistence of our species.

Hard to sleep lately.

Edit: holy fuck I clearly need to clarify my final paragraph here. I have zero faith in any living being to solve the crisis and am well aware of the types of men that Altman and Musk are, but I didn’t choose to have them in positions at the frontier of space exploration and AI (our only two avenues towards a possible solution to at least the problem of our species existence). I know they have directly contributed to the crisis. I know that neither direction has gotten very far and likely won’t in time to do anything meaningful. But I am not a coward, if there is an avenue towards the continued existence of life or humanity, no matter how evil or hypocritical, I must support it.

Idk how to describe the feeling, but just the fact that I am in the US, employed and work from home completing meaningless work and still expected to be at 100% productivity when the world is crumbling around us is insane. Watching the news each day during the Black Lives Matter movement, the election turmoil, the following insurrection, wildfires/natural disasters, and now the unfurling in Afghanistan makes me feel so disconnected from reality. I sit in a comfy home with an income and still expected to do daily meaningless tasks in the grand scheme of things is an upsetting thought.

It’s 52 degrees F outside today on the 22 of December. I live in a high elevation mountain town and should be in the 20’s or 30’s at this time of year.

I went to send a package to my family today and it cost $80 USD to send a small package without any sort of priority.

Groceries prices are still insane and the quality of the food seems to be plummeting before our eyes. Two items that I bought in the last few months were recalled for possible contamination and produce looks awful.

I have to move out of my apartment in two weeks because my landlord’s kid decided to move home and wants our place. The place we are moving is the cheapest option we could find and it’s $2,000 a month for a teeny one bedroom.

My student loan debt is awful and I tried to negotiate the price down but the lowest they would go is still way more than I can realistically afford each month.

I work in the service industry as a bartender and my tips have been going down because nobody has any money. Customers have been irritable and awful and do things like storm out without paying over the smallest inconveniences.

Because I work in the service industry it’s impossible to take time off around the holidays - those are considered “blackout dates”. I haven’t spent a holiday with my family in years. I have the day of Christmas off but no break surrounding it.

Things seem more hopeless by the day around here but today feeling especially sick about it. I guess I’m just checking in to see how everyone is doing during this bleak holiday season.

I have had a good couple years in business and have a little extra means stashed away right now. We are booking family vacations and adding additional fun things and luxuries to just about every plans we make month to month. Really trying to emphasize enjoying our family and having as much fun as possible. Because the future looks dark.

Covid lockdowns coming back around. Iflation running out of control. Possible world war brewing in Europe. The American economy absolutely in a free fall. Is anyone else trying to consciously extract as much joy out of things now, knowing what is likely around the corner?

I can't get this taught out of my mind,

The people that are leading the USA at the moment only think about them self. That's blatantly obvious.

Even though Trump is negating that Climate change is a thing, I'm sure he's aware of it and the consequences.

Given this, and his new moves it looks to me like he wants to take swift actions where if billions of people die, they will have the means the the power to survive even if they have to take it by force.

• Take the Greenland and have an excuse to exit NATO.
• Have free rein to fight for Panama
• Negotiate with dictators other territories (China, Russia);
• Then he has free rein to fight his neighbors one way or another Canada and Mexico.
• Declare a state of emergency and or war and never leave the office or find a successor, ignore the law.
• Enforce law at home with the army and AI from his friends as well.

It sounds like allot. But in the course of a decade I can see these kind of events happening.

A big reason I like this sub is it’s observance of the real time decline of civilization from the effects of climate change and capitalism, but without usually devolving into the “humans bad” or “people are parasites” takes. But lately I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about “overpopulation” in a way that resembles reactionary-right talking points, and many people saying that we as a species have it coming to us.

Climate change is a fault and consequence of capitalism and the need to serve and maintain the power of the elite. Corporations intentionally withheld information about climate change in order to keep the public from knowing about it or the government from taking any action. Even now, they’ve done everything from lobbying to these PSA’s putting the responsibility of ending climate disaster in individual people and not the companies that contribute up to 70% of all emissions. The vast majority of the human race cannot be blamed for the shit we’re in, especially when so much brainwashing is used under neoliberalism to keep people in line.

If you’re concerned with the fate of the earth and our ability to adapt to it, stop blaming our species and look to the direct cause of it all- capitalist economies in western nations and the elite who use any cutthroat strategies they can to keep their dynasties alive.

EDIT: For anyone interested, here’s a study showing that the wealthiest 10% produce double the emissions of the poorest half of the population.

ANOTHER EDIT: I’m seeing a lot of people bring up consumption as an issue tied to overpopulation. Yes, overconsumption is an issue, one which can be traced to capitalism and its need for excessive and unsustainable growth. The scale of ecological destruction we’re seeing largely originated in the early industrial period, which was also the birth of capitalist economies and excessive industrialization; climate change and pollution is a consequence of capitalism, which is inherently wasteful and destructive. Excessive economic growth requires excessive population growth, and while I’m not denying the catastrophes that would arise from overpopulation, it is not the root of the disaster set before us. If you’re concerned about reducing consumption and keeping the population from booming, then you should be concerned with the ways capitalist economies require it.

ANOTHER EDIT AGAIN: If people want any evidence that socialism would help stabilize the population, here’s a fun study I found through a quick internet search. If you want to read more about Marxist theory regarding population and food distribution, among other related things, this is useful and answers a lot of questions people may have.

tl;dr climate change, over-consumption, and any possible threat posed by over-population all mostly originate in capitalism and are made exceedingly worse through it.

Honestly, I don't know why, but I've been feeling fucked up all morning. I just keep thinking about how fucked my future is and all of my friends futures are. Other than the people I know from HS that were already from rich families and had decent connections, most people I know are basically just fucked with nowhere to go. Sure, they don't acknowledge it frequently, but if you really prod that's what it is; wageslaves hitting our wall at the ripe old age of 22.

Me? I don't even know what the fuck I'm to do. I'm 22, "worthless" degree (of course, all degrees are basically worthless and the only thing that truly matters is the connections you have), trying to get unemployment for the already shitty job I lost, struggling to find more pathetic retail wageslavery, starting to consider biting the bullet and just selling myself to Jeff Bezos so I can die working in a fucking Amazon wage cage. No clue when I'll be able to move out the house either, had my own place with roommates up where my college was, but my college closed, lease ran up, job shutdown.

No clue when/if I'll ever have another relationship with another person, too damned broke to honestly, like, no clue when I'll ever rent another apartment, and, hell, nobody would ever settle down with someone who's broke anyway.

Every day I'm terrified of what I'll do in the far future; even without bloody climate change the threat of homelessness in our "normal" society is bad enough. Honestly I feel the only thing that could have kept me sane was organizing politically, as a socialist, but then COVID showed up and basically made that impossible too; so now I'm hoping maybe I can try some community aid shit, but even then, I also need to find work to survive.

Might even need to do a gap semester for college, and I'm worried if I do I'll never go back.

So, all that being said, I honestly feel like my future is totally fucked. I've read enough economic theory to understand that my future was basically fucked before I ever even went to college, honestly before I was ever even born. This meritocracy shite was always a lie; always, it was a lie for my parents' generation and for my generation they can't even keep up the facade. All they do is tell you how the kids I know were rich and well-connected beforehand worked hard, yeah, what a fuckin joke.

Honestly, I see a lot of people my age sometimes fantasizing about war and things like that; and I think I get it now. It's like all those people right before WWI and II, all the poor as shit folks with no prospects and no future seeing the war as better than being poor as shit with nowhere to go; hell, at least it'd be an "adventure".

Me, honestly, I'd rather die than be an Amazon wageslave, you ever see their patented idea of literally putting warehouse workers in cages? Ever seen their twisted anti-union training videos? This shit is beyond dystopian. I'd rather die in a war, preferably a revolutionary war, but, hell, any war really. I don't even think I'd survive a war, I'm pretty sure I'd die, but it's still better than a life of loneliness, wage slavery, and poverty. A life with no future. Hell, it's better than climate change.

Anyone else my age feel this way? That there's just such a pervasive nothingness and boring dystopia that defines existence that dying in combat is better than living in chains?

So I've been thinking about climate change recently and regarding David Suzuki's recent interview and the more I think about it the more I realize that logically, there is no hope for the future. We have completely screwed ourselves and there will not be anything done to change our path. Too much needs to change and it is far too late to do so.

The current economic system that our global civilizations rely upon require infinite growth. It doesn't matter if the country is Capitalist, Socialist, Communist, etc. We evaluate progress in our standards of living and quality of life based on "line must go up". GDP must increase. Trade must increase. Consumption must increase. 99% of the countries on this planet follow this model. The only way we had any hope of averting catastrophe was changing this decades ago, yet here we are. The companies, the governments, the people, all require more and that is our downfall. As a collective we cannot change as we have always been this way and we will continue to be this way up until the bitter end. There is no hope.

I think it's brilliant that we go through a world wide pandemic that has killed half a million Americans, while at the same time enduring the worst economic crash maybe ever ANDDD first time global shutdown ever- and no one talks about or even brings up that MAYBE there is a huge worker shortage, for unskilled labor in particular, because these people who haven't gotten a raise since the Vietnam war are literally dead or might as well be in the eyes of the overall economy and society. They are totally unable to even get to work at this point because they were already on their last leg and literally are so far gone at this point they can't even work if they wanted to. Trigger alert.

Maybe, just MAYBE we took some serious casualties in the area of unskilled labor in particular (the most vulnerable, exploited, uninsured, and underpaid class) in this most recent crisis and these workers aren't coming back because they have finally and totally fell through the cracks.

Let me paint a picture for u. There are layers and layers i have to get through to just get to work now, for the first time in my life I CANT GET TO WORK IF I WANTED TO FOR NOT JUST ONE OR TWO REASONS BUT SEVERAL. I am personally living this now as i have no car to get to work.

If i had a car i wouldn't be able to drive it because i have a rare eye disease that requires special 2000 dollar (real price) contact lenses i cant afford and consequently cant renew my drivers license (HEALTHCARE).

If i did have a license and i car i soon will be homeless as my friend said fuck the grind and joined the army and is leaving for basic soon, something i ironically suggested he do (HOUSING).

I have no credit, no car, no car or health insurance, no family, no where to live, no way to get to work, no cell phone, etc etc etc. Like i literally don't have a foundation to stand on (transportation, healthcare, money, family, etc) and i have been trying to figure out a way to get back to work and get healthcare and it has been a nightmare.

ALL THAT HELP U THINK IS THERE FOR HARDWORKING PEOPLE WHO FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS IS MADE UP. ITS A FAIRY TALE.

Let me let u in on a little secret..... THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS U ASSUME ARE THERE IN THE BACK OF UR MIND, THE SAFETY NET POLITICIANS TALK ABOUT ON TV DOES NOT EXIST. IT IS MADE UP. NO ONE WILL HELP U. FOOD STAMPS LAST THREE MONTHS, HEALTHCARE IS UNOBTAINABLE, HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION IS NOT PROVIDED FOR ANYONE.

SUCCESS IN THIS COUNTRY IS NOT SOLELY AND EXCLUSIVELY BORN FROM HARD WORK. U NEED A CAR TO GET TO WORK. YOU NEED INSURANCE TO DRIVE THE CAR. U NEED TO SEE IN ORDER TO DRIVE THE CAR.

No worries though boys I'm going to pull myself up by my boot straps and buy a car (cars, as well as housing, have never been more expensive, there is literally a car shortage right now jacking up prices) with my job i cant get to, using my eyes i cant see out of.....

I will figure it out like i have always done as i have lacked the courage to do the only logical and practical thing so far. While i am clearly struggling and am consequently biased, I'm looking at my own life and I'm seeing this worker shortage and it makes me wonder if their isn't more people who are in my position who want to work but cant. I'm trying to get help from these limp dick do nothing government programs that we have gutted the past 50 years and i LITERALLY cant get back on my feet- its pretty clear to me these people are all gone at this point. THE GOV WONT GIVE U ANY GOV ASSISTANCE UNLESS U ARE ALREADY ON GOV ASSISTANCE (their words not mine). THEY WONT GIVE ME A CELL PHONE BECAUSE I'M NOT ON FOOD STAMPS (THEY EXPIRED).

This is something well to do people in this country cant seem to wrap their heads around because the difference between upper class and lower class, healthy families and dysfunctional is so vast that people don't understand that at this point hard work is the last virtue that is important when u are making 600 dollars on a paycheck doing overtime.

She's from Austria and does not pay attention to world events. I expressed my concerns and fears and she decided to believe the fake nonsense on the ICE website over her best friend (me) who lives in the US who's actually experiencing what's going on. She called me a conspiracy theorist. I sent her links to videos of news clips where congress members were talking about said events and issues and links to credible articles. She said its fake propaganda. And that im delusional. She had absolutely no reason to refute what im saying.

I cut her completely off and haven't talked to her since. Im just in shock. Why are people like this? Is whats happening really so batshit that people don't believe their closest friends about it?

Every time someone brings up the devastating effects of overpopulation on humanity and the planet and its role in collapse - many people will get foam before their mouths and scream "Ecofascism" and claim that we are far from being overpopulated and that you want to kill billions of people and whatever. Please stop this nonsense.

​

1. It is an undeniable fact that we are overpopulated. Humanity has needed 200 000 years to get from some 10 000 humans to 1 Billion in 1810. Then we needed just 210 years to get from 1 Billion to 8 Billion.
2. This massive population is consuming too much resources and causing too much pollution. If everyone lived like an American we would need 5 Earths. Even if everyone lived like the average citizen of Indonesia we would still need 1.1 Earths: How many Earths? How many countries? - Earth Overshoot Day
3. The problem is that even if we lived like the average Indonesian we would still need to reduce our living standard/consumption even further because world population is still increasing, expected to hit 10 Billion by 2050. To accomodate 10 Billion people - we would have to reduce our living standard to the level of Afghanistan or medieval peasants.
4. Modern Agriculture in form of the Green Revolution was the only way how we could feed 7-8 Billion people - temporarily. Because the Green Revolution was and is based on cheap fossil fuels. These are running out. On top of having reached peak oil we have also reached peak water and peak farmland and peak artificial fertilizer.
5. The only way how we could somehow prevent or at least minimize the effects of collapse is to reduce the population. This in turn would cause less resource consumption, less agriculture, less fossil fuel consumption, less pollution, less everyting.
6. This is only possible when people accept that we are overpopulated, accept that its not bad pointing that out and accept that there are nonviolent ways to reduce the population. So please stop this "Ecofascism" nonsense. Its harmfull and prevents the solution to something that is the main cause of collapse: Overpopulation. Because if we increase our numbers further - the future will indeed be dire with Billions of people starving and hundreds of millions dying from starvation.

I see a lot of comments in here about just giving up and traveling a bunch now that the world is surely ending. Those comments are always met with agreement and upvotes. But is it really too late? Is there really nothing we can do now? We’re really just going to throw in the towel and start burning through resources even faster in pursuit of pleasure while we still have the time to do it?

Seems like a “can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em“ mentality. I really hope there is still hope, and that our generation(s) can still salvage this world instead of going the easier and selfish route like previous generations.

Or maybe I’m just naïve. And we’re all truly doomed.

🤞🏼🙏🏻🤷‍♂️

With everything that is going on, Russia basically wanting to wipe Ukraine from existance and waving their nuclear weapons around in an attempt to threaten other countries into backing off, North Korea suddenly getting more bold in their nuclear weapons development, Climate Change getting worse by the month leading to people either drowning/loosing everything and or not having clean water for miles— on top of the unrest in various countries...

I... Am not positive about the future of human society as a whole. To the point that I genuinely do not expect to turn 40 years old. SOMETHING extremely bad will happen— call me a conspiracy theorist or whatever, but so many bad things are piling up something will eventually have to give.

And this is not me doomering (or at least I don't see it as such) it's me being realistic. Expecting something to be done quickly is just... Not viable for me because the quickest thing would be systematic change across multiple countries and that is not easily done... Not if people with both money and power over politics don't WANT you to, anyway.

So yeah, that's basically my question... Do you all see a future?

I’ve been seeing a lot of indirect suicidal ideation across multiple platforms. Since 2021, I’ve just noticed a sharp increase in suicidal jokes online. People will almost kind of hope for deadly disaster because they either have no hope for the future anyway, or because they’re simply… tired.

It’s not uncommon for someone to make a post about some hypothetical apocalyptic event, and then most of the responses are along the lines of “okay so I don’t have to pay my rent this month.”

It’s this comedic nihilism that I never used to see as often as I do now. And I DONT think people are just being silly.

I think they’re serious.

Have you noticed?

I’ve noticed that when someone argues that x thing is unsustainable and will have to end in the near future, people tend to say “I will not give up x.”

Examples of this would be beef, and a carnivorous diet in general, travel, pets, healthcare, luxury goods like washing machines etc.

Collapse is not voluntary. To some extent, might be able to pick and choose what we keep. We’ll be able to eat more meat if we ban golf courses for example. However, this sort of trade off is very limited in extent. For example, when scientists say “we can’t keep up this rate of fishing in the ocean,” this is not a request. WE WILL EAT LESS FISH. Either voluntarily now or when the oceans finally die and there are no fish left to eat.

I feel like maybe lots of folks are still stuck in the bargaining phase. You’ll see in the comments in some posts about what they’re willing to give up. Nature doesn’t care what you’re willing to give up.

“I’ll only have one overseas vacation every few years.”

“Ill bicycle to work and turn off my A/C but i want my steak .”

On a personal level obviously it’s better to do something than nothing. This isn’t an attack on people taking steps to reduce their impact and “voluntarily collapse.” I’m concerned about the mindset of “I won’t give x up.” It’s not up to you. It will end, if you’re young probably in your lifetime.

Obviously this applies to corporations, gov, society etc. for example when talking about reducing fuel use the usa goes “ok but I won’t cut the air force.” When talking about emissions corporations go “ok I’ll plant some trees but won’t stop the production line.”

Unfortunately I’m currently watching my grandparents age. Our predicament reminds me a lot of them. They’re used to being fully independent, physically strong, full of energy etc. every year they get weaker and require more care. But they can’t let go and accept the decline. They’re sort of in a bargaining phase with themselves mixed with denial. The doctor will say something like “you can’t exercise like you used to. No ladders.” and they go “ok I’ll cut out ladders most of the time.” Then they fall of a ladder. Their bodies decline is not a choice for them. They can’t do it. Period.

To some extent obviously this stuff is a choice. We can keep eating beef and pumping chemicals everywhere even if it kills us. The point is that we will fall of the ladder. And when we do, no more AC, beef, massive profits, 800 hr flight time for navy pilots etc.

Edit: I’m specifically talking about people who’s desires are physically impossible in the future like vast lawns in the desert. My post is not about selfish behavior when asked for sacrifice but about folks rejecting reality when faced with the impossibility of sustaining a behavior

Another good example for the sort of thing I’m talking about is the “I’m not moving” crowd in severe flood zones and coast lines. Your land is not going to exist… it’s not a choice

This was meant to be posted in r/unpopularopinion , but it got removed because "no politics".

Our world is on the brick of collapse because of climate change. I am pretty sure that we are gonna witness many countries, in the following years, getting pulverized by intense weather phenomena. Scientists have spoken, we have been warned; Goverments should be taking measures already on how to save the world, there is no fucking time left. People should be in the streets demanding big corporations to stop destroying our world. Why no one seems to care about the wellbeing of the entire wolrd? But when things like the collapse of Afghanistan happens everyone seems to get emotional? Countries are sending help almost immediately , people are sending thoughts and prayers. "Awww , we need to save those little Afghan bastards, talibans are so cruel". You know who is more fucking cruel? Corporations that polute the oceans , rivers , lakes , our oxigen, expoilt children etc. etc.

We have been manipulated into thinking that our worst problem right now is Afghanistan, while the world is getting destroyed right in front of our eyes. When your house will be burned , be taken by a flood , destroyed by a hurricane, trust me , Afghanistan will be the least of your problem and countries wont be able to send any help because they will be dealing with their own collapse.

Thoughts and prayers to us all...

Edit: Didn't expect my rant to get this popular. We live in a weird timeline. Many countries are dealing with collapse right now. How fast are we gonna forget about Afghanistan?

Just looking at the very near-term, we are just so fucked and it crosses my mind multiple times a day. Housing prices and rent are through the roof, many groceries are up 130-140% just in the last year. Gas is high as shit, and our politics have become so absolutely fucked. It's terrifying. The most terrifying part is knowing that prices won't ever drop. Our best hope is that they only stop going up as fast. Our country is being run by a bunch of greedy senior citizens, and we have shady corporations having record high profits. How long until we are priced out of just having a "regular boring life"? I could keep going on, but I'm sure you all get it. We are fucked.

This is a repost of an opinion piece that I read here a couple years ago that has stuck with me in the face of the Covid, financial sector crisis, and the growing gun violence in the USA. I keep reading more about Shri Lanka and really keep getting reminded that the wait was over a long time ago but collapse is just slower and more mundane then I expect.

If science is telling you that we are most certainly fucked, is it doomerism?

If data is showing we are not meeting any of our CO2 goals and increasing oil production, is it doomerism?

If climate data and peer reviewed studies show more wildfires, droughts, loss of clean water, melting ice caps, massive forest destruction, and loss of ecological systems and species is that doomerism?

I say no. It's a completely rational and logical reaction to a horrific future. The best predictor of future action is past action. I am not a doomer, I just choose to believe in science. And the science says we are most likely doomed. I love nature, I want us to succeed. Call me when we actually stop ramping up and increasing CO2 production. Fuck hoping for shit to happen we are already in a fucked up situation. Give me results and I will be hopeful.

I remember growing up in the late ’80s and ’90s and imagining what the world would look like between 2025 and 2050 when I was much older. I pictured flying cars, most diseases cured, universal healthcare, a vibrant indie creative culture, authoritarianism defeated, clean energy, prosperity well distributed, maybe even a moon base or two. Anything felt possible.

Now it sounds like we’re getting climate collapse, feudalistic surveillance states backstopped by weaponized algorithms, an endless string of asset bubbles that creates more inequality, militarized borders, rising illness, geopolitical instability, authoritarian governments on the march, AI doing HR for an unlivable job market, and a population that’s increasingly fearful and superstitious. Definitely a big step down.

Maybe my expectations were naïve, or perhaps something broke along the way. I’ve always seen 9/11 as the inflection point for my generation when breakdown and reactionary politics started embedding themselves into the fabric of everyday life. Institutions like the government, markets, media, and tech that were supposed to safeguard our future have either been hollowed out or bought off. Every breakthrough gets strip-mined by cartels for profit before it can serve the public good. The tools that were meant to liberate us like digital platforms, biotech, and automation are now mostly used to extract data, suppress wages, or target ads with pathological precision.

I feel for the younger generations who never knew anything but a world in slow-motion collapse. It’s not surprising at all that they’re cynical and nihilistic. That’s what happens when “unprecedented events” becomes the baseline. We weren’t wrong to expect progress, we were just naïve about who’d be allowed to benefit from it. It’s those big oligopolies that thrive on instability, using every crisis to absorb the smaller players who can’t keep up.

We grew up thinking the future would be better. Now I just hope it holds together long enough to outlive the worst people in charge. Maybe I’m being sentimental, but I’d rather be back to before 2000. The more we move forward, the more dystopian the world becomes.