He could have called it a schism. Or share. Or even a great division or split. They might even break through if the rift is so wide. Instead, he went into the abyss, which is a bottomless pit. Divides and chasms can be bridged. An abyss is something that cannot be repaired; you just fall into it.
Words matter, and when the words come from a former president who is known to measure his words, they matter even more. A warning a few weeks ago from Jimmy Carter, 97, that “our great nation now teeters on the brink of an ever-widening abyss,” should send fear through America, as will President Biden’s “dagger to the throat of American democracy” address that followed.
Instead, it’s business as usual.
America is still caught up in heated debates about Covid cases, vaccines and boosters, abortion, the Russia-Ukraine war, Elon Musk’s Twitter bid, Britney Spears’ conservatism, etc.
This does not sound like a country falling apart at the seams or collapsing in on itself.
It’s hard to imagine the “End of America” alarms. After all, this is a land forged of steel and skyscrapers (though it’s caught on both fronts), to say nothing of interlocking interstates and strip malls dotted with McDonalds and Burger King, Starbucks and Subway, WalMart and Home Depot. From sea to shining sea, beautiful America was one nation, indivisible. Will Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, the three most conservative interior states, now build a wall to keep out coastal Washington and Oregon, the two most liberal states?
It’s hard to put your finger on when empires and states crumble despite all the talk of a “tipping point in history.” Collapsed states persist and permanent states fail. No one saw the collapse of the former Soviet Union or Yugoslavia until the time it began to happen in the late 1980s. Only in retrospect can a rough tipping point be determined.
The “Fragile States Index” published by US think tanks since 2005 lists Yemen, Somalia and Syria as the world’s top three most fragile states in 2021, a decision based on 12 factors including security threats, economic implosion, human rights abuses and refugee flows. Pakistan ranks 29th on the list, India 66th and China 95th. The United States is ranked 143 out of 179 countries. The Nordic/Scandinavian countries, along with Australia, Canada and New Zealand in the bottom ten of the table, are considered the most stable.
Those three largest fragile states, which were among the most vulnerable states in the past decade, hung grimly. India, which was ranked 109th in 2007, has been steadily increasing, which means that it has become less stable and more vulnerable in the calculus of stability. China, which was ranked 62nd in 2007, has moved DOWN the list, meaning it is considered more stable. Pakistan, which was ranked 12th in 2007, also dropped to 29th in 2021, and the authors of the index reckon that it has become more stable.
But what about the United States, long considered a pillar of stability? Ranking 158/159 between 2007 and 2017, it has since fallen nearly 15 spots to rank 143 in 2021, with much of the decline coming during the Trump years. More strikingly, the US recorded the largest year-over-year deterioration in its overall score in the 2021 Failed States Index — a 6.3-point increase in fragility from 2020. The US is followed by Armenia (+5.6), Spain (+4.4 ), and Ethiopia (+4.4), all ravaged by ethnic conflicts.
In other words, the US is seeing the greatest momentum toward instability of any country in the world. Here’s what the report’s authors noted about the U.S. decline: “Over the past year, the U.S. has experienced the largest protests in the country’s history in response to police violence that has often been met with heavy-handed state backlash amid continued efforts to delegitimize the electoral process , which escalated violently in early 2021. Despite the country’s abundant material wealth and advanced health care system, political polarization, lack of social cohesion, congressional gridlock, and misinformation contributed to a failed response that left over 350,000 dead by year’s end and a faster decline in GDP than any time in the past 60 years.”
The conventional wisdom is that fragile states collapse when there are food and fuel shortages, as seen in Sri Lanka. No such shortages are in sight in the United States, despite supply chain problems caused by the pandemic. Instead, one sees the lack of political consensus, which held the country together for so long. And there is no indication that the situation will improve anytime soon, if at all. If anything, things are getting worse with Donald Trump calling for a revolt at the FBI and his supporters warning that there will be riots in the streets if he is prosecuted over the classified documents issue.
The United States of Abyss is not amazing.
The views expressed above are those of the authors.
What should I watch after making Abyss season 1?
Since MADE IN ABYSS: Dawn of the Journey (Tabidachi no Yoake) and MADE IN ABYSS: Wandering Twilight (Hourou Suru Tasogare) are compilation movies, you can watch MADE IN ABYSS Season 1 or just two movies before moving on to MADE IN ABYSS : Dawn of the Deep Soul (Fukaki Tamashii no Reimei), sequel. To see also : When could Invincible season 2 be released on Amazon Prime Video?.
What is the correct order to watch Made in Abyss? In this section, we’ll bring you a review of Made in Abyss in proper release order: Made in Abyss Season 1 (Anime, 2017) Made in Abyss: Journey’s Dawn (Recap Movie, 2019) Made in Abyss: The Wandering Twilight (Recap Movie , 2019)
Where do I continue to make the abyss after anime?
If the series intrigued you, you might want to check it out after the anime in Chapter 26 of the Made in Abyss manga. While the first two Made in Abyss movies are recaps, the latest Made in Abyss Movie 3: Dawn of the Deep Soul adapts more of the manga. This means you will now have to pick it up in Chapter 38.
Will there be a season 2 for abyss?
Made in Abyss season 2 is now already in the second half of its latest season, so fans are excited to know when the 10th episode will be released on anime streaming platform HiDiva. Read also : The Boys’ Season 3 Season 3 is coming to Prime Video tonight. Although it took a while to pick up the original 2017 season, the show continues to impress with its upbeat nature.
How do I get Hagrid’s gift?
How does the Haedrigs gift work? Haedrig’s Gift is a three-part reward system that rewards the player with a complete set of classes for their hero. This system was added in patch 2. See the article : Netflix Top 10: ‘4 Strange Things’ Becomes Second Forever to Cross 1 Billion Hours.4 and introduced in season five and every season thereafter. Haedrig has been watching you and as a tribute to your actions, he has sent you a gift.
How do I get seasonal rewards Diablo 3?
How to Download Diablo 3 Season Rewards on PC. PC players should see a small mail icon in the lower left corner after completing each chapter. Click this button to claim your Diablo 3 Season Reward.
What are Haedrig’s gift for Season 25?
Diablo 3 Season 25 Haedrigs Gift Sets
- Crusader – Thorns of the Invoker.
- Demon Hunter – The Shadow’s Mantle.
- Monk – Monkey King’s Garb.
- Necromantica – Grace of Inarius.
- Witch Doctor â Jade reaper outfit.
- Wizard of Firebird’s Finery.
Can I skip the first two Made in Abyss movies?
If you watched the first season of Made in Abyss from start to finish, you don’t need to watch the first two movies. The first two films, Made in Abyss: Journey’s Dawn and Made in Abyss: Wandering Twilight, are simply compilations of events from the first season.
What order do I watch the Made in Abyss series?
Here is the command for it.
- Made in Abyss Movie 1: Journey’s Dawn.
- Made in Abyss Movie 2: Wandering Twilight.
- Made in Abyss Movie 3: Dawn of the Deep Soul.
- Made in Abyss: Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou (upcoming)
Does the Made in Abyss movie take place after the anime? It’s only natural that after all that you need more! If the series intrigued you, you might want to check it out after the anime in Chapter 26 of the Made in Abyss manga. While the first two Made in Abyss movies are recaps, the latest Made in Abyss Movie 3: Dawn of the Deep Soul adapts more of the manga.
