Ashes of American Flags

"The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission's website touts such stimulations as a national volunteer program and last June's somewhat overhyped military parade. There was a tacky light show on the sides of the Washington Monument. The White House YouTube has AI-generated videos recounting episodes in the War of Independence from the "first person" and a significantly less nauseous series of lectures produced in partnership with Hillsdale College."

"America continues to be a singular engine of material dynamism. The generation of wealth and new technologies is foremost an American phenomenon, as it has been for a century, give or take. The U.S. has a geographic situation that is the envy of the world: a continent-spanning territory, the largest population in the hemisphere, a still relatively homogenous culture (despite some pretty impressive efforts!), small, pliant neighbors, an embarrassment of natural resources."

"The direct consequences of our most recent quarter-century of foreign adventurism have mostly been other people's problems; we have been insulated from the worst of everything, thanks to the world's two largest oceans and the Federal Reserve. Even poor Americans enjoy a high standard of living. We will call this the American Enterprise Institute Theory of Things Actually Being Basically Fine-or, for the sake of brevity, the Why Are You Upset Theory."

The United States will mark 250 years in July with organized celebrations that include volunteer programs, a military parade, monument light shows, and historical videos. Material prosperity and technological innovation remain central strengths, driven by a large internal market, abundant natural resources, continental geography, and insulation provided by oceans and monetary policy. A pithy label for this condition is the 'Why Are You Upset Theory', implying circumstances are largely fine. Despite material advantages, public mood is deteriorating: a growing share of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track after a recent dip in negativity earlier this year.

Read at The American Conservative