Well if you want real depression spiral shit, just look at how much Cuba has accomplished as a tiny island nation under constant embargo from the US basically since day 1 post-revolution. Now imagine if that attitude had been extended and embraced by, well, the US, Canada… the entire world. Imagine if instead of giving into squealing hogs for 80 years humanity had united after the war and every place on earth worked together towards common goals of uplifting humanity.

Something that legitimately makes me sad, and it’s really hard to talk about without feeling sentimental, is seeing and hearing dreams and visions that Soviets had maybe 50 years ago. Their propaganda wasn’t about, I dunno, a Coke in every hand to wash down a burger in every land. It was about getting to space, working together across all nations, doing the things that could have been achieved after 1945 had only the United States rejected imperialism and embraced the Soviets.

One of the saddest and simultaneously most angering things I can imagine is being a kid born in Russia or Cuba in like 1970. Born into this world of positive dreams of the future where the US finally got over itself and joined everyone else. And you’re a young 20 something year old in early 1990s. The USSR is dismantled, the US and capitalism declare final victory over communism, and all your dreams and all the dreams of your nation go poof into nothing. The next several years are just a spiral… I can see why so many Russians took their own lives after that. Just utter destruction of humanity all to get that Coke in more hands. So pointless.

The world has squandered 30 years now in pure stagnation and waste. Arguably longer, but at least when the west had to compete with Soviets they did innovate more. Couldn’t let those backwater commies make the “good whites” look bad or whatever.

I do find it remarkable too how many people see the time period after the war until 1991 and then from 1991-today and think “oh, the last 30 years were good for the west!” Living standards getting progressively shittier, innovation into meaningful life-improving tech is crawling (the internet and techs from it are largely from the 1970s/80s and then innovations upon that basic computer technology). We don’t make new shit that we need. We just found ways to distract ourselves better from the suffering of those who create commodities for us or harvest the raw resources. If I were designing a pure dystopian future that breeds nihilism and apathy and a desire to feel anything at any cost, I can’t imagine a better end result than the US in 2024.

It’s incredibly depressing that any thoughts I once had in my 20s of seeing a better world in my life have now turned to “well, the best I can do is push things a small amount for future generations.” Not that that’s bad, but on a personal level, well, who doesn’t want to live the gay space communism dream…? In other ways though, it does sort of strengthen the resolve when you know it’s not happening in your lifetime. There’s nothing to lose in that way. It’s not like radical actions will prevent good things, your life is already doomed to meaninglessness under capitalism, so all you have to lose is a better future for your kids or other kids around the world. And if that’s what you truly do want, and not purely for selfish desires, well, in a way you’re already unshackled.

Not sure how I got off on that, but, whatever. Clicking post anyway