Americans were Pragmatic

Note that this is expressed in the past tense - Americans were pragmatic, not they are pragmatic. And the same could be said for the English - from whom we inherited our culture, especially our Industrial culture.

It may surprise you, to hear me say fine things about Industrialization and Capitalism. But there are plenty of fine things you can say about them. Mainly, that they made us rich.

This wealth was acquired at some expense: it made us put wealth ahead of people - and this was a serious handicap. But America at its peak, right after WWII, was the envy of the world. Other people would gladly put up with its disadvantages, to get its advantages. A new home in a suburb, with a new car. And the promise of more to come.

I was an Electronic Engineer (U of Illinois, 1959) and I had mixed feeling about all this success - and how crass Americans were. And I was not the only one, plenty of Americans felt the same way. But we were a minority, most Americans felt everything was just fine. And were very uncomfortable with those who did not.

This conflict materialized in the Sixties, where the Young felt differently than the Old. The Young lost this struggle, with its young men being sent off to Vietnam.

They lost this struggle, but they did not forget about it. And it simmered (unrecognized) just below the surface. And it contributed to the eventual downfall of America.

There has been enormous disagreement about this downfall, but everyone has agreed that it did happen. It was not a complete downfall, but it reduced America from being The Best, to being Some of the Best/

A change in status, Americans could not understand, but made them very nervous - and capable of flying off in various direction. Most often, violent directions.

The similarity between this and Fascism, in Europe in the Thirties, has been often noted. These people were highly stressed, and could not take the pressure.