IMHO, the reason for the “doom and gloom” is the accelerated decline in the standard of living in the U.S.
Don’t be fooled by the SUVs and McMansions. These are the result of a credit market that was allowed to run wild (the main culprit behind most of our problems, IMO). This has only increased debt loads, it has not increased wealth for most people.
Forty years ago, more people had job security, employer-paid healthcare and defined-benefit pension plans. They might not have made tons of money, but they took pride in themselves and their jobs — they were part of their company’s family, and employees sacrificed (took pay cuts and even worked for free when necessary) when times were bad, with the implicit/explicit expectation that employers would sacrifice (reward employees) when times were good. They knew that their employer’s strength was their strength. Employers knew the company was only as good as its employees.
Families could buy a modest house (even in the “good” parts of town!) and car, have medical care and a pension, take an annual vacation, etc. on one salary — and they still saved.
Humans have a basic need for belonging to something greater than themselves, and they have a strong need for security. When you take these things away, people can become panicked and they begin taking more risks and hoarding more — a natural survival instinct. The well-being of the individual trumps the well-being of society, and most people end up losing because the slightest glitch in the best-laid plans can cause a person to lose everything he/she’s worked and saved for all their lives.
This will be controversial, but I also believe the “multi-cultural” push is largely responsible for the apathy and lack of patriotism over the past couple of decades. We don’t have anything to belong to anymore — nothing to support or cheer for. No unity (united we stand, divided we fall), and it shows. That’s not to say we can’t have immigrants (my mother was an immigrant), but that we need to have a common culture as Americans. Yes, we need to assimilate into the existing culture and work together to build something greater than ourselves.
