Have we reached peak-crazy? (17 Jun, 2020)

[aardvark_admin]

This column is archived at: https://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2020/0617.shtml

Can the world really get any weirder or crazier than it is right now?

Sadly, I fear that the answer is an emphatic "yes".

Should we be worried about China's ambitions for world domination?

Are the growing military tensions produced by China's actions likely to explode any time soon?

Is the USA in a weak position right now due to its own problems and would China see that as a weakness worth exploiting?

It's fun to speculate isn't it?

[Ossified Location]

And worse I may be yet: the worst is not
So long as we can say 'This is the worst.'
King Lear Act 4 Scene 1

[phill]

xi was always going to be a problem
add it to the perfect storm we have at present
xi / kim / putin / trump
and things become a chaotic mix

the problem in the usa is most past presidents .. or anyone remotely human .. takes advice from others before drastic action .. they will try to have a balanced view from all sides
trumps ego stops the first and his policy of sycophants only stops the second
there is no knowing other than it wont be rational what response the usa will have to any disruption

[hagfish]

And worse I may be yet: the worst is not
So long as we can say 'This is the worst.'
King Lear Act 4 Scene 1

Lovely quote. The Great Unwinding - much like climate change and the advance of Covid19 - will be 'slow, slow, FAST'. Right now, I think we are at the end of the second 'slow'. I think Trump's presidency has delayed the eventual 'FAST" (I thought it would be 2017), but also exacerbated it. I'm under no illusions about my and my family's ability to survive what's next, so I enjoy each day's simple pleasures.

[Weasel]

Seems this scientist was right, 10 years ago they crunched the numbers and predicted that 2020 would see social upheaval in the US - https://time.com/5852397/turchin-2020-prediction/

Depending on how it's handled it could get a lot worse before it gets better (so far its been badly handled while the incumbent's party put their heads in the sand).

As for the orange man, he's itching to get in-to campaign mode and will likely seek to ignore outside world events as much as possible for as long as possible. He relies on big events to get people amped, and to trash talk the competition. The wisdom of large groups of people crammed into arenas for hours remains to be seen..

Now the Fed is indicating that it'll take at least 4 years for the economy to show signs of recovery, with that in-mind we might be in for a repeat. As things start crumbling the republican "bender of a party" comes to an end, the democrats get back in and spend the next 8 years cleaning up the mess. If they get back in this November, and the economy is starting to come right in 4 years time, they should easily see another term.

[aardvark_admin]

And now the pronouciation police are watching (or should I say "listening to") our every word. The madness continues...

https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/12191507 ... f-taranaki

[aardvark_admin]

The ascent to peak-crazy continues: https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industri ... skimo-pies

[phill]

never mind us
think of the poor aussies
they will finally lose the war
they have to rename the eski as a chully bun

i wonder if igloo pie is considered cultural appropriation