The Modern American Revolution
A postcard from a very hypothetical future
// What impact might the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, growing climate crises, the 2020 presidential election, and the Covid pandemic have on Americans born after the turn of the century, and how might they respond to the tensions facing America in the late 2020s?
// 2045. A modest room, with two people sitting on either side of a table. Security stands in the corner.
“Thanks for agreeing to this first interview. I’m Dr. Caro, a historian working to document the ‘American Times of Trouble between 2025 and 2031” Dr. Caro opens their notebook and clicks open a pen.
Syme smiles, “A Doctor? How’s your student loan debt?
Dr. Caro chuckles. “Ah, yes. I’ve read one of your screeds on the US educational debt system and I have you to thank for my lack of debt! Did you have a lot of debt prior to 2025?
Syme laughs. “Debt? Are you kidding me? In 2021, the average American had $90k in debt, with over $1.7 Trillion in educational debt. And when the dust finally settled from the multiple Covid waves by the end of 2023, folks under 40 had on average an additional $42k in medical debt if you include all the bailouts to the drug companies!
Caro - “You have those numbers at the tip of your tongue. How did you get your financial education?
Syme snorts. “Education. That’s an interesting word choice. I learned in elementary school that when a school shooter event happens, run, hide, fight. When I turned 10, my uncle gave me a backpack with bulletproof plates in it. When I was in junior high, we started seeing books getting pulled from the library because they ‘taught the wrong things’. And for the four years of successive Covid waves, public schools were useless. We sat in auditoriums, wondering who around us was infected. We watched teachers run from rooms crying with symptoms. Remote learning was a joke.
“My education came from Discord, Telegram, TikTok, and Instagram. That’s where I learned how much our local, state, and federal leaders didn’t have a clue. And when the 2024 election devolved into a complete farce, well, that was an education too.
Caro - “What was most surprising about that time for you?
Syme - “Almost every public institution or check and balance seemed to fail within a year. The news media didn’t hold the government accountable. Minority rule became the norm at all levels of the legislative branch. The judicial system lost its illusion of impartiality. We watched videos of local police fighting units of the national guard. And grifters and cult leaders sprang up like mushrooms after a heavy rain. There was no one to trust, except for ourselves. That’s when we had to make changes.
// Choose your own adventure time!
Click here to read the pessimistic ending of this postcard
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