The West is falling behind. Quality of life is getting lower and lower, and social unrest is increasing. People are incredibly unhappy with the way things are going, especially the young people. It’s hard to get a good job, it’s hard to save money, and it’s hard to find a good place to live. A lot of the reason for this is due to a strange sort of societal suicide. When I was younger, I thought it was intentional destructiveness on behalf of the left. But as I’ve aged, I’ve realized it’s something more unintentional, insidious, and unstoppable. People in the west don’t know stuff.
People in the west don’t have general knowledge
Even the educated people. Search “asking Americans basic questions” on YouTube. They can’t do it. People in the west don’t know stuff, and it’s causing that region of the world to implode.
Jobs in the west don’t require knowledge
Or much skill. The economy in the west is set up to get a lot of value out of unproductive workers. This is why the financial sector is so bloated. The financial sector in the west is so bloated, that the US dollar goes twice as far in the rest of the world as it does in the US, on average. This means that even the smart people don’t know a lot about the real world. The only people who know a bit are the technocrats, and they oftentimes serve their own interests. Technocracy also isn’t as incentivized in the West as it is in Europe, so even the technocrats know less.
Lack of trust in primary sources
People don’t trust video anymore. They don’t trust letters or emails either. The only time we trust primary sources is when they are presented in criminal court. This means there’s no point in having general knowledge. Since you have to trust secondary sources such as the news and independent experts, you’re almost guaranteed to be fed an agenda.
Lack of knowledge about primary sources
I could be wrong, but I don’t get the sense that a lot of people know why it’s important to look at primary sources. The amount of trust that they put in the media shows it. Most people don’t know why they should be investigating.
Longer lifespans mean knowledge is not current or updated
The older generations haven’t updated their economic models, at all. They haven’t updated their medical knowledge and scientific information. They haven’t kept in touch with the younger generation at all. This is really bad, because humans need information to make good decisions, and older people still vote. This problem won’t be solved anytime soon. The only thing you can do is escape as soon as you can.
Western (anglo?) hubris
Most people from wealth countries can’t imagine the idea that people from other areas might have better information or more streamlined polices than them. It simply doesn’t compute. For them, the experts are the experts. This level of hubris can’t be undone, because people think they are being humble and trusting the experts. It’s crazy, and people struggle to break out of it. Don’t bother trying. What they know is what they know. And they can’t see how badly they’re underperforming other countries.
Colonialism breeds poor work ethic
Look at all the former colonial powers and look at all the former colonies. The colonies are steadfastly building themselves up, toiling under intense conditions, while the wealthier countries become increasingly indebted and miserable. This is in part because the people are used to a high standard of living, while enjoying the luxury of ignorance. They will not make good decisions as a large countries in the modern era. Look at the UK. Poor decision after poor decision. Same with Argentina until recently. Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany are the outliers. But these countries were small and had less sprawling empires. They also had the benefit of the Marshall Plan and being in the Eurozone.
Even the good guys are incompetent
This is what happens when people don’t read and know stuff. When things are really bad, even the candidates who have the people in mind don’t create helpful solutions. They just create confusion by filling the air with nonsense.
Capitalism only cares about production
In the long run, those who are more able to create value are going to outcompete those who can’t. This is a fact of life. Unless the Western countries are willing to both cut debt and make people work harder, “poor” countries are bound to keep gaining on them. It’s simple, their economies are more productive. The only Western countries which seem to be bucking the trend are Switzerland and the USA. The Scandanavian countries are also well ahead of the game. They’re so far ahead of the game it’s hard to tell whether the rest of the world is gaining ground on them. If you want to live in a first world country without experiencing constant social unrest, Scandanavia is the location to be in.
Knowledge (and power) will concentrate in Asia
Some of it will move to Latin America and the Caribbean. But I would expect to see a lot of interesting stuff come out of Southeast Asia. The proximity to China, along with the amount of knowledge workers makes it hard to see a world in which they don’t grow. Debt levels are also low across the region, that’s important.
More craziness from the west
The decision making will never improve. The entitlement of the wealthy will never stop. The normies will never learn. Quality of life is now high enough in the West that the powers that be can basically do whatever they want. There’s really no going backwards from here. Western hubris will also mean that they constantly fail to acknowledge how much the world is catching up. They won’t see it until it’s truly in their face.
Latin America? Might be liveable
Be careful with countries like Colombia and Boliva. Latin America is an incredibly livable region of the world. It’s going to be even more livable as time goes on. The same applies to Jamaica, Grenada, and other poorer countries in the Caribbean. Globalization has already benefited these places immensely, and the trend is likely to continue. It’s already possible to make it in these countries with a job and a side business. I don’t think this trend will reverse. If you are consistently creating digital content, you will be able to counteract the high cost of living of these places. Goods are also bound to get cheaper as more internet-rich people invest in on-the-ground businesses. Progress is slower than in Asia, but Latin America and the Caribbean are on the upswing.
Africa (and India) are still too poor
You probably aren’t going to make it in places like these it’s a long and painful process creating a good life in these countries. You need to be really good at business. Generally speaking, it’s not worth leaving the Western world to go to these places. Way too much downside risk. The people in these countries are working to improve them. Allow them to keep doing this, and get in at the top when the moment is right. Don’t waste time and energy building a country. You want to be rich by global standards, not just a big fish in a small pond. Focus on average or growing countries like Argentina, Trinidad, Jamaica, Malaysia, Greneda. You want to use your Western advantage to create a business that will also give you a good lifestyle, not become a participant in international development. Avoid Africa and India for now.
Proof of my original point? Language learning ability
People from the English-speaking world treat learning a new language as though it’s a genius endeavor. In reality, they’re lazy. Very few English speakers employ the work ethic required to learn a new language. Meanwhile, I can show up to Colombia and bump into multiple people who are multilingual. Westerners, especially the Anglos, are weak and lazy, that’s the truth of it.
The only stopgap?- Poor countries getting wealthier
And this is going to take time. The only way people in the West become sane is if the global cultural landscape changes. I wouldn’t bet on anything over the next 10 years. No matter where in the world you are, it’s likely going to feel hard to get ahead. The fact that all of the value is moving online, along with western insanity, means you’re going to need to put in work. The most skilled internet entrepreneurs will get extremely wealthy and possibly become trillionaires.
If you’re in the west or English-speaking world in particular, you shouldn’t look for sanity. The west is crazy, and it’s only going to get crazier. The people are going to keep voting for short workweeks, more benefits, increased xenophobia, and higher national debt. It will never stop, because they are going to keep getting tricked. If you’re looking for progress, look elsewhere. The truth is, that the inequality between poor countries is greater than the inequality between wealthy ones. Most of the world’s growth will occur in poor countries and online. The only trick? It costs time and money to build online. Keep this dichotomy, along with the ever-present fact of Western insanity in mind when you decide where to live and where to go.
Thanks for paying attention.
