Suburban decline (Naperville, Elgin, Cicero: cheap apartment, home, homebuyer)

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by MozartSt

Oh, I'm glad you agree on that. The two World Wars were the worst thing that happened to the West, Western Christendom, and white people. They were really civil wars where whites killed themselves and their racial kin. Many argue that the hundred million lost in those two wars has set us on our current course and downfall. Even in England, where they supposedly won the wars, things are very bleak for English, their people, their culture, etc. Communism (and its little sister Liberalism) won WW2, that's a given we all can see today.

lakecounty, look at it this way....up until WW1 the West was in a period of expansion, and since that war, and also after WW2, the West is in retreat everywhere, even in England itself! Retreat (decline) can be seen everwhere, within Europe itself, from SoCal, out of South Florida, many inner cities, and now the decline/retreat has reached large proportions, even in the suburbs, that's the point of the thread I think. The retreat on the culture front is going on full-bore, just turn on the TV to see it.

I'll go back a little further: The decline in culture in North America started in 1492 when Columbus "discovered" America...

[lakecountylifer]

Originally Posted by almost3am

I'll go back a little further: The decline in culture in North America started in 1492 when Columbus "discovered" America...

The Mayans predicted this cultural decline. We will all find out what this means on 12-21-2012.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by lakecountylifer

Ok--- most people don't refer to War World 1 as the great war here in the U.S---- We aren't british subjects anymore. I'm not following how the western world declined after WW1? You have unprecendented advances in fact..... Care to explain your logic?

The Great War began the decline of the British Empire and caused the downfall of the Ottoman, Hapsburg, Romanov and Hohenzollern empires. Unbridled nationalism and ideological disputes led to civil wars, wars between new nations (the Poles used their new freedom to go on a small rampage against the Ukaraine and Soviet Union and the Greek invasion of Turkey ended with the expulsion of the Greeks from Asia Minor for instance) and the rise of Soviet style Communism and Fascism. Note too that many of our current problems in the Middle East are to a large degree a result of the fall of the Ottomans.

World War II was pretty much Act 2 of the Great War and that war led to the dismantlement of the European empires---British, French, Dutch, Belgian and Portugese. Political and economic power began the still ongoing shift from the West to Asia.

The disillusionment with political and cultural elites caused by the Great War led to a "get your's now" attitude among people and a weakening of bonds of loyalty and common struggle among people. Organized religion was weakened and people became less disciplined and civil. Trust was lost as was a belief in the superiority of Western culture and beliefs.

Now regardless of the value you may place on such things I think they've led to weakening of Western political, economic and cultural power. A decline. Perhaps this decline, this shift, was inevitable. But as it happened it has roots in the Great War.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

The Great War began the decline of the British Empire and caused the downfall of the Ottoman, Hapsburg, Romanov and Hohenzollern empires. Unbridled nationalism and ideological disputes led to civil wars, wars between new nations (the Poles used their new freedom to go on a small rampage against the Ukaraine and Soviet Union) and the rise of Soviet style Communism and Fascism.

While WWI ushered out the Romanov's, the Romanov's were busy pounding nails into their graves well before the war. They were hanging on by a thread well before the war. i.e. serfdom was not en vogue anymore. It just happened that the communists were most organized and ruthless w/in Russia at that time.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by almost3am

While WWI ushered out the Romanov's, the Romanov's were busy pounding nails into their graves well before the war. They were hanging on by a thread well before the war. i.e. serfdom was not en vogue anymore. It just happened that the communists were most organized and ruthless w/in Russia at that time.

Much truth there. Nicholas II was certainly one of the great knotheads of history, it's amazing the way he could consistently make the wrong decision. And his wife, oy. But it's possible that without the Great War there would've been time for the Russian commercial interests to push through the reforms needed for Russia to make the transition to a semi modern state.

Regards

[deechee]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

I'm not really sure having a triumphant (and likely nuclear-armed) Nazi regime would have been in the best interests of the west.

I'm also not sure what this has to do with the suburbs of Chicago.

Thank you, someone brought it up.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

I'm not really sure having a triumphant (and likely nuclear-armed) Nazi regime would have been in the best interests of the west.

I'm also not sure what this has to do with the suburbs of Chicago.

Ah, here's the connection. A nuclear detonation on the suburbs of Chicago by a German V5 ICBM in 1950 would have led to some serious suburban decline.

[cubssoxfan]

Oh, and what in blazes does this all have to do with the decline of the suburbs?!
To answer the original post: Yah, Arlington Heights is really going to hell. Its becoming a real ghetto. (Note the use of sarcasm here)

[SAI126]

Originally Posted by ChiLubeck

The net is negative, not zero sum. Too much anti-culture out there in America these days, I feel sorry for the youth actually. We need to take all the kids' hip-hop clothes out of the closets, outside, and burn them, then press the reset button on American culture before it's too late and too far gone.

As far as the culture goes way too late and way too far gone.

[SAI126]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

The Great War began the decline of the British Empire and caused the downfall of the Ottoman, Hapsburg, Romanov and Hohenzollern empires. Unbridled nationalism and ideological disputes led to civil wars, wars between new nations (the Poles used their new freedom to go on a small rampage against the Ukaraine and Soviet Union and the Greek invasion of Turkey ended with the expulsion of the Greeks from Asia Minor for instance) and the rise of Soviet style Communism and Fascism. Note too that many of our current problems in the Middle East are to a large degree a result of the fall of the Ottomans.

World War II was pretty much Act 2 of the Great War and that war led to the dismantlement of the European empires---British, French, Dutch, Belgian and Portugese. Political and economic power began the still ongoing shift from the West to Asia.

The disillusionment with political and cultural elites caused by the Great War led to a "get your's now" attitude among people and a weakening of bonds of loyalty and common struggle among people. Organized religion was weakened and people became less disciplined and civil. Trust was lost as was a belief in the superiority of Western culture and beliefs.

Now regardless of the value you may place on such things I think they've led to weakening of Western political, economic and cultural power. A decline. Perhaps this decline, this shift, was inevitable. But as it happened it has roots in the Great War.

I don't agree with you much but that is an excellent post. Historical knowledge is barren so it probably won't illuminate minds in the manner that it should.