America Against America (Wang Huning) (z-lib.org)

How are Americans lonely? This is a question that is difficult to answer in one sentence.
We can say that the American economic system has created human loneliness, and the
prominence and importance of money in society has monetized human relationships,
while human feelings are forced down in money relationships. A little warmth may
mean money. We can say that the dominant value of America - individualism - leads to
the isolation of the individual. Tocqueville says that the American Revolution led to the
growth of individualism, but individualism means at the same time self-solitude.
Without accepting self-solitude, the fear of dissolution also makes it difficult to truly
create the conditions for individualism. The overwhelming position of individualism in
society may be a good note for the lonely American. We could say that the American
protection of the private domain also protects loneliness; each person does not like or
want others to invade his or her own domain of life. This desire breeds solitude. Perhaps
Americans like solitude, or more accurately, want a moderate amount of it. The question
is whether they are prepared to deal with the greater or socially imposed loneliness. The
mechanisms that people devise and build themselves to ensure moderate loneliness sum
up in society to impose unbearable and unbearable loneliness on the individual. The
problems that such mechanisms create for the individual become potential problems for
society. Human loneliness is a product of social institutions, and it is difficult to find
solutions as long as such social institutions remain intact. The most difficult thing for an
institution to overcome is its own by-products.

The authors of Megatrends argue that the development of high technology has increased
the pursuit of high emotion. The overly concentrated pursuit of any one thing in a
society constitutes a political management problem. The isolation of people has become
a major burden on the political system and will continue to do so. Analyzing many of
the government's policy actions, it is easy to see that the more fundamental motivation
lies in the complex and constant role of each person's loneliness.

9. Future World

The American mentality is a complex synthesis that sometimes feels so contradictory.
The popular view is that since James and Peirce developed the philosophy of
pragmatism, the nation has become a most

pragmatic people. The idea of pragmatism and the requirement to "deliver value"
permeate every corner of the American spirit.

The so-called pragmatism, embodied in the meteorological social life and human
behavior, is to focus on everything to achieve useful, effective, practical goals, and
reject the vague, unattainable or seemingly non-existent value standards. In the
contemporary United States, this spirit is materialized as "money first", with the sight of
money as the touchstone of pragmatism. Make money, in a way, has become the essence
of pragmatism in the present era.

There is certainly a significant portion of society that still struggles, pursuing political,
moral, ethical, religious, social or philosophical values. But most of those who work in
these fields are not as idealistic. In the government sector, there are so many officials,
probably not too many of them are thinking about the American ideals at all times, and
they do their job because it is just a job, without any sense of responsibility like
"carrying morality on iron shoulders". They do their jobs because it's just a job and there
is no sense of responsibility like "a man with an iron shoulder"; in the welfare machine,
people are eager to take care of the poor and the disabled, but it's hard to say that every
one of them does it because they are compassionate to the lower class and the poor, but
because it's a job and because someone is paying for it; university professors write
books and speak impassionedly in the classroom, criticizing the government and calling
for change, but Most of the professors only regard this as work, and not as many of them
have the sense of mission and responsibility of intellectuals. This is just to show how
pragmatism dominates the American spirit and society, especially in a society that
recognizes money but not people.

On the other hand, it is not negligible and strange that society is full of another spirit,
which I will call "futurism". In this materialistic society, there is rarely any force that
can override pragmatism. However, the idea of futurism has a particularly strong appeal
and allure. Therefore, futurism also constitutes a fundamental core in the general spirit
of this society. Other ideas are difficult to convince, but the idea of futurism is strong
and powerful. By futurism we mean something that does not have a direct effect at
present, but will have an effect in the future, whether it is a concrete substance, an
abstract idea, or a state of affairs. Looking at it this way reveals that pragmatism and
futurism are a contradictory

pair, one seeking the value of the present moment, the other the value of the future. But
these two spirits do dominate this society, so it is said to be a complex synthesis.

We can look at examples of futuristic spirituality.

On the political front, look at the 1984 presidential election. A popular topic of debate
between Bush and Dukakis was America in the twenty-first century, or the world and
America in the twenty-first century. Can the United States maintain its current position
in the world? Where will the United States go in the face of challenges from Japan and
Europe, and possibly from China? How will the U.S. choose when the Soviet Union and
Eastern European countries pose a challenge to the United States on all fronts? Both
parties, in their efforts to win over voters, have talked about how their policy strategies
will continue to make the twenty-first century the American century, which they see as
the century of the United States. Now there is talk that the 21st century will be Japan's
century or China's century. Bush has often said that the twenty-first century will be the
American century. Such slogans are quite compelling. Nixon's 1987 book, "1999:
Winning Without War," in which the recurring theme is how the United States will win
in the future, what threats the United States will encounter in the future, and how the
United States should choose its response, became an immediate bestseller. It is clear that
this concern lies not only with politicians but also with the general public, otherwise it
would not be successful as a strategy to pull voters.

On the military front, Americans also have a stronger futuristic sensibility. In terms of
future warfare, strategy, and weapons research, the United States has been very
concerned and invested heavily. The tens of billions of dollars spent on the Star Wars
program is a futuristic dominated product. This plan, which seemed to many to be a
whimsical idea, was determined to be put into practice in earnest by the Americans to
deal with a possible new round of strategic weapons competition in the future. One of
the factors underlying the uproar over this plan, which has caused much debate in the
court and the country, is the conflict between the spirit of pragmatism and the spirit of
futurism. The spirit of futurism prevails in most cases when it comes to armament
development. Plus the arms industry mostly supports futurism because it is profitable.
Even though they may all be authentic pragmatists themselves. The recent introduction
of the B2 bomber is a typical reflection of this futurism. It is futurism, rather

than pragmatism, that dominates the development of strategic imperatives, despite
appearances of pragmatism. In the conflicts and fluctuations in Nicaragua, the
Philippines, and the Middle East, the attitude of the U.S. government has been, for the
most part, based on futuristic strategic thinking.

When it comes to scientific and technological development, Americans
are more futuristic. The idea of futurism is extremely flourishing in
fundamental areas such as basic theory, astrophysics, biological
sciences, and chemistry. It is often said that the sciences have the
most money in American universities. All this money comes from
foundations or whatever institutions outside the university. The
leading idea as to why these institutions are willing to invest large
sums of money is to look to the future. The recent announcement of the
world's largest collider in the United States, with a total length of
80 kilometers, sounds like an amazing project. But with an eye on the
future, the Americans decided to fund the construction. When it comes
to computers, Americans are also looking to the future, and companies
are investing large sums of money in developing the latest models.
Environmental protection, which has attracted unprecedented attention
in this society, has become a fundamental force in government policy,
with an unprecedented public consensus on the issue. Without a
futuristic spirit, such a consensus would have been difficult to
develop.

In urban construction, the mark of futurism is even deeper. Whether in
Iowa, a small city of a few tens of thousands of people, or in New
York, a metropolis of over ten million people, futurism has a pivotal
role in the design of urban construction. One of the conditions that
must be kept in mind in order for an urban plan to be successful and
realized is what will become of the design in the coming decades. Will
it become an obstacle to further urban development? Or will it be a
bridge to further urban development? In many cities, highways, subways,
buildings, and homes are designed and built with the future world in
mind. The International Trade Tower in New York, for example, is a
majestic building standing tall above, and the world below is even more
amazing, with a huge underground level with subways and trains to all
parts of New York and neighboring states. The designers designed it
with the needs of future urban development in mind. In many cities,
much of the housing is over fifty or even a hundred years old, but it
still does not look dilapidated or cramped, and a small building,
renovated, is still very substantial housing. This is an incomparable



10. People are Always People









IV. Multi-Level Social Regulation

1. The Invisible Hand







2. Money Management Society









3. Standardization of People









4. Regulatory Culture









5. Tax System









6. Science and Technology to Rule People





7. Dogs and Cats Are Not Free







V. Interwoven Political Forces

1. Donkey and Elephant Rule the Country







2. Political Party Fertilization







3. Interest Groups