One thing I find is too little commented on is the unfortunate number of ways in which the USA increasingly resembles Russia. This has profound implications for the West as a whole, yet it seems while many focus on individual symptoms few see the overall picture. Just as in Russia, the US is desperate for a founding myth and to be "top dog." Just as in Russia, a great many people (at least 74 million Republican voters) want a "strong leader" to "save them" from decadence etc. Just as in Russia, religionist organizations militate against humane social norms in favor of primitive vengeance-based pseudo-morality. Just as in Russia, most US "news" is either infantile propaganda based almost entirely on lies (Fox News) or superficial nonsense that fails to provide context. Just as in Russia, life expectancy is declining. Just as in Russia, too often the police are little more than militarized thugs in uniform who act with impunity. And just as in Russia, a tiny number of people control most of the nation's wealth. I could go on, but this is at least enough to indicate there's a serious systemic problem here.