The state of things is the US dollar is still king. We export our inflation because the US dollar is the world reserve currency. Yes there are other states that would be interested in de-dollarizing, but what’s the alternative? Flying planes of gold around the world like Russia?

This unlikely to change in the near future, because there are few other currencies large enough to fill the role and there are exactly zero other countries with anywhere near the military power to maintain reserve currency status.

How far apart are your eyes?

That Oxy family. Or the whole Panama papers? Or recently all the Boeing execs that ignored or silenced various whistleblowers with regard to the 737 Max.

JD is Nathan for You, but without awareness or knowing.

Corporations tried out binding arbitration and the people just took it with very little complaining. So why not keep eroding consumer protections or the other rights citizens fought for in the before times?

It is all about where your hands fall on your body, and it sounds like you are just an ankle holster person. Maybe tie some knots in the handles or use a clip to shorten them so the bottom doesn’t drag.

https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/1629536?v=pdf UN report from 2018 so pre-pandemic.

Maybe check out Matt McManus’s work, he’s a professor at the University of Michigan.

You aren’t accounting for the increase in cool stuff that makes people want to stick around longer. There’s at least one more Dune movie coming and even a Rebel Moon for the Snyder people. When dueling was popular people were going to church for fun… If you believe in an afterlife and most of your time is spent peasanting about, why not have some fun in a duel?