What happens when a society adopts the "Me first, always" valueless "values"? Allow me to acquaint the Ray Dalio gambling class with an historical perspective...
What happens is that people start to rationalize all manner of malfeasance and corruption, in the name of self-interest. After all, if the only goal is to satisfy oneself, then the well-being of others becomes a quaint custom learned in church during childhood - long since abandoned. The concept of "good" and "bad" is measured only in terms of personal gratification. And "right" and "wrong" don't exist. If everyone else is doing it, and you can get away with it, then it must be "right". The next thing you know, all manner of ill gotten gains result as society devolves into a zero sum sewer of rent-seeking and decadence. Real work goes out the window along with factories and the other accumulated industrial assets handed down from several generations of hard work.
Here we are.
Here we are.
And then at the pinnacle of the resulting circus, it all collapses with extreme dislocation to the shock and awe of the corruption-as-usual masses. No one sees it coming, because no one gives a fuck anymore about their fellow (wo)man.
That's how decadent societies ALWAYS end. This one will be no exception.
And then the real fun begins. But of course not everyone comes out the other end.
