A slow melt is a condition rife for wishful thinking, delusion and denialism as so many desperately assume that the status quo will continue indefinitely. They look past the degeneration, the second derivative - and instead pretend that the decaying facade remains the same. The same ten aircraft carrier groups still saving us from "evil doers", albeit now funded solely with borrowed and printed money.
It's slowly at first, then goodbye to all that, given that most of the damage has already been done. Between Faux News episodes of course.
Extend and pretend, while the trend is the friend...To the end.
Followed by inevitable acceleration.
Because "No one can predict the inevitable".
Because "No one can predict the inevitable".