Society is always near some sort of breaking point, and yet it very rarely breaks. Especially since the Industrial Revolution, the fact is society has a lot of momentum, and most folks to too busy to man the ramparts. People GROUSE constantly, especially on the internet, but that doesn’t mean crap. The fact that so many folks are pretending a second generation super rich guy isn’t part of the elite really shows you just how far society really is from any breaking point.
You are probably correct. This is far more ‘1984’ than 1788. Television, sports, pornography and drugs sap the masculine energy necessary to even attempt to reclaim traditional America.
But there is a huge disconnect. Just look at Bill Kristol and George Will. They really, truly, believed that there were millions of people who looked to them as gurus and would follow their lead on the GOP presidential candidate.