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One of my contrarian takes: Society peaked in the 80s, and it’s been in slow decline ever since. It was the last era of widespread optimism. You can feel it in the music and movies. “Excess meets innocence.” The 80s also mark the end of the analog world—local economies, in-person everything, and a certain forced simplicity. Malls, movie theaters, magazines, and BMX. Then, beginning in the 90s, came the tidal wave of tech: Mobile phones The internet Social media AI All incredible innovations, with lots of positives. But on the whole I think they’re *net negatives* for society. We replaced a finite, real-world experience with an infinite, digital one. Infinite information. Infinite comparison. Infinite distraction. Human’s aren’t wired for that, and you can see the consequences all around us.

Before the Memphis Safe Task Force, residents could not walk outside without fear of being robbed, assaulted, or murdered as criminals and gangs turned neighborhoods into war zones.   Under President Trump, those days are in the rearview mirror.