Joseph Mattera
The sentiment in the United States recently has been so fragile and fraught with anger and fear, that it can perhaps take only one major event to result in a tipping point towards societal chaos. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 taught us that not even the great USA is immune to confusion and mass chaos.
The following four tipping points could result in societal chaos in the USA:
1) Race riots
The riots that took place recently in Ferguson, Missouri, demonstrate that there is still much distrust among people of color when it comes to social justice issues. A similar outbreak could have easily taken place in NYC several months ago when Eric Garner died after being placed in a chokehold during an arrest.
Whether the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson was justified and/or the chokehold of Eric Garner was necessary is beside the point. A society where there is abundant trust between divergent ethnic groups and/or between minority communities and the police (and the judicial system) can handle a controversial shooting or unintended death during an arrest.
However, the O.J. Simpson trial several decades ago demonstrated that there is still a huge racial divide when it comes to perception. The whites largely thought O.J. was guilty and the people of color largely believed he was innocent. The Ferguson issue can become a huge tipping point that can trigger unrest beyond their region because, if riots erupt if the police officer who shot Michael Brown is exonerated by the grand jury, then it can potentially lead to a collapse of the judicial system in that region and beyond.
This can indeed become a huge tipping point across the nation because of the unresolved, seething issues of perceived racism, which evidently trumps the judicial system—one of our major pillars for peace and civility.
2) A viral pandemic
The response of the present administration to the Ebola outbreak in Africa demonstrates that the USA is ill-prepared to deal with a potential pandemic. Furthermore, we have been hearing for years that the frequent (and often unnecessary) use of antibiotics among the population as well as the ability of super viruses to mutate and adapt make a huge pandemic in the USA more likely as time goes on.
I doubt Ebola will ever spread in our nation. However, there are far more dangerous strains of viruses that can eventually cause a tipping point towards societal chaos and confusion.
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SOURCE: Charisma News
Joseph Mattera
