The Stunning Collapse of Civilizational Competence

For most of recorded history, human society has become more efficient and productive over time. But Americans today now seem to be facing the alarming phenomenon of a culture where nothing works and basic competence is increasingly becoming the exception rather than the norm. Perhaps the most obvious recent example of this collapse in civilizational competence was the response to the wildfires in Hawaii that left over 100 people dead. As the flames raced toward the town of Lahaina, local officials refused to release water to fight the fires. We still don’t know exactly why – although it could have something to do with the person responsible for withholding the water believing in something called “water equity.” There were also reports that utility trucks blocked the roads out of the town, trapping people in the inferno. Afterwards, it was revealed that Hawaiian Electric, whose downed power lines likely sparked the blaze, had for years been preoccupied with renewable energy projects while neglecting to maintain existing lines. Then there was the federal response, which was also woefully inadequate. It took President Joe Biden days to even comment on the crisis, and over a week to put together a paltry offer of $700 checks to families that had just lost everything they owned. Such glaring ineptitude in the face of a natural disaster should have been a major national scandal. But most Americans seemed to quickly shrug it off – likely because it was exactly what they had come to expect from their government. After all, it’s now a rarity that Congress can even pass a budget without serious threat of a government shutdown. House Republicans have now gone three weeks without a Speaker. Just three percent of Americans say they have a “great deal” of confidence in Congress. Things are just as bad at the state and local level – most municipal governments can’t even do something as basic as conduct elections anymore without major screw-ups. As far back as 2000, who controlled the White House came down to debates over “hanging chads” and computerized voting machines that were supposed to make things easier but in fact created one of the greatest election controversies in American history. Nearly three years after the 2020 election, some counties are still conducting recounts of votes. Last year, one township supervisor in Michigan discovered hundreds of uncounted absentee ballots sitting in a storage unit. The disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the fact that Russia and China have now surpassed the U.S. in hypersonic missile technology, and major recruiting shortfalls for every branch are also concerning signs of a decline in competence in the military – although these failures fall squarely at the feet of political and military leadership in Washington. But the fact that America can’t intercept and destroy hypersonic missiles shouldn’t be all that surprising given that the country’s infrastructure – once the envy of the world – is crumbling despite trillions of dollars allocated by Congress to fix it. Virtually every major project is significantly over budget and behind schedule. It’s not just the government that seems to be growing more incompetent. Various sectors of the U.S. economy and society itself appear to be breaking down. For instance, while the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, made headlines earlier this year, it was hardly the only one – the country now averages three derailments per day, and the overall number of derailments is on the rise after decades of decline. Despite the industry having access to more data and technology than ever before, air travel has also become more difficult and inconvenient. CBS News reported earlier this year that the significant increase in delays and cancellations in recent months could “continue for a decade.” The American manufacturing sector, a global powerhouse half a century ago, is now a shell of its former self. In 2019, after pledging to make a computer in the United States for the first time in years, Apple struggled to meet production quotas because American companies couldn’t produce enough specialty screws. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed just how much the country now relies on foreign imports and has lost the capacity to produce anything domestically. Many factories that are still open in the United States are now warning about a manufacturing “skills gap,” as they say they can’t find enough workers to fill open posts. There is also a general sense that people today are simply less competent than they were in generations past – a notion that can perhaps be chalked up to unwarranted pessimism, but perhaps not. Customers of fast food restaurants, for instance, have reported that service is getting slower and worse in recent years. While not exactly quantifiable, it seems fair to say that the average person today is simply capable of fewer basic tasks – whether it be changing a tire, balancing a checkbook, or keeping a household budget – than used to be the case. It’s worth asking how we got here – although the causes of society’s collapse in competence are likely as diverse as its effects. One obvious answer is the collapse in the values that lead to people living healthy, productive lives – namely family, faith, and patriotism. The university system bears a significant portion of the blame for this, as millions of young people graduate every year brainwashed to hate the very things that provide meaning and purpose. Another answer, particularly when it comes to government, is the growing preoccupation with “diversity” and “equity” instead of accomplishing the actual tasks that taxpayers rely on the government to complete. When the only thing that matters is filling a quota, competent people of all backgrounds get overlooked, and there is no longer any incentive for anyone to do a good job. The growth of government over time and the massive expansion of the welfare state has also encouraged people to become more dependent on others rather than themselves. Programs that were initially designed to help people get back on their feet during tough times are now abused to allow people to avoid developing any skills or work ethic. Another possibility is that, ironically, the extreme competence of prior generations has made modern life so easy that it could be breeding incompetence among future generations. Struggle and hardship fosters work ethic and wisdom, and most people today simply don’t have to go through the same struggles as their parents and grandparents. The internet and social media also undoubtedly play a role. Millions of Americans have now been turned into addicted, mindless consumers more fixated on likes and reposts than developing useful skills and making something of their lives. There are certainly many more reasons for the country’s growing competence shortage, all of which are worth considering. But the bigger question that American culture will have to answer is what, exactly, to do about it – because a society that stops being able to perform even basic tasks is a society that is doomed. Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on Twitter @ShaneHarris513.