Just a few miles from Nevada. In this area I am curious about the pecking order of casino towns for show biz has-beens. Perhaps Las Vegas, Laughlin, Mesquite, Wendover is the trajectory of descent. Where does Branson MO fit in that list?
A few movies have been made about has-beens. "Sunset Boulevard" is the classic. But the whole topic is a bit of a "downer" so you can see why it isn't very popular as a theme.
And yet, it is part of the Human Condition. You can look across the pond to the pitiful posturing of European "powers" and have the same sort of thoughts. Why can't Britain and France just accept being nice countries that used to be great powers? What was so great about being a great power, and what is so bad about being a has-been?
There doesn't seem to be an accepted career path for former great powers. If only there were. The Roman Empire did rather well, considering that the Eastern Empire survived in Constantinople for a thousand years after the western empire fell. Sweden did rather well after it was humbled by Peter the Great of Russia. Spain didn't do so well after its heyday in the 1500s.
Washington DC needs to do some serious thinking about it.
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Every country and its government seems to have had a heyday of power and supremacy down thru the ages...... perhaps its is only a matter of time for the USA.... although we Americans never seem to want to believe it.
It sure would be nice if we didn't have to learn the hard way, and could gracefully accept reality.