Through Cracked Glass: The Myth of American Refuge in a Collapsing System
Stock Photo by Dreamstime
We tell ourselves that people still dream of coming to America because of our freedoms, our vast land, and our constitutional principles. And to some extent, that dream persists. But what if the dream they’re chasing no longer exists—at least not in the form we pretend it does? In this piece, I draw from my upcoming book, Collapse_Algorithm, to unpack the illusion of moral exceptionalism and why clinging to outdated narratives about America as a global safe haven blinds us to the authoritarian rot setting in beneath our feet.
Disclaimer
The views expressed here are solely those of the author, Ronald J. Botelho, in his capacity. They do not represent the views of Binghamton University or any affiliated institutions. This work is part of an ongoing academic and systems science research effort and is not intended to serve as legal or policy advice.
License
MIT License
Copyright © 2025 Ronald J. Botelho
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this material and associated documentation files (the “Material”), to deal
in the Material without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Material, and to permit persons to whom the Material is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Material.
THE MATERIAL IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS ARE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES, OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF, OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE MATERIAL, OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE MATERIAL.