WE THE CHILDREN:

America the Infantile, and the Spectacle of a Nation That Refuses to Grow Up

America, America We have a problem!

There’s a disturbing pattern in this country that’s impossible to ignore, and it’s not just embarrassing it’s dangerous. America has become a caricature of itself. A place where grown adults, many of whom hold immense power behave like playground bullies in suits. We are a nation hijacked by performative outrage, social media clownery, and a political system that resembles a sandbox fight more than a functioning democracy.

“We’ve turned governance into an endless loop of name-calling, gaslighting, and lowest-common-denominator theater.”

Let’s be honest! Much of the public discourse in this country is intellectually bankrupt. Instead of building policies that safeguard human dignity and address real issues like healthcare, housing, and climate. We’ve turned governance into an endless loop of name-calling, gaslighting, and lowest-common-denominator theater. Our national attention span has been reduced to 30-second TikToks and 280-character takedowns. And somehow, we call this progress.

We’ve replaced dialogue with dunks. Legislation with memes. Leadership with influencer energy. Our political figures on both sides often act like emotionally stunted adolescents obsessed with “owning” the other side rather than leading with vision or compassion. Watching a debate in 2025 feels like watching two middle schoolers argue over cafeteria seating.

Even outside of politics, the cultural tone has devolved into a constant performative spiral. Social media is high school with algorithms. Popularity, clout, and collective bullying masquerade as activism. You’re punished not just for being wrong, but for thinking differently, for pausing to ask questions, or refusing to jump on whatever hashtag bandwagon is trending that hour. We scream about “cancel culture” and “free speech,” yet every platform is clogged with people frothing at the mouth to shut each other down.

“Social Media is High school with algorithms.”

Meanwhile, people are exhausted. They’re overworked, underpaid, anxious, and drowning in existential dread. But instead of facing those real, complex problems, we deflect into nonsense—fighting made-up culture wars, electing attention-seekers, and turning every issue into a branding opportunity.

The most terrifying part? This isn’t a fringe phenomenon. It’s the mainstream. This is the default setting of our nation now: a circus of arrested development.

We’ve somehow normalized the idea that serious national discourse should sound like a YouTube comment section. Candidates bark slogans instead of solutions. News anchors mug for the camera like reality show contestants. Even Supreme Court justices now give interviews like pop stars on press tours. There’s no gravity anymore. Just vibes. Vibes and vibes and vibes.

And yet, if you criticize any of this, you’re labeled “negative,” “unpatriotic,” or “too serious.” Because god forbid someone actually ask, Hey, shouldn’t the people running a nuclear superpower act like adults? But no. That’s not what gets applause anymore. Applause comes from dunking on someone in real time. The most retweeted comment wins. Governance by gladiator match.

We’ve also developed this grotesque addiction to outrage performance. The public isn’t even reacting to reality anymore, they’re reacting to headlines about headlines about screenshots of someone else’s reaction. It’s emotional Inception. Layer after layer of hot takes until nobody even remembers the original issue. And in that chaos, nothing gets fixed. It’s just noise, forever.

This obsession with “being right” is rotting our collective brain. We’ve stopped listening. We’ve stopped learning. Everything has to be a team sport: red team, blue team, my side, your side. You’re either a patriot or a traitor. A sheep or a savior. There’s no room for nuance, only loyalty tests and litmus checks. And surprise! That’s not how democracy survives.

Dumb behavior might seem harmless in the moment, but it often carries consequences that chip away at our time, energy, trust, and opportunities in ways we don’t always recognize until much later. While we scream into digital voids, real things are falling apart. The planet’s dying. Infrastructure’s collapsing. People are going bankrupt because they had the nerve to get sick. But sure, let’s argue about what someone posted in 2009. That seems urgent.

We have the tools. We have the knowledge. We even have the money. But what we don’t have and what we desperately need is maturity. The maturity to lead, to build, to repair. The maturity to say, Hey, maybe we should focus on not being a garbage fire of a nation today. But until we grow up, we’ll keep spiraling louder, dumber, and more dangerously every time.

And yes, it’s sickening. It’s beyond sad. It’s dangerous. Because while we spiral into tribal nonsense and digital hissy fits, real issues go unaddressed. The country burns while we argue about the color of the matches.

We are being governed and influenced by people who act like children. Only these children have nukes, surveillance tools, and legislative power. That should terrify everyone.

Emotional immaturity in power creates chaos it doesn’t matter who’s holding the mic, the title, or the seat. Without self-awareness, everything crumbles. And America is flunking kindergarten.

Written by: Kela Stubbs

Self-Expression Theorist

Style isn’t surface-level. I study how it works, why it matters, and what it really reveals.