I was talking to a guy recently, a "young fella", who doesn't remember the world prior to 1968, and I became convinced that civilization is gone. The reason I thought that was his attitude towards law and the state. It used to be a point of honor to be a law-abiding citizen who saw himself as a stockholder, a participant. Now, it's an adversarial relationship - this guy's attitude is that he's going to decide whether or not to obey any particular law, and it's only a matter of whether he can get away with it. He thinks the State is a monolithic entity "out there" that has no real relationship to himself. I formed the opinion that those of use who are old enough to remember the last vestiges of civilization "get real" in our thinking. I don't know if it's all the immigration from all these foreigners (people from New York, Massachussetts, New Jersey, etc.) or if it's just too many people, period. But attempting to preserve civilization at this point is the dream of a romantic idealist, I think.
Funny you and Twoskins mention your points; just today I was learning about the Peasant's Revolt of 1381. We're only a couple weeks away from the anniversary.
The short story: Fourteen year-old Richard II was king of England. His hated advisers were Archbishop of Canterbury Sudbury, and The Lord High Treasurer Hales. The feudal system still existed. You were almost owned by the lord of the manor. The Hundred Years War with France was very expensive. New taxes were laid. It was hated. Lots of people dodged it. The government noticed the balance sheets look a bit short. Sudbury and Hales sent tax commissioners across the country to collect. The commissioners were highly abusive.
Finally, the people had had it! Within just a few days large swathes of countryside rose up in rebellion. Tax commissioners were beheaded. Thousands of peasants marched on London. The professional army being in France, the peasants almost succeeded. Archbishop Sudbury was beheaded (eight chops to complete), and Hales, too, by the rebels.
The people rose up because they were not participants in system; the system treated them quite badly. The government and the owners of the economic system were their adversaries, sucking life, produce, and opportunity out of them. No wonder they felt an adversarial relationship.
Couple interesting historical notes.
The man who started the rebellion Thomas the Baker, was caught, hanged, drawn, and quartered on July 4.
This one is for User especially. One of the rebels, Thomas Wooten, denied his involvement, and opted for
trial by combat. (He lost). So, trial by combat was still available as late as 1381 even though Henry II had started the jury system in the second half of the 1100's.*
*When I say started the jury system, I mean planted the seed. Wanting to extend his royal power, he sent royal judges into the countryside. The judges would order the local shire reeve (sheriff) to find 12 good men and true. These men, the beginnings of a jury, told the judge what they knew of the case, rather than heard testimony themselves.