Are we really seeing the fall of empire, or just the end of our illusions?

We'll only know for sure in hindsight tbh

Of course it's 20/20.

Both.

Definitely both. The whole idea of law is basically just a collective myth. If that myth breaks down, law breaks down, societies break down.
- Based

Both. Fascism has always been at the root of American society (just ask a black person), but now it's surfacing and that will bring the empire down.

It's the fall of the Republic and the start of the Empire.

It's not inevitable, but it is possible for the first time in living memory, and no one seems to be willing or capable of stopping it in a way that's worth doing

You could be right but I hope your are wrong.
America was always an empire, they just didn't call it that.

I personally think that the US will eventually be fine. It'll be messy, but as long as there's no nukes, we'll be around. Every government falls, but the people tend to remain. I believe that even this government is technically salvageable, it'd just require a very well planned takeover. More important, is the planet's decline theoretically fixable?

That planet will be fine, humans maybe not so much.
- The planet as a rock. Not nature. There's a mass extinction going on and those animals and plants will never recover.
Two party system needs to end.
- Hello one party system
US will be fine as USSR thought it would be fine.
- There are other examples of possibilities than the USSR.
  Western Europe gave up most of their colonial possessions after WW2. They ended up fine. Arguably better off, even.
  Ancient Rome went through many periods of crisis and getting their shit back in order. The Eastern half of the Empire went on for about another 1000 years after the split--it lasted almost long enough to see Columbus get completely lost and stumble on some land. At one point, it held almost the whole territory of the original Roman empire, albeit briefly.
  There are a million ways this can go. Liberal America could reassert itself more or less as it was. It could break into coalitions of loosely affiliated states kinda like Prussia. It could undergo great reforms and fix a lot of problems with its structure of government. I couldn't even guess which is more likely right now.
- I don't know if you know this. But most of the people in the former USSR are pretty okay. Not the best, but improving, and alive. If the US split into 10 or more countries, then most of them would be decently well off. There's nowhere near a guarantee of that happening. Empires rise and fall al the time.

Social media across all major platforms is being manipulated to make everyone more stressed, everything seem more chaotic and hopeless. It's probably a certain foreign power that's working on taking over the dominant position of the globe but it's also allowed and even assisted by domestic social media companies because it drives more views.

The American empire isn’t falling, it’s changing to become more corrupt and authoritarian.

Why not both?

It’s definitely a low point.

It's just a phase.

Ha ya think, maybe a 4 year phase hopefully.
- Trump was first elected in 2016, which is almost a decade ago now.
  The voters that elected Trump will still be around after Trump's heart explodes from hamberder overload.

it's an illusion of a fall.