Most countries are static, and they need to just keep having babies. But America's like this big old clanking smoking machine that just lumbers across the landscape scooping up and eating everything in sight.
This quote offers a vivid critique of America's restless expansion and consumption mindset. It contrasts the perceived stability of other nations with America's relentless and sometimes destructive pursuit of growth, highlighting a culture driven by insatiable appetite and progress, regardless of consequences. The imagery of a "clanking smoking machine" underscores how industrialization and consumerism can resemble a relentless, unthinking behemoth that moves forward without regard for harmony or sustainability. This perspective invites reflection on the environmental and social toll of such relentless development.
---Neal Stephenson---
