The weakness of complex technological systems is not in their vulnerability to technical attacks. International securities and banking systems, defense systems, communications systems, computer security systems (with which I have some experience) are all the same in that they rely on trust relationships. Everything works perfectly as long as those trust relationships aren't damaged. But it also requires that we all believe the lie that these systems are completely secure. Technically, they probably are. These systems aren't susceptible to a technical attack; they are well defended against such attacks, which would have to be very technical in nature, and would require a massive coordinated effort by extremely technical people with vast resources at their disposal. Governments maybe, not hackers.
But the "systems of trust" is not nearly so impregnable. The successful attack against any one of these systems will be the one that is non-technical, but is directed against this human "web of trust."
The technology won't fail ... but as all human systems do, the system of trust will.
Who do you trust? With your life savings? With the welfare and security of your family? Your house? Who do you trust? You trust far more than you know. But that's changing, isn't it? And rapidly.
Let's see, Americans are in no way more intractably divided than along political lines. So who do the members of the two political parties trust?
Republicans don't trust the government. And we need government.
Democrats don't trust Big Business. And we need corporations.
Both have completely valid reasons for their distrust.
But I'm asking "who do you trust?"
The securities market?
The housing market?
The labor market?
America's biggest banks and lending institutions?
The news media?
Your employer?
Hillary Clinton's State Department?
Janet Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security?
How about the military, which should easily have foreseen the outcomes of both the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, and should have been able to avoid two humiliating and unnecessary military defeats? Do you trust the military?
Who do you really trust? There aren't many institutions left, are there, that an intelligent reasonably cautious person will trust explicitly.
The systems of trust are breaking down. Why? Because the very first loss of trust was a loss of trust in ourselves. We have been systematically taught not to think, not to reason, not to write, not to read, not to study, not to strive for perfection ... to get by, using whatever means is necessary (to accept that "the ends justify the means"). We learned not to trust in ourselves; our principles became subject to manipulation by propaganda and fear-mongering. We were told we could no longer afford morals or honor. And we believed that lie. And when we accept that lie; that we couldn't trust ourselves, that we couldn't trust in our own moral conscience or in our courage to adhere to it, no matter what, well ... why should we place more trust in others, or in institutions we know are made up of people no better than ourselves?
Systems of trust. Those are the real vulnerability of a society that is increasingly in the hands of con artists and high stakes gamblers.
And while you're at it, why not turn off that friggin' tv set. Get your head out of that thing and get back to living.