The economy has gone from the ICU to the morgue. It was inevitable. There has been no shelling, no EMP, no invading army, no nuclear attack. Everything is more or less the same, but everything has changed so drastically. You feel like you are living in a parallel universe. 

Decadence is all around, and it came faster than people could imagine. Businesses, fabrics, commerce, and entertainment – everything is working. Stuff is being produced, sold, and serviced. Just not as before.

The streets are dim, dirty – lacking conservation and maintenance. It's a lot more unsafe to walk around, especially after dark. Graffiti is everywhere, and so is plundering and littering. Business and commerce are decadent, with lots of closed and "for rent" places and dilapidated properties.

In short, life's become considerably harder. 

Hordes of unemployed, homeless, and drug addicts wander the street and avenues, living in parks and under bridges. Loitering and crime run rampant. So do manifestations and strikes: everybody is discontent. Last month the train operators refused to work, and sanitation workers just crossed arms.

Buildings and houses in many residential neighborhoods now have windows with bars and perimeters with high fences and barbed wire. There are abandoned cars here and there, and it's not as safe for kids to play in the streets as before. Parks are poorly conserved, with tall grass and stray animals. 

I'm not trying to be somber, but this is not fiction. 

It's a short description of life during the 1980s, even in some developed countries. Granted, things have not yet reached that point, but they are headed that way. We're still in the early stages of a dreadful period.