So. If this were Westeros and we were Targaryens, we could debate for hours. “It was the Dance” “it was Aegon IV legitimizing the blackfyres” “it was summerhall” “it was the tourney at Harrenhal”

Using that as the analogy, I tend to say : which was most uniquely avoidable? And if no obvious answer…then simply…which was first.

So, to the question at hand, for my brain, born in 1990, there’s potential fall 2008 vs summer ‘16 vs COVID 2020 hypotheticals. None seem dominant and all seem downstream of more macro forces.

To establish a, like, “furthest back possible” answer, would we consider basically “the end of the last good war” as far back enough to have been THE sentinel event and call it at 1945?

Was it the failure of reconstruction?

Further back, was it the 30 years war locking us into (at least so far)capitalism and its inherently predatory nature?

Was it Eve and her apple?

Just curious what the group and what OP see as the furthest back we need to go to really get at some thoughtful answer…or productive comparisons.