From an interview with energy policy expert Jörg Friedrichs on the shift from cheap oil to expensive oil:

When social glue and traditional lifestyles have eroded, they are not easily recovered. After several generations of individualism and affluence, Westerners will have a hard time accepting that they need to rely on communities and must revert to a sustainable lifestyle.

Nicely gels with McGirr's account of Sunbelt development in Orange County--individualism and affluence seem to be the drivers of paranoia; how will these take shape once wealth is threatened by expensive energy?