The Great Cultural Decay
Great nations and proud empires have
always collapsed from within before they were conquered from without. President
Obama’s re-election mirrors the self indulgent, greedy and envious nation we
are rapidly becoming. Pollsters Michael Barone and Dick Morris got it horribly
wrong. Both predicted a 300-electoral vote win for Romney. It was President
Obama who reached that mark. The central message coming out of the election
seems to be that we are no longer the America of our founders, or even the
America that existed during World War 2, which produced our “greatest
generation.” Instead, the election validates the enormous cultural shift that
has been taking place since the 60’s when the counter cultural bomb
was dropped on society, producing moral fallout that continues to this day. I
am child of the “greatest generation.” My parents believed I should learn to
take care of myself. They would have been too embarrassed to ask for help if
they needed it. If they did, they would have turned to family first, or to a friend
or neighbor. There were fewer social programs then, so people mostly did
without, living only on what they truly needed. It said something about your
character if you refused to strive toward self-sufficiency.
In 2012, nothing appears to embarrass
us; Snooki, Honey Boo Boo, Reality TV wives, etc. Look at what is paraded
before us as normal. Oppose the new normal and it’s you who are abnormal. Young
people are taught in public schools, at major universities, on TV and in
movies, that every life choice is acceptable and every tenet open to
interpretation. In politics, some proclaim it is right to oppose the successful
and envy the rich to the point where they must be denigrated and penalized for
their success with higher taxes. No one has to be personally responsible. No
education: no motivation, no life plan? No problem. The government will take
care of you. One thing Romney might have done better is to have featured more
people who had overcome government dependence by embracing the values he was
promoting. Example trumps philosophy and success should trump victim hood.
Inspiration follows perspiration. But in our “entitlement” age even that might
have been impossible to overcome.
Other signs of cultural decay
are accepted with little notice. According to data from the Centers for Disease
Control and prevention, 40 % of babies born in America are born to unmarried
women (Shrug), abortion clinics continue to operate (Yawn). There is no longer
any cultural corrective because we have abandoned the concept of objective
truth. Nothing is right or wrong, because that suggests a standard by which
right and wrong might be defined. Personal choice is the new “standard,” which
is no standard at all. One might as well develop individual weights and
measures. Politicians bid for votes, making promises they can’t keep to voters
who will believe anything, as long as it appeals to greed, envy, and their
sense of entitlement. This fuels our massive debt, weakening our economic power
and Americas standing in the world. Standards used to be defined and mostly
accepted, if not always universally practiced. Many grew out of religious
principles. According to recent Pew Poll, a growing number of people,
especially young people, no longer believe in God or religion. In this, an
increasing flirtation with socialism.
America is becoming more like
Europe. Government seems to be replacing God as the only acceptable “deity.” So
what’s the answer? Should we (conservatives) throw in the towel and say
America, as passed down to us by previous generations, is no more? That was
President Obama’s announced goal 4years ago when he promised to “fundamentally
transform America.” He’s doing it and sufficient numbers of us appear happy to
let him. When they realize what they have done, however, it may well be too
late to reverse course.
Join us on our website: thepeopleofliberty.com
and let us know what how you feel about our cultural decay.
Until next time, Rodney
