In the course of reflecting back on my lifetime, I vividly recall sitting in front of a Philco console radio with members of my family, listening to the haunting words of Franklin D. Roosevelt as he intoned the somber announcement of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941; “a day that will live in infamy.” That is my first clear memory of the horrors of a war that would be the focus of the United States for the next 4 years.
I can still recall the newscasts of the setbacks and triumphs of the European Theater, the African Theater and the Pacific Theater. I can still see the pennants hanging in the windows of the homes of those whose sons were serving in or who had been lost to the ravages of war. We could not pass by one of those homes without being humbled by the meaning behind each of those reminders of the sacrifice that had been brought down on this nation.
Despite our many imperfections, and there were many, we were for the most part a nation of good and decent people. To this very day, the overwhelming generosity of the American people remains unmatched by what we did for the nations that had been ravaged by the conquest of dictators and the following liberation of those so deeply affected by their evil, including our former adversaries.
From this war came the beginnings of a stark reminder of all of those who had been left behind in the wake of the pursuit of “liberty and justice for all,” and they were right in our own backyard. It was a piece of our national fabric that could no longer be ignored. Every immigrant population that ever hit the shores of this country, voluntary and forced alike, had to struggle for and earn their place in the sun, their part of the American dream. Internment camps for the Japanese Americans during World War II were but the latest reflection of that struggle. It was to be manifest in myriad ways and by many others, some of whom had a longer and more difficult road to follow towards becoming Americans. Those most forgotten were the Native Americans, long ago forced onto some of the poorest real estate and into the most remote backwaters of this country, and where they remain to this very day. Perhaps it is too much for us to be reminded of what was taken by all those “immigrants” and what rightfully belonged to an indigenous people long before this continent was known to the rest of the world.
The post war years brought a surge in economic activity in response to the pent-up demand of scarcity created by the war machine. Homes, durable goods and discretionary spending became the order of the day. However, through it all we retained a sense of decency, honor, integrity, dignity and propriety that held our social fabric together. We could count on each other and the social system for support. That is not to say we were without our faults, but some of what were regarded as flaws was an underlying hypocrisy that enabled us to carry on with some semblance of civility. I am not so sure that was altogether bad.
Then came the 60’s and the flood gates of “freedom” opened. We were engulfed by the excesses of the extreme. There was the drug culture, free love, campus revolts, etc. The mantra of “do your own thing!” carried the day. Selflessness morphed into a wave of selfishness that became instantly legitimized by having thrown off the yoke of convention. Instead of a nation of “us” we became a nation of “me.”
It would be naive to subscribe to the notion that this phenomenon reflected an “all or nothing” proposition. To be sure, there was a lot of good that resulted in this new found openness and freedom, but in many respects we threw the baby out with the bathwater. This was the time when, in my opinion, the seeds of greed as a legitimate pursuit were sown and which have taken us down the path of materialism, hedonism and depravity. We wanted it all and we were prepared to sell out everything and everybody in the pursuit of those ambitions. Greed became a noble pursuit, money became our god, and human misery was just a part of the cost of “having it all.”
We dismantled and sold off our industrial base to the new Utopian concept of globalization and free trade, never stopping to reflect on what the long-term consequences of those pursuits would be. We invested in every conceivable “get-rich” scheme imaginable. Cheap imported goods and a pocket full of plastic cards opened the world of riches to us all. We moved into our faux mansions with kitchens that would be the envy of Julia Childs, and bathrooms that would have made Polly Adler and Sally Stanford salivate at the “Romanesque” delights that could be had in such lavish surroundings. Mercedes, BMW’s, Lexus and the like became the “in” cars for those who were obsessed with keeping up appearances, and who had the means to tap into the credit pool necessary to sustain the illusion.
We managed to slip from an age of reason to an age of information. The warmth and comfort of human relationships gave way to the coldness and impersonality of communications and all the electronic gadgets that have made that possible. We no longer talk to each other. Rather, we ostensibly “communicate” by Blackberry, Face Book and Twitter. We can easily be totally alone in a crowd. We don’t need to take the time to interact with others around us. Is that healthy? I don’t think so.
We thrive on an advertising diet of “fun” in every conceivable form. Our focus is on the body beautiful and, more specifically, on those parts of the anatomy that have to do with the erotic pleasures of life. Erectile dysfunction is today’s equivalent of the bubonic plague. Nothing in life is possible without being in a semi-nude state, from the simple act of eating a hamburger to pursuing a dietary regimen that will guarantee the perfect body within a matter of weeks!
The reproductive organs haven’t changed over the course of the ages. They still remain much the same and serve the same functions. Most people know what they look like and how to use them. So, what is the big deal with showing a bit of cleavage, or sub-pubic flesh that requires waxing in order to be acceptable, and bikinis that have nothing to do with the function of swimming? I am almost convinced that, in order to be fashionable in today‘s world, there has to be a bit of the slut in every woman. The next “fashion statement” I expect to see is something on the order of a small hole in the crotch of men’s trousers so the viewing public can be titillated with a glimpse of partially exposed hairy scrota. Nothing would surprise me anymore. But, at the end of the day, it is a reflection on the minds and values of our human response to the corporate peddlers of anything that makes money. There is absolutely no dignity associated with much of anything marketed by commerce, the entertainment industry and the mass media. Vulgarity is very much “in.”
Spirituality is looked upon as something to be sold on the Internet by gurus of one ilk or another. Religion has been co-opted by those who market a “touchy-feely” brand of salvation, or a theology of absolutes and intolerance that pander to our worst instincts. They are the stuff of those who honestly believe God wants everyone to be rich, or who see themselves as the guardians and bastions of all that is good and righteous, the human cost be damned. The former gives a nobility of purpose to the pursuit of our baser side and the latter exiles from salvation anyone who dares to challenge their system of beliefs. Where, I ask you, is reason and common sense in all this?
So, what is the bottom line? Those of the current generation will never see the day when they can hold a candle to those who survived the Great Depression, those who endured the horrors of the Great War, those who survived the death camps of Nazi Germany, those who stormed the beaches at Normandy, and the countless millions of others who sacrificed, supported and stood behind them. We no longer have a sense of what is good and decent and kind and generous. Why?
I can still recall the newscasts of the setbacks and triumphs of the European Theater, the African Theater and the Pacific Theater. I can still see the pennants hanging in the windows of the homes of those whose sons were serving in or who had been lost to the ravages of war. We could not pass by one of those homes without being humbled by the meaning behind each of those reminders of the sacrifice that had been brought down on this nation.
Despite our many imperfections, and there were many, we were for the most part a nation of good and decent people. To this very day, the overwhelming generosity of the American people remains unmatched by what we did for the nations that had been ravaged by the conquest of dictators and the following liberation of those so deeply affected by their evil, including our former adversaries.
From this war came the beginnings of a stark reminder of all of those who had been left behind in the wake of the pursuit of “liberty and justice for all,” and they were right in our own backyard. It was a piece of our national fabric that could no longer be ignored. Every immigrant population that ever hit the shores of this country, voluntary and forced alike, had to struggle for and earn their place in the sun, their part of the American dream. Internment camps for the Japanese Americans during World War II were but the latest reflection of that struggle. It was to be manifest in myriad ways and by many others, some of whom had a longer and more difficult road to follow towards becoming Americans. Those most forgotten were the Native Americans, long ago forced onto some of the poorest real estate and into the most remote backwaters of this country, and where they remain to this very day. Perhaps it is too much for us to be reminded of what was taken by all those “immigrants” and what rightfully belonged to an indigenous people long before this continent was known to the rest of the world.
The post war years brought a surge in economic activity in response to the pent-up demand of scarcity created by the war machine. Homes, durable goods and discretionary spending became the order of the day. However, through it all we retained a sense of decency, honor, integrity, dignity and propriety that held our social fabric together. We could count on each other and the social system for support. That is not to say we were without our faults, but some of what were regarded as flaws was an underlying hypocrisy that enabled us to carry on with some semblance of civility. I am not so sure that was altogether bad.
Then came the 60’s and the flood gates of “freedom” opened. We were engulfed by the excesses of the extreme. There was the drug culture, free love, campus revolts, etc. The mantra of “do your own thing!” carried the day. Selflessness morphed into a wave of selfishness that became instantly legitimized by having thrown off the yoke of convention. Instead of a nation of “us” we became a nation of “me.”
It would be naive to subscribe to the notion that this phenomenon reflected an “all or nothing” proposition. To be sure, there was a lot of good that resulted in this new found openness and freedom, but in many respects we threw the baby out with the bathwater. This was the time when, in my opinion, the seeds of greed as a legitimate pursuit were sown and which have taken us down the path of materialism, hedonism and depravity. We wanted it all and we were prepared to sell out everything and everybody in the pursuit of those ambitions. Greed became a noble pursuit, money became our god, and human misery was just a part of the cost of “having it all.”
We dismantled and sold off our industrial base to the new Utopian concept of globalization and free trade, never stopping to reflect on what the long-term consequences of those pursuits would be. We invested in every conceivable “get-rich” scheme imaginable. Cheap imported goods and a pocket full of plastic cards opened the world of riches to us all. We moved into our faux mansions with kitchens that would be the envy of Julia Childs, and bathrooms that would have made Polly Adler and Sally Stanford salivate at the “Romanesque” delights that could be had in such lavish surroundings. Mercedes, BMW’s, Lexus and the like became the “in” cars for those who were obsessed with keeping up appearances, and who had the means to tap into the credit pool necessary to sustain the illusion.
We managed to slip from an age of reason to an age of information. The warmth and comfort of human relationships gave way to the coldness and impersonality of communications and all the electronic gadgets that have made that possible. We no longer talk to each other. Rather, we ostensibly “communicate” by Blackberry, Face Book and Twitter. We can easily be totally alone in a crowd. We don’t need to take the time to interact with others around us. Is that healthy? I don’t think so.
We thrive on an advertising diet of “fun” in every conceivable form. Our focus is on the body beautiful and, more specifically, on those parts of the anatomy that have to do with the erotic pleasures of life. Erectile dysfunction is today’s equivalent of the bubonic plague. Nothing in life is possible without being in a semi-nude state, from the simple act of eating a hamburger to pursuing a dietary regimen that will guarantee the perfect body within a matter of weeks!
The reproductive organs haven’t changed over the course of the ages. They still remain much the same and serve the same functions. Most people know what they look like and how to use them. So, what is the big deal with showing a bit of cleavage, or sub-pubic flesh that requires waxing in order to be acceptable, and bikinis that have nothing to do with the function of swimming? I am almost convinced that, in order to be fashionable in today‘s world, there has to be a bit of the slut in every woman. The next “fashion statement” I expect to see is something on the order of a small hole in the crotch of men’s trousers so the viewing public can be titillated with a glimpse of partially exposed hairy scrota. Nothing would surprise me anymore. But, at the end of the day, it is a reflection on the minds and values of our human response to the corporate peddlers of anything that makes money. There is absolutely no dignity associated with much of anything marketed by commerce, the entertainment industry and the mass media. Vulgarity is very much “in.”
Spirituality is looked upon as something to be sold on the Internet by gurus of one ilk or another. Religion has been co-opted by those who market a “touchy-feely” brand of salvation, or a theology of absolutes and intolerance that pander to our worst instincts. They are the stuff of those who honestly believe God wants everyone to be rich, or who see themselves as the guardians and bastions of all that is good and righteous, the human cost be damned. The former gives a nobility of purpose to the pursuit of our baser side and the latter exiles from salvation anyone who dares to challenge their system of beliefs. Where, I ask you, is reason and common sense in all this?
So, what is the bottom line? Those of the current generation will never see the day when they can hold a candle to those who survived the Great Depression, those who endured the horrors of the Great War, those who survived the death camps of Nazi Germany, those who stormed the beaches at Normandy, and the countless millions of others who sacrificed, supported and stood behind them. We no longer have a sense of what is good and decent and kind and generous. Why?
- Because our moral compass is broken and we are off course.
- Because we cannot defer gratification and temper our proclivity for excesses.
- Because we either cannot or will not see that our political establishment is hopelessly corrupt and totally self-serving.
- Because we are blind to the deadly seduction and tyranny of multi-national corporations and the vast wealth created by their pursuits.
- Because we cannot feel the pain of or demonstrate a modicum of empathy for our fellow man.
- Because we simply don’t have the ability to think, question or feel anything beyond what is required in the pursuit of our own materialistic and hedonistic appetites.
- Because we are too complacent, lack the discipline and sacrifice, or simply don’t have the guts to right the wrongs of the past in order to save the future for those who will follow us.
- Because we have no sense of decency, decorum and propriety that makes for a civilized society.
- Because we have entrusted our future to the hollow promises of “change” promised by the current occupant of the White House, the dubious successes of the reconstituted Cabinet from the former Clinton Administration, and the shallow hope of a better future embodied in the likes of Sarah Palin.
- Because we are the culmination of a wayward nation that has finally arrived at a generation of our own making --- humanoids and automatons.
With this as our legacy, what hope is there for the future? Given the grotesque public adoration and the perverted attempt to deify Michael Jackson, I would submit, not a hell of a lot.
Cowboy Bob
July 10, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment