I Miss America

Daniel Patrick Moynihan is reputed to have argued that culture, not politics, determined the future of a given country and people. Assuming, as I do, that this is correct, we need to try to determine what is happening in our culture in order to glimpse our political future. As I look at the cultural life of modern America, I have to constantly remind myself that I am part of the older generation and that, at least in part, colors my view of what is going on around me. America is changing and it is understandable that those of us who grew up in different surroundings are uneasy about the changes.

Having made that disclaimer, I also have to confess that I am not encouraged by what I see happening. My benchmarks are mostly from the 1950s. To make an intelligent dialogue even more difficult, most of the people who read these words only know that as ancient history. In as much as history is always at the mercy of the historian, I should note that the current popular view of that period is not what I remember. It has been written by those involved in the changing scene about which I have questions.

From my perspective, our culture is creating a mindset in the American people that is unduly emphasizing the following characteristics: greed, immorality, pessimism, lassitude, and impatience. All of these were, of course, alive and well in the 1950s, but they were not the dominant characteristics of our culture. As I see it, they are, today, on the road to being the driving force in our lives and I think that is dangerous to our well-being. I believe that the cultural fibers that hold us together as a people are being weakened as a result.

In the middle of the last century, Norman Rockwell's paintings sold magazines, but today, his images are used to typecast an outmoded way of life. Religion used to be respected, but today it is definitely passe in an ever widening segment of our society. We used to believe that America was a huge melting pot where hard working people mix together to bring out the best in all of us. Today, we see it necessary to maintain individual cultures and accept second languages. It used to be that we respected moral people and actually believed that a deal was a deal. Today, there are organizations that help people squirm out of legal contracts and it is regarded as "smart" to walk away from a legal agreement if it makes economic sense. Etc., etc., etc.

There are a lot of reasons why all of this is happening, but technology is certainly one of the more important. Advances in transportation and communication make it possible for us to live anywhere we choose. Many of the old restraints on how we lived our lives have been removed by these advances. Because we are now infinitely mobile, the old lady down the street's opinion of us is much less important - in fact, we are invisible to one another. We can be immoral (however that is currently defined) and get away with it. Facebook and Twitter make it possible to associate with like-minded people whether they are representative of those around us or not. This minimizes the importance of compromise and makes us intellectually mobile to compliment our physical mobility.

In small town America there were fewer beggars than there are in America today. In those long gone days, the community knew the individual. Scams were more easily detected. Real need was more often addressed effectively. Today, it is cool to give a dollar to a beggar, whether one suspects that he or she is scamming us or not, but it is not necessary to find a way to help that individual in any real way. That is the government's responsibility. This is America and all individuals are owed a good life whether they work hard or not. In fact, working hard is not cool. "Smart" is cool. Me is the definition of our culture.

Norman Rockwell's America had problems, but, in my view, it was a much better place than where we appear to be headed. I recognize that my concerns are not cool and, thus, are not relevant to "smart" America. I should just get one of those bumper stickers - "I miss America."