Not only has American decadence been characterized by a decline in the quality of Americans, it's also exhibited a marked decline in the quality of American decadence. Compare the party culture of the 90s rave scene or the 80s punk scene, or really any previous era, with the modern. The fashion is ugly and bland, the women are fat and unpleasant, the music sucks, the sexual climate is bizarrely prudish. Incels and femcels are probably the largest plurality amongst millennials and younger. The general climate is one of ennui and malaise.
We're basically living in the Great Hangover.
High quality decadence seems to require maintenance by high quality humans, who in turn cannot be produced by decadence. Another way of saying that if you want to play hard you need to work hard.
You have a good analysis here, but no need for despair. As Christians, we are to live out our faith in all aspects of our lives daily, so the separation you mentioned shouldn't be relevant to God fearing people. Each of us can only manage ourselves and we must live with hope and have love for each other and in everything we do. The fear that too many live with needs to be shed like an old, outmoded outfit. Mother Teresa or the great GK Chesterton would remind us that what is wrong with the world is "me".
I have always proposed that postmodern thought, collectivism, and the idea of “social justice” are symptoms of the disease of progressivism and progressivism is the disease of prosperity, of generations never having to face the fires of Hades in a fight for survival. Like the foppish and frivolous people of the Roaring Twenties, the current blizzard of our precious, special snowflakes was created by such a historical period where hardship is defined as not having the latest iPhone or suffering with slow Internet.
Post-modernism, deconstructionism and progressivism are all the result of individuals seeking to explain their lack of success, societal mobility and meaningful achievement in the face of the objective success of productive members of society and individual self-determination. They are incapable of coming to terms with their own limitations; therefore they must construct an alternative explanation for their lack of tangible value to society through a system of pseudo-logic.
That we would be here today seems a historical inevitability and entirely predictable.
"From hunter-gatherer to washer-dryer is a long, strange trip."
Not only has American decadence been characterized by a decline in the quality of Americans, it's also exhibited a marked decline in the quality of American decadence. Compare the party culture of the 90s rave scene or the 80s punk scene, or really any previous era, with the modern. The fashion is ugly and bland, the women are fat and unpleasant, the music sucks, the sexual climate is bizarrely prudish. Incels and femcels are probably the largest plurality amongst millennials and younger. The general climate is one of ennui and malaise.
We're basically living in the Great Hangover.
High quality decadence seems to require maintenance by high quality humans, who in turn cannot be produced by decadence. Another way of saying that if you want to play hard you need to work hard.
You have a good analysis here, but no need for despair. As Christians, we are to live out our faith in all aspects of our lives daily, so the separation you mentioned shouldn't be relevant to God fearing people. Each of us can only manage ourselves and we must live with hope and have love for each other and in everything we do. The fear that too many live with needs to be shed like an old, outmoded outfit. Mother Teresa or the great GK Chesterton would remind us that what is wrong with the world is "me".
Breathe deeply, tell the truth, turn to nature, and practice peaceful non-compliance.
Fantastic post.
I have always proposed that postmodern thought, collectivism, and the idea of “social justice” are symptoms of the disease of progressivism and progressivism is the disease of prosperity, of generations never having to face the fires of Hades in a fight for survival. Like the foppish and frivolous people of the Roaring Twenties, the current blizzard of our precious, special snowflakes was created by such a historical period where hardship is defined as not having the latest iPhone or suffering with slow Internet.
Post-modernism, deconstructionism and progressivism are all the result of individuals seeking to explain their lack of success, societal mobility and meaningful achievement in the face of the objective success of productive members of society and individual self-determination. They are incapable of coming to terms with their own limitations; therefore they must construct an alternative explanation for their lack of tangible value to society through a system of pseudo-logic.
That we would be here today seems a historical inevitability and entirely predictable.
Johnny could not read in 1955. Professionals are too busy reading for the job. The Vietnam War in my opinion destroyed the nation.