You gamely try to ignore the signs, blatant as they are. But your attempts are futile. You would prefer to assume America is immune to decay and inevitable decline. Surely, you suspect, the mere thought is unpatriotic, even disloyal. But in your defense, history proves the greatest civilizations eventually depreciated, often fatally. For some of these empires, the signals were conspicuous, none more manifest than, say, hordes of warriors amassed at the city gates. In other cases, less abrupt and ostentatious, the symptoms of decay revealed themselves rather subtly, like maggots casually feasting on a warm corpse. You do concede, compared to other legendary sovereignties, America is a bit youngish to fear some kind of calamitous free fall. Only 234 years old, she is but a suckling in the stalls of time. And no one can deny that she’s been tested time and again and proved her mettle, her sinew toughened by the most intense adversity. Well, you can rationalize to your heart’s content. Because, barring a reversal of cosmic proportion, our “Shining City On A Hill” more closely resembles gloomy Gotham City before Batman flew to the rescue. You remember. The hoods were in charge. The people groveled at the feet of The Joker. Sporting his dulcet tones and cunning smile, the crime lord posing as Savior promised free money and a better life. And the people genuflected like good little zombies. But the caped crusader would have none of it. And the people of Gotham lived happily ever after. In the real world, sadly, super heroes are on indefinite leave of absence. Along with them, America’s venerated culture is also missing in action. We now live in an “anti” society: anti-God, anti-music, anti-language, anti-learning, anti-truth, anti-excellence, anti-liberty. Criminals and charlatans inhabit our most sacred institutions; teachers and broadcasters rape the English language, not out of carelessness, but out of sheer ignorance. Thinking, listening and learning have succumbed to incessant gabbing, twittering and texting. Drug use by respectable citizens enriches the vast underworld, spreading misery and death. Millions fall in lock step to paint and pierce their bodies, reverting to barbaric, primitive times. Less people work and more people take. Adolescent rap masquerades as music. You must acknowledge that the majority of readers — positive thinkers and optimistic souls — resent this appraisal as exaggerated, obnoxious and totally without merit or value. And, grudgingly, in deference to all that remains bright and uplifting in the world, you might agree, except for one final revolting trend that epitomizes your nation’s rush to nowhere. That trend — television appearances by attorneys – must represent an all-time low in advertising, surpassing local car dealerships and bedding retailers. Possibly, just possibly, you could stomach a little bad taste if attorneys themselves had enough sympathy for their audiences to stay away from the cameras. But, no, their egos must be served. And their dollars must be saved by “doing it themselves.” Amazingly, these solicitors believe viewers will be impressed with facial hair and a stony-eyed stare fixated on the ubiquitous teleprompter. Throw in a jingle, appeal to universal greed, and you have the makings of world-class mediocrity. Apparently, these barrister-actors don’t consider that their appearances and messages may be repulsive; that they themselves may closely resemble felons in a sleazy police line-up. Even worse, the final blow, is the realization that these very same attorneys actually have paying clients. If that fact doesn’t strike fear for the fate of our nation, maybe it’s time to google Bruce Wayne.
