I’ve been involved with media platforms as tools of promoting thought, propaganda, news, subjective discussions, etc. for long enough to have an understanding of how it can and does work. One method of flooding the airwaves is a daily routine but something not everyone is even aware of.
Most “news” agencies are not independent creators of news and information. They collect it from one source and then the Media, as a whole, becomes a giant echo chamber. The question might then become is this a planned event or is it happenstance? It might be both but be assured that if someone wants to rapidly spread something, all systems are in place to carry out a massive and rapidly spreading propaganda machine.
It seems on several occasions of late writers are talking about America’s “Cultural Crisis.” Let’s not kid ourselves. If you or I perceive that America’s Culture is in crisis, is that not our opinion – a subjective determination based on our own lifestyle and moral compass, if we have one at all?
But let’s not debate whether America’s Culture is in crisis. It is being discussed and therefore there must be a reason.
One of the reasons I suspect that the Parkland, Florida school shooting was a planned out event is because of what transpired after the shooting. It is virtually impossible to have put together all of the events that transpired after the school shooting unless at least some or many of those plans were in place beforehand. No other shooting event caused such a seemingly united attempt at addressing the destruction of the Second Amendment with proportionately little attention given to a “Cultural Crisis” up until now.
The point of all this is to draw attention to what the Media is doing in its plans to promote and perpetuate what it intends to or are told to do.
So we have articles and opinion pieces showing up attempting to address a “Cultural Crisis.” Why?
Maybe someday we will understand all the ins and outs as to who and what is behind the mass Media but for now we must deal with it and hope and pray that our knowledge base is strong enough and accurate enough to recognize when we are being bamboozled and when we are not, and/or we can divide truth from fiction.
As I see it, one of the problems with any of the discussions I have read about a cultural crisis isn’t about what constitutes this crisis but the solutions offered to counter the crisis. It seems that whether you are a progressive/liberal or a conservative, because of our indoctrination we tend to always assume the high ground and that we have the answers. It only becomes necessary to take the high ground when solutions offered are only presented as being from the Right or the Left as though those are the only two places where answers are found.
For regular readers, recall that I have often said that one of the more serious issues Americans face in this country is that we have all become programmed to see everything as either Right or Left- problems are right or left, solutions are right or left.
With all this in mind, two recent articles were sent to me that attempt to address America’s cultural crisis and the threats driving this nation toward civil war.
In John Hawkings piece published at Townhall, he lists “7 Forces Driving America Toward Civil War,” he mentions as two items, “Lack of a Shared Culture” and “Moral Decline.” While the acknowledgment of these two items is presented, both are given as problems caused by the false paradigm of Left vs. Right, and thus any proposals for solutions are therefore given within that same context.
Hawkins doesn’t necessarily present his discussion on culture as being in crisis, I would suppose that if he deems it worthy of an ingredient that may ultimately lead to civil war, then one might conclude he considers the issues confronting the American culture are in crisis.
The author’s idea of a moral decline isn’t that much in line with what I would describe as a moral decline. Hawkins sees the moral decline as “A large number of Americans HAVE LOST their principles, manners and virtue and it shows through from the sort of politicians they elect, to their rudeness online, to the sort of shallow hedonism and fame whoring they find appealing.”
No solutions are offered.
It should be said that a moral decline and a cultural crisis go hand in hand and cannot be separated.
The second article is a Lee Edwards piece published in the National Review. His work goes quite a bit deeper into history and offering quotes and the work of many conservatives from the past up until the present. Edwards offers existing past performances, mostly including those of Russell Kirk, as the solution to America’s Cultural Crisis.
Again, there is little argument about those things in our society that are listed as being a problem. He quotes Judge Robert Bork when he warned: “We are on the road to cultural disaster.” Bork blames Liberalism: “radical egalitarianism becomes tyranny and radical individualism descends into hedonism.”
I’m not fond of these kinds of statements because in describing egalitarianism and individualism, both are qualified with the subjective adjective “radical.” It makes it more difficult to completely understand what the owner of those words really meant. I work very hard at my individualism but I see none of that as even approaching hedonism. Does that mean my support of individualism is not radical? Where is the line drawn? Not to get off topic.
It’s difficult to argue with Edwards’ assessment of the results of a progressive lifestyle which basically views all things in what some of us would call a post-normal society – wrong is right, black is white, bad is good, etc.
He also lists C. Northcote Parkinson’s 6 Stages of Decadence – political over-centralization, excessive taxes and government interference, top-heavy intrusive government, crooks and criminals in government, debt, liberal sentimentality.
Edwards uses Kirk’s words describing those issues that need to be addressed to expose the liberal agenda that is driving America’s culture into crisis: militant secularism, soft socialism, legalistic internationalism, rabid egalitarianism, arrogant relativism, and radical societal change.
All of this and a few words about the water that Donald Trump must walk on and the solution is to begin a systematic approach to rebuild our culture on conservative principles. Many so-called conservative principles I see as far better, at least from the perspective that those principles include a certain degree of liberty and individualism. But these are still man’s values and solutions.
Included in the suggested solutions is a call to look to a higher existence in order to make us into a “good” society. This is typical of Catholicism’s call to their gOD and not our Creator. Until the American Society individually and as a whole can seek Yahweh for guidance and direction, man’s solutions will fail. That is the reason we are where we are at now.
It is mostly a cop-out to claim the high ground when Americans say we are an “exceptional” nation, basically good, who gives a lot of money to charity, etc. etc. but isn’t this really a lot about easing our guilt phobias?
Not all givers are this way but to live the lifestyles so prevalent in American Culture, which is decadent, selfish, hedonistic, and perverse, then pop into the church, give a few bucks, somehow makes us a good society?
It’s a daily event now that we read about some display of our radical Godless society – mass murders, random killings, terrorism, evil bloody attacks, etc. and we want to blame liberalism for them, believing that conservativism wouldn’t do those things.
Our culture continues to move further and further away from Yahweh. The Scriptures told us this would happen and here it is. Commend those who want to expose the realities of our culture and offer their solutions. Real solutions can come from only one place. It must begin with the individual. Isn’t this why a Godless society strives to destroy individualism?
If we all get on the right track, all the rest will no longer be a problem.
