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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RetiredNow who wrote (125614)	11/26/2009 12:20:51 PM
From: Sam	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541921

More than anything I've been lamenting the dumbing down of America. I don't think that "dumbing down of America" is quite accurate--it is a symptom. The cause is the fracturing of America--the "melting pot" that never truly melted. Times of crisis and a common enemy can paper over the differences. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the expanding wealth and development of the frontier papered over differences. When Coolidge said, "The business of America is business," that was something that a large number of people could agree with. But at the end of the day, it isn't enough to create a culture. And when business stops expanding or when the frontier can't provide enough opportunities, then the real cultural differences become more visible and create problems. What you call "dumbing down" is, IMHO, a symptom of those differences, and the fact that we don't know how to address them as a common culture.