Why American culture is deteriorating

But Colonel you must admit it does not help. How can music that has a young generation singing of beatings, drugs, guns and police violence be good?

I don't care if you are white, black or purple if you embrace a culture of violence you are working towards destruction. This music today does glorify these issues and the result? So many african american men in jail, so many broken homes, unwed mothers (not to mention a new commonly accepted term of "my babies daddy, what happened to husband). Yes many aspects of society have lead to this but that aside an entire industry is being built on creating icons out of those that embrace it.

Again this is not a race issue (at least for me). It is a responsiblity issue and something we have never seen before in society. I hate to think of a generation dedicated to the "teachings" of people like ludicris or Pdiddy. Violence, drugs and abuse are not going to help grow a responsible generation.

Also this music and it's influence does cross racial lines, the difference is in this country if you are black you pay a higher price for prescribing to that lifestyle.

[Edited on 3/24/2004 by nativeokie]

you are walking, talking proof that not all conservatives are one-sided hypocrites. thank you very much for sharing your opposition. but where are the usual 'yeeeeehaws' ? they're more fun to debate! you know who you are.

Oh, I can go cowboy if I want to - but I prefer a more organized thought based debate

There are a few nations that could militarily compete with us, and probably not alone, but with allies.

If it's allys then it's US, UK, and Isreal (maybe more) vs China, Russia maybe N Korea and a bunch of middle eastern countries. I like our chances of winning in the end, even though the majority of us would die.

we should all like each other just for the sake that we are all part of the same human race.

This is a great idea - but it will never happen. The fact is, that these terrorists we are fighting are the very ones full of hate. If what you said you really believe, then you would support a war on those who hate and murder everyone that warships a different god.

Yes, I honestly think this is a fake war on "terrah" as the man said. Especially since it all started with that staged event we like to call 911.

I take offense to this. It was NOT "staged." My dads best friend was in charge of the medical evacuation at the pentagon. He was there when the plane hit. The emotional problems he is suffering are a direct result of the terrorist attack, not to mention thousands of dead americans.

I wouldn't say American culture is deteriorating. It's changing, something that has become a hallmark of American society. Just think how boring things would be if they stayed exactly the same! Blaming the music of choice of the new generation has been used as a slight for ages -- my grandmother complained about rock music, and my mother griped about punk & new wave. African-Americans have finally found a voice in our culture, and though I'm not a fan of rap & hip-hop, I respect its right to exist.

The technological revolution is here, and it has changed the face of American and world cultures in ways that no one could anticipate. We've cracked the DNA code, and that too is having a great impact. So many changes in such a short time ... is it any wonder that civilization is changing so fast? At worst, we're in the throes of transition. Degredation only happens where there is stagnation, and I see none of that except in the minds of those who refuse to change.

But then, I've always been an optimist...

Originally posted by American Mad Man
Blind? Am I blind because I don't believe that Bush planned the terrorist attacks? Please tell me what makes me blind.

You really think everything is so simple? Something very strange is going on. If you don't feel it, you're either in denial, or your just missing something so unmistakably obvious to a lot of people, that it's a little tough for me believe you're not just being bullheaded. I'm not saying Bush planned anything, but I am indeed saying it's not as simple as some terrorists flew some planes into some buildings. I know enough about physics and science to know that this is anything but cut and dry. Some people just have a second sight about things. Apparently you're not one of them.

[Edited on 3-24-2004 by Satyr]

Originally posted by robertfenix
The downward spiral.

Gay marriages, the removal of 'under one GOD', the removal of in GOD we TRUST, Marriage Failure rate, corrupt religious organizations, Pedophile Priests and the Church's that protect them, sensless murders, greed, avorice, the idolization of money, the pursuit of power and fame. on and on and on.

All of these things are un-godly and the further down that road we go, the worse off we will become.

Jesus Christ! Don't try to bring your god into this. That's lame as hell. These are human issues, they have nothing to do with dissing your imaginary god. That's the largest farce of all time.

Common Colonel,
You have to admit that the "rap" that has come out since Public Enemy's "Fear of a Black Planet" is sub-par to say the least. I used to like rap when it was actually making a valid point with a good beat behind it. This new "Gangsta" crap is disturbing to say the least. I hate hearing learics about "pullin my 9" and all of that crap. It's this kind of crap that makes all of you ultra liberal frightened people afraid of us law abiding gun owners/carriers. Those of us who legally carry are much more likely to save your life than the police if you live in a carry friendly state. Quite frankly, we outnumber the police. That's the way it should be.
I feel sorry for Colonel and all others who live in D.C. and NYC. You are all kept defenseless except for the few "elite" who are allowed to protect themselves and thier families.

A gun in hand is better than a cop on the phone.

unknown

I gotta say that what's contributing to the downfall of US culture is the shocking amount of total IDIOTS that "y'all" got.

Total morons who don't know a THING about the outside world other than what they see on TV or read in TV Guide. Ignorant idiots who don't know they're ignorant. People so ignorant that they'll argue their POINT OF VIEW instead of anything factual.

Do you realize when you say the USA is the greatest country in the world, people laugh their asses off?

Who has killed the most Americans in history? Other Americans. By a HUGE margin (look at your murder rates). Your own people are the problem.

jako

I love my country (USA) and what it was intended to do and represent, but human nature being what it is, nothing we ever try to do is going to work out exactly as planned. Societies rise and fall. This one may too.

I do believe that people in other parts of the world hate us, but not for why you might think and perhaps not consiously. What they fear is that we are advance notice of the way things will eventually be for everyone. We represent what happens when you combine people of every culture, race, and religion into the same place, give em some pretty advanced technology and let em loose. We have taken the best (people) and the worst (people) of the rest of the world and done better with it than anyone else has in just 230 years. I believe we owe our strength and good fortune to that diversity.

Your time is coming. We're are just the example. We are the experiment. Your ability to communicate on this forum is due to American tech and scientific advances. No? How many of you are using Windows or knows someone who is? You absorb our Culture (including the hiphop) even while you bemoan and complain about it.

Islam (and yes, I include the whole religion) hates us because we represent Western Culture. Sure we do. Culture is our biggest export and the rest of you eat it up. Western Culture is the end of their religious domination over their own populations, especially the females. Western Culture represents the triumph of Science over the superstitions (like 40 virgins? come on...) of Dogmatic Religion. I don't understand why nobody gets this but they have to oppose us or become us. No one gets to be seperate anymore. The world is getting too small for that.

Someone else said that we're not deteriorating, just changing and I'll go along with that. We've already changed so much from how we started. Our founding fathers would'nt recognise us, but I do think they would recognise who we are trying to be. We still have noble ideals and a solid core. We are also realists (well most of us) and know that the world is a rough place. Our goals get hijacked and distorted, often from greed, but most of us mean well. Just don't get in our way we when we come for the oil. We'll pay you well for it (and have) but we are going to have it....

Our founding fathers would'nt recognise us, but I do think they would recognise who we are trying to be.

Communists?

Originally posted by Colonel

Originally posted by slugfast
very good insights, I attribute the decay of American Society as more of a consequence of our youth becoming infatuated with Hip Hop music...

See the bigoted racism coming in? Hip Hop music caused the fall of this culture...as if it was decadent and evil from the inception.

Personally i blame country music.
and the wellfare whores who pop a baby out every 9 mos with thier drug dealing sperm doners raising thier kids to spunge off of me and rob me blind for crack.

Originally posted by Satyr

Our founding fathers would'nt recognise us, but I do think they would recognise who we are trying to be.

Communists?

That would even be more amusing if there was some factual basis to that, but we were lucky that someone else got to make that big mistake. There are many here who would welcome communism or socialism. I'll refute your label by maintaining that it's their right to prefer that.

Originally posted by Ambient Sound

Originally posted by Satyr

Our founding fathers would'nt recognise us, but I do think they would recognise who we are trying to be.

Communists?

That would even be more amusing if there was some factual basis to that, but we were lucky that someone else got to make that big mistake. There are many here who would welcome communism or socialism. I'll refute your label by maintaining that it's their right to prefer that.

I think they'd all be suprised there's no slaves, and really suprised to see thomas jefferson's kids.

I expect you are right! I would say the fact that there is no slavery and the fact that TJ's kids are acknowledged as such are positive things.

1 point for the American Experiment!

This is just my opinion, but I hate how people blindly claim rap is the cause of our society's downfall. You all say that it's because there's lyrics that discuss violence, guns, drugs, etc, etc like theres no other style of music out there that discusses these things. Ever listened to heavy/death metal, or any kind of rock in general? Rap is not the only kind of music that talks about these kinds of things.

Also, you refer to the music as hip-hop. Hip hop is a culture, not just a musical form. Call it rap, or hip hop music, but know that hip hop is not just about music. It's about expressing creativity. This comes through music, djing, grafitti, and b-boying. These are all creative outlets through which people can express their emotions and feelings. It's not good to blindly attack these things without looking at any other options.

Sorry about the rant there, but I just had to get that off my chest.

Somewhere earlier in this thread someone asked "where are the great American thinkers of the last 100 years?" Well, not all great thinkers are called thinkers during their time. Most of them are thought of as revolutionary or exactly opposite of great thinkers until many years later. In another 100 years maybe we'll be looking back on this period of American history and be talking about great thinkers, who knows?

America has produced great creative people in the past century or two, and I'm sure we'll be looking back at more of them in the future; we're just blind to them right now.

[Edited on 25-3-2004 by Faisca]

Sorry, I just can't get with ya on the hiphop although I did recognize it as cultural in an earlier post. There is a lot of energy there, yes, but it is a negitive and destructive energy from what I've seen.

Know where the "baggy pants hangin off your ass" thing comes from? It's an emulation of prison culture where you aren't given belts, so your pants hang down when you lose weight as most do when you go in for a while...

I don't see where holding up the prison population and gang culture as role models for fashion or behavior is doing anyone any good.

I wonder what they'd think of this person...

I got into a debate with my cousin's boyfriend. He thought that hippies ruined the country! I was sort of shocked, since that was the first time I'd ever heard that! I mean, hippies were fighting for freedom. He tried to tell me they all sold out, and they're the yuppie assholes that made our system this #ed up with their BS feel good laws. I told him that the ones that sold out were never really hippies in the first place. They were hippy wanna be's, who thought being a hippy was only about having long hair and smoking pot. How wrong they were! Those types of people are the ones that gave hippies a bad name. They had no clue what it was really about, yet they longed to be part of the revolution.

Originally posted by American Mad Man

Get with it - the rest of the world has EXTREME envy of the US - especially European countries (which I assume you mean by foriegn countries, as I dont think you could make the argument that most african or middle eastern - or for that matter asian - countries are in an even remote position to criticise us).

Oh, I kinda doubt that. Some may admire the lifestyles in this country. But, I think there is WAAAY more dislike than envy floating about.
We have been so in-your-face with ourselves, that many could care less about our country. Sorry to say.

Originally posted by American Mad ManYour 9/11 Bush election crap is stupid as well - there was no conspiracy, no US attacks on US, no illegal election. Get over your obvious liberal slant because you are actually on to something here - US culture is going down hill. We are no longer an iron willed nation of action takers. Instead we have become a country that cowers in the face of evil ...

I voted for Bush. And even I know something weird happened in Florida. We jokingly said we wondered why THEY wanted Bush to win. (This is before I had my eyes opened) There is absolutely something going on here. The US didn't attack the US---Those in Power attacked the US, and some of them are our leaders.
Our culture is going downhill. And there really is no stopping it. I figure it's something like the law of gravity: what's goes up, MUST come down. I don't know how long this process will take and I suspect many of us will be long gone before our nation crumbles.

why has no one mentioned the astonishing divorce rate this nation suffers from? that plays a major part in why we're falling apart. it's the MAIN reason american culture is dying if you ask me... the american dream is now the american nightmare.

or what about all the drugs we have for everything? can't people just learn to deal with their problems, whether emotional or physical, on their own? so what if your penis can't get up? so what if you're going bald? it doesn't make you less of a man... so what if your mestral cycle is irradic? so what if your breasts arn't fantastic? it doesn't make you any less of a woman...

and if anything, society is what causes all of these stupid mental disorders in my opinion. we have all these "standards" to live up to. was there ADD or that seasonal lighting disorder like 80 years ago? no, there was not. people just cannot deal with their own problems and have to use some crap to help them. people need to be a lot stronger.

DOn't blame hardcore rap. THAT IS THE RESULT! That is the result of this degenerate generation that just past---the babyboomer generation. They're the ones with the free sex, orgies, love, drugs, not bathing, and all kinds of nastiness. They made it with all their killing and wars in the 50-70s. They made this. The current generation just refined it amd marketed it.

Instead of giving for future generations as was the norm, the babyboomers just took and took and took for themselves, leaving us the X and Y-Generation nothing but hardship and marketed decadence form their former years.

Now, these very people are complaining about how bad society is.

[Edited on 25-3-2004 by Colonel]