Resiliency

On the eve of the eve of Election 2012, when lots of people on both sides of the spectrum fear that the results could bring on something like the Apocalypse, I am moved to count the dreadful things we have lived through, coped with, and overcome. We are a remarkably resilient people both because of what the academics call "cultural capital" and because of democracy itself.

I have not included the obvious just because they are obvious: the World Wars, the Depression, the Cold War, natural disasters, etc. (Most of my family members would want to include the Presidencies of Nixon, Reagan, and George W. Bush, but this is my blog so too bad.)

I have also tried not to include the merely idiosyncratically annoying and the explicitly political. I have aimed instead at things which are certainly annoying of and unto themselves but which also have larger cultural implications.

So, in no particular order

     the designated hitter rule

     artificial turf

     domed stadiums

     bicycle helmets

     the back-up beeper on commercial vehicles

     "sharing"

     verbing --- the turning nouns into verbs; "impact," e.g.

     the use of "ironic" for "coincidental"

     the use of "cynical" for "skeptical"

     the misuse of "fair"

     "non-sexist" language

     turning the university into a training institution

     removing any serious connection to the founding religion from religious colleges and universities

     air travel

     post-modernism in all its forms

     "reality" television shows

     "greed is good"

     focus groups

     the soft totalitarianism of giving us just enough to keep us fed and entertained

     ESPN

     chest-thumping athletes

     the disappearance of modesty as an ideal and as a practice

     The Sexual Revolution

     video review

      internet "research"

     the anonymity of on-line comments and responses

     turning the altar around

     the claim of being "offended" without reference to commonly held standards

      egalitarianism over democracy

     loss of any real connection to the past

     self-admiration

     The Rise of the Bureaucrats

     social media

     the ubiquity of meaningless phrases: almost, a little bit, a quick question, just, not necessarily
            (used incorrectly), actually, etc.

     "I just kind of feel....."

     sequels

     steroids

     the ubiquity of cell phones/cameras/video recorders

     "hopefully"

     euphemisms

     "Yeah, I mean......"

     awesome

     "almost like"

     redundancies

     "holiday" songs, celebrations, parties, gifts, etc.

     advertisements promoting Christmas shopping on October 1st

     "tragedy"

     moral relativism

     cultural relativism

     student learning outcomes

     the use of sit-com catch phrases as a substitute for humor

     "That was then; this is now"

     the confusion of "skills" and "knowledge"


I invite your contributions to this list.

And I pray for a grass-roots reform effort so that we can not just survive these cultural devolutions but can move toward and embrace something much more like what we need.