Friday, December 19, 2008

Essay: "American Mediocrity", Part 4

Essay: "American Mediocrity", Part 4        [Originally published in the "Midnight Rambler" column of Eastern Connecticut State University's Campus Lantern newspaper in 1992 and part of unpublished manuscript "In Mediocrity We Trust... In Debt We Die"]

        What has happened to our country and its people?: Nothing is pristine anymore. Greed usually comes before what is right or makes sense. Apathy is all-pervading, and too many of us are complacent about the way things are; or the way things the Reagan/Bush administrations want things to be. It is easy to conclude that Americans evidently don't care enough to make this nation be the best it can possibly be, or at least live up to its lofty ideals.
       Do we have bad taste or lousy judgment? Perhaps it is more than a coincidence that the parents of the children who adore the wretched New Kids On the Block overwhelmingly voted for such less-than exemplary leaders as Ronald Reagan (twice!), Jimmy Carter, George Bush, and Jesse Helms, among other lousy politicians over the last decade or more.
       As a result of bad decisions, apathy, and inaction, we are currently undergoing a national, state, and local recession all over the nation. Thinking of finding a decent job in the near-future? Chances are good that many of us will be fortunate to get any job we can, never mind a dream job in your chosen field. (to be cont'd)

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