Are These the Worst of Times?

 

Older people – and I acknowledge my status with few regrets – have long deplored the ways of younger generations. I certainly remember the disapproval of elders for the young when I was in that category.

When I suggest – as I do – that these are the worst of times for American society and its politics, I recognize that I may simply be displaying  generational displeasure.

 I think not. 

Good times are here when we feel happy together about national successes (WWII victory) or united in sorrow (9/11) but determined to mend.  We stand as one people.

Bad times are present when major forces within threaten to tear us asunder.

As old as I am (hint - I've been following, and been active in, politics since I was a teenager, some 50 years ago), I objectively report that these times are the worst I've seen.  We don’t get along

We Americans are not only at each other's throats, we are losing respect for our country, viewing the other side as in control. This seems comparable to the rhetoric and passions of the Vietnam era of the 1960s.  But those subsided with the US withdrawal. The period was seen by most as an aberration from more civil times. 

And then the Internet landed on the general scene.

Civility began to slide again. Language was particularly crude, obscene and vulgar because of the anonymity of the exchange.  Eventually, giving offense seemingly became the object online.   Hiding the sender’s identity no longer seemed necessary (speak your mind!).  The vile exchanges, if anything, only increased. 

It is a truism that society leads the way and the political class adopts society’s mores. Thus, in 2024, politicians both male and female utter out loud obscenities which were previously considered unacceptable even when used in private [remember the disapproval of Richard Nixon's recording tapes which merited the label "explicative deleted"?]. 

This change is well illustrated by Nancy Mace, a young conservative Republican Congresswoman from South Carolina, who spews obscenities on live TV. (The genteel South is no more?)

Such conduct would have been strongly condemned not that many years ago as violations of good manners and social mores (why give needless offense?) enforced by the broad society. 

Not anymore. Our society's response is relativistic – who are we to judge?

Those of us who believe that standards of decorum should be in force for the good of society, that's who.

Words convey emotions and attitude. Hostile words often lead to angry responses and hostile reactions.  Is violence, including assassination efforts, a surprising consequence?

And we wonder why so many of us hate the other side. 

These are the worst of times.