[MD] Drama

[MarshaV]

At 10:17 AM 8/30/2006, DMB wrote:

>A monastery? Its interesting that you should put it in those terms. Morris
>Berman, in his book titled THE TWILIGHT OF AMERICAN CULTURE, says that we
>are entering a dark age and describes his long-term solution to the collaspe
>of our civilization as "the monastic option". That's where small pockets of
>misfits preserve the materials of our culture until the dark age blows over.
>He doesn't mean religious practice or asceticism, just an enclave of
>culturally literate custodians.
>
>If you saw the statistics of decline, this idea would seem more realistic
>than it might otherwise appear.
>
>Basically, he says the American public is getting stupider and meaner and
>poorer every day.
>
>Sigh.
>
>Let's say its one of those monastaries that makes wine or something, at
>least.
>
>dmb

Hi DMB,

I've been thinking about your post.  (I'm mostly a slow thinker.)

THE TWILIGHT OF AMERICAN CULTURE seems like a frightening book.  I 
haven't read the book, but I don't think I agree that it's the 
American public that is stupider and meaner.  The American public 
seems overly stressed and ill-informed as a result of meaner, 
stupider leadership.  I listen to the Washington Journal on C-SPAN 
which includes lots of public participation.  The last few months, it 
seems that both Dems and Reps are reviving from their 9/11 
shock.  And they are getting really angry at such an incompetent and 
corrupt government.  The problem is that government failure can still 
pull us into an age of darkness.  I'm hoping for a period of great 
humiliation from the past few years of gross hubris.  From that maybe 
we can return to a path of being a good country.

Marsha