A couple of months ago, in the tiny town of Hymera, Indiana (population 790. SALUTE!) a town hall meeting erupted into a brawl over the replacing of the town Marshall. Seems the board voted to supplant the current Marshall, who is suing the board, claiming he was wrongly terminated. What started as a disagreement soon turned into a heated exchange. Nasty words were hurled, and then a violent, physical altercation ensued. Eventually the fight was broken up, the police were called, and order was restored; for the time being.
Is what happened in Hymera an isolated incident between a group of local yokels, or an example of a disturbing pattern?
For years, we have seen a coarsening of human behavior in our society. Lenny Bruce, the controversial comedian, whose acts were filled with four-letter words, was actually arrested in 1961 for using obscenity during a performance. Can you imagine? Arrested for using obscenity? The words Bruce used then can now be heard coming from the mouths of a group of preteens walking through the halls of most middle schools.
The Morton Downey Jr. Show paved the way for the screaming matches between guests that are now common place on Cable News and Reality TV. Bernard Goldberg, the Emmy award winning journalist from CBS and HBO said, “Not that long ago, you’d never hear someone drop the “F” bomb in public. Now, waiting in line anywhere, it’s a common occurrence, with no apology from the user, even when your head snaps around to see who used that expletive in public.”
As recent as this week, we have seen the Presidential candidates of the Republican Party call each other, “Liar”, “Loser”, “Stupid” and “Con-Artist”, to name a few. What they refer to as a “debate” has morphed into petty and profane discourse, unprecedented in a Presidential race. These are the very people who will be tasked with leading us in a very dangerous and volatile world. The Commentators, Pundits and Journalists, who once would have blasted this kind of behavior, can be seen snickering like a 10 year old boy who just farted during science class. They actually think its funny; its to be expected; it gets ratings, ratings means money, Its the “new norm”,so deal with it. But is this really the new norm?
The answer to the question is No, because there is no such thing as the “new norm.” The “new” never stays “the norm”. Was Lenny Bruce the “new norm?” How about Downey Jr or Howard Stern or Chris Rock or the Kardashians?
What we like to think as the “new norm” is just a continuum on the excursion to the abyss. Its like riding a roller coaster. Once the car reaches the top of the hill and begins its free-fall, there is no stopping until you reach the bottom. You can scream, yell, cry and flail about, but once you start your descent, gravity takes over and you are no longer in control.
I would like to think its like skydiving, where we can pull the cord on our chute and float safely to the ground. However, human nature tells me otherwise. This free-fall started long before you and I. The question is, as a Nation, if we don’t pull the chute, what will happen when we actually do reach the bottom?
The Lonesome Leaker 