- A mother with a YouTube show (now removed) is accused of using pepper spray, ice baths and other forms of abuse on her seven adopted children if they failed to say their lines correctly as the show was being filmed.
- The Republican (of course) governor of Kentucky exposed all nine of his children to chicken pox, which they contracted, rather than having them vaccinated against the disease.
- Hundreds of hotel guests were secretly filmed and live-streamed online to a paying audience in South Korea.
- A dead whale was found with 90 pounds of plastic in its stomach.
- The president of the United States has complained that nobody thanked him for allowing a funeral for the late Sen. John McCain in the National Cathedral (or his lying in state in the US Capitol) -- something over which he in fact had no control.
- The president, a huge supporter of the coal industry, has attacked solar and wind energy.
- Fifty wealthy Americans, including television celebrities and others prominent in law, finance and business, have been arrested and charged with bribing coaches and admissions officials at elite colleges and universities to ensure their children were admitted.
- In Massachusetts, 59 grave sites in a Jewish cemetery were vandalized with Nazi symbols and hate language.
- Nearly 19 million Americans identify with Nazis, according to one source. Another source puts the figure at some 22 million people.
- Scientists warn that the Earth is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction of plants and animals, something that can have grave consequences for the planet and human life.
- A gunman in New Zealand shot and killed 50 Muslim worshipers in two mosques.
- The US reports that life expectancy in the country has declined for the first time in more than 100 years.
- Endangered wildlife such as rhinoceros, elephants, lions, giraffes and other species continue to die to satisfy the lusts of trophy hunters and Asians who believe that many animal species somehow have 'magic powers.'
- Family-owned farms in America are falling by the wayside due to low prices offered for their products and the inability to compete against corporate-owned megafarms.
Ignorance, whether willful or not, seems to be growing. Consider the number of people who don't believe in science, who don't believe that climate change is real and that it poses a serious threat to our very existence, who don't believe in the ability of vaccinations to prevent deadly diseases. Consider the inability of so many people to engage in critical thinking, to consider both sides of an issue, to base decisions on facts and not on emotions or on what some supposed 'leader' tells them. When was the last time you heard a rational discussion of a contentious issue that didn't end in name calling and insults?
It seems that the world of 21st century America has been dumbed down in a big way. Rather than engaging in intellectual pursuits, too many people spend their free time playing video games, watching YouTube or doing other mindless things. Does anybody read any more? I am, and always have been, an avid reader. But too many Americans never pick up a book. We long ago lost of sense of community, and our morals have been in decline as well. Now it seems that society is all about 'what's in it for me,' everybody else be damned.
I'm not at all optimistic about the future of the United States. We are so divided, both politically and economically, and the us vs them mentality is so strong, that it's going to take a significant change to turn things around. Look at the great cultures of the past -- Rome, Greece, Egypt -- and now, it seems, Western Civilization.
I hope I'm wrong. I hope we come to our senses before it's too late to make the changes that need to be made.
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