DAVID MARLOWE

Gimme’ replaces earn your own way America, land of the free and home of the brave – is intensely populated by a massive number of “Do as I say, not as I do” ostrich imitators. When confronted with any problem that could possibly reflect on our individual “rights” and “wants,” we emulate the proven method of avoidance popularized by the feathered Australian critters. Namely, we stick our heads in the sand and wait for the perceived threat to pass. Please excuse the sarcasm, but we do have a real problem with denial in this country. For example, pick up any newspaper or current events-oriented publication, or tune in to any television news broadcast following a tragic event, such as another school shooting or mass murder in the workplace, and what will you find? You’ll be treated to the same lame, pathetic comments from person after person. “How can such a thing happen in such a wonderful place as this?” “I simply can’t understand what made little Johnny do such a terrible deed. He was always such a nice, young boy.” And then there’s my all-time favorite, “What on earth is wrong with our youth, these days?” If we could get the sand out of our eyes and mouths long enough to look in the mirror, we could put a lot of overpaid psychologists and counselors out of work. We would recognize the enemy, all right – it would be staring back at us from the glass. We have become the “Land of Gimme,” a people obsessed with self-gratification. We claim to be a God-fearing nation, yet our actions indicate the only gods we honor are represented by our personal desires. We decry, publicly, the moral decay which is devouring the very fiber of our existence as a strong, unified nation. Yet, we allow, even revere, the behaviors and values that are the cause of the decay. We moan about the disappearance of the family values that are the cause of the decay, but don’t give divorce a second thought. Marriage is supposed to be a lifetime commitment. Not in our quick-fix society – if we are unhappy with our partner, we just dump them and continue pleasing ourselves. Sex is shoved down our throats everywhere we turn by a film industry that has no semblence of honor or morality. We vainly hope for sexual restraint from our offspring, yet we promote promiscuity with our actions. We preach truth and honesty, then allow the disgrace of having our nation’s highest office to be stained by the actions of a man who doesn’t even pretend to have a conscience. The sexual depravity and bald-faced lies of Mr. Clinton have set an example for a generation of youth, which will be hard to overcome for those of us who care. And let’s not forget the people who are lifted up as role models in the other areas of society. Athletes tarnished by drugs, alcohol and criminal behavior are paid millions of dollars to gratify our want for sports heroes. The scandals of Hollywood’s screen stars enlighten us with depravity. Rock stars dominate the music industry with “songs” composed of lyrics so repulsive they shock and sicken us. And through it all, we cry out with righteous indignation. Just don’t ask us to do the unthinkable – don’t ask us to give up our pursuit of personal self-gratification in order to create a better way of life for our children. That’s simply expecting too much. After all, we protect our rights – don’t we? DAVID MARLOWE is editor and publisher of L’Observateur.