By Joshua Encinias
Published on December 5, 2007
When did America turn from, beer, babes and football to Myspace, macchiato and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”? That was a joke to divert from the typical lead, and yes, I have to explain that.
Here we r az eh Natshon: Numerical acronyms and celebrity gossip have overtaken news outlets. Mind you, dignified news outlets don’t use numerals (that’s saved for bloggers), but celebrity gossip has pervaded every form.
As a country I don’t believe we know what our core values are. We know what we’re against and teeter-totter in the direction of values we’re for. Liberals are marrying women and Conservatives are becoming homosexuals. Is this a shift in values, or do those labels really apply to anyone?
This opinion piece is a living example of our nation’s values, pervasive but faceless. Essentially, I’ve said nothing to this point. I’ve danced around ideas and committed to none.
But aren’t we acting our age? A little over 200 years old and America is acting like the pre-teen that we are. We’re feeling out a darkened room and grabbing onto anything that feels familiar. When those lights come on, we drop it for the very reason we picked it up.
If I must struggle to define America’s values, the right to question authority is number one. We find the right to question questions important.
Advertisers understand this as every new character is defined for an unsure age where everyone is a little man overcoming an oppressive force. According to advertisers, we are original, with potential simmering beneath the surface, just like everyone else.