Reply #34: I've really felt that this holiday season. Corporate America killed America [View All]

[progressivebydesign]

Bill O'Leilly likes to claim that liberals killed Christmas.. no Corporations killed it. I've talked to so many people that said this holiday season was crap... the pressure to buy, buy, buy, the incessent pressure to define the holidays and life by what you can buy. Our digital age has killed America, too. People are spending less time with actual people, preferring TV, computer, or digital entertainment, to real interaction. I was shocked at how many people I've talked to recently that were complaining that they didn't want to go to any parties this year, didn't want to get dressed up and go anywhere, or do anything execpt with their immediate families.

We're losing touch with each other. America's music scene has been corporatized to death, radio is trashed and ridiculous. People buy digitized copies of an artist's work, printed in China, and think they're supporting artists. Our food is starting to come from anywhere but America, our meat and produce are being imported.

The collective America is not collective anymore. It's a bunch of people living on the same continent. There are stories of great community efforts, grassroots efforts, indie arts, etc., but does it strike you as sad that it's newsworthy now when people do what used to be the norm? While most are quick to argue when the idea of a return to simpler times is bounced around... I do long for a time when people dressed up for dinner, had manners, knew their neighbors, and had some civility.

We've lost our soul, and our civility. We need a leader to bring us together again... Clinton was good at that, at inspiring that. Who will it be next? Edwards? Gore? Or has the hateful discourse, the corporate control, and filthy politics, taken us over the edge?