So I spent a little time today staring at a blank screen petrified about what to write tonight. I mean there’s always our toddler in chief who’s generally good for a few paragraphs of rage, sorrow, and shame. There’s the women’s final of the US Open yesterday from which we learned that it still isn’t ok for a female athlete, and certainly not a black one, to act like the petulant men do. And then there’s the ever present culture war. From there I slid off into the concept of culture itself.
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What is culture? Well that’s a hell of a question. Let’s ask Merriam-Webster ...
a : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time
- popular culture
- Southern culture
b : the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization
- a corporate culture focused on the bottom line
c : the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic
And there’s the problem with defining culture because it can be so many things. In short, it is what makes a group unique. In this country there is an amalgam of cultures, commonly known as the melting pot, which is what makes us unique. Is there any such thing as an American culture? Foreign observers would certainly be better able to point that out. Some of the things they point to can be classified as a culture of violence, a culture of extreme individualism, and a culture of materialism.
But are we more than that? What about the culture wars? Are we really engaged in a battle with those who want the country to return to some halcyon heyday of order and civility? Or, are we all just engaged in that culture of rugged individualism? And, why is it always the “rebel yellers” who hold on so dearly to to concept of a culture gone awry?
That last question has puzzled me for quite some time. I led what might best be described as a colorful youth. But you know who I grew up with that went into law enforcement? It wasn’t the hall monitors, that’s for sure. The people I grew up with who went into law enforcement were the ones I was sneaking out at night with, the ones I was drinking with, and the ones who seemed to hold the least amount of respect for the authority figures.
And this was the Reagan 80s y’all. It’s not like they had the excuse that it was the “Libs” in charge who didn’t deserve their respect. These folks were hell raising in the very America that so many conservatives want us to return to, the Again in MAGA. I kid you not. The people I grew up with who went into law enforcement were not choir kids.
It also wasn’t the Hippies who came up with the concept of the Culture Wars. It was the people who felt offended by those exercising individual liberty and freedom. It was the people who wanted God in the schools, women in the kitchen, and Blacks in their place. It is the same group who declared a War on Christmas. It’s the same damn rationale.
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TOP COMMENTS
from durrati:
fishouttah20 drops this in durrati’s own diary. men, be prepared
from vadem165:
I'd like to nominate this comment of dissent from TRPChicago. It is just about the only comment I have found matching my own views on this matter and explains them very well.
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