One of the best times of the year is now. Not quite autumn, that inevitable harbinger of winter. Just past the dog days of an historically hot, dry summer; evenings are cool and comfortable and daytime temperatures are not intolerably scorching. Baseball pennant races are heating up. Football is back on the front burner. For me, the 33-week long bowling season has begun and golf courses are in perfect condition. The fall season 9-ball and 8-ball pool seasons have resumed. It's normally a very upbeat time of the year. Except for the fucking campaign bullshit assaulting us at every turn, on every channel, on Facebook and countless unsolicited, unappreciated emails and text messages, tweets and cloud bombs.
I can't even watch a Yankee game on YES Network, or the Rockies on ROOT without at least two or three spots, "......and I approved this message." Now, this will not be an endorsement one way or the other concerning the upcoming presidential decision. I happen to believe that it really doesn't matter which candidate we elect. The decline of American "values and tradition" began long ago, about the time television was introduced and accelerated when Al Gore invented the internet. I honestly believe that consumer-driven Western Capitalism is at the root of our slide into a seemingly helpless swirl down the drain of Hope and Change.
Allow me to elaborate. My generation was labeled the Baby Boomers, defined as the demographic born post-World War II, between roughly 1946 and 1964. This generation of Americans has consistently been labeled as a 'special' group, in that it was a generation that benefited from post-war prosperity, entitlements and an outlook that consistently radiated an extreme optimism toward the future. The post-war prosperity was, in large part, due to the amazing nationalization of our country's workforce and industrial prowess that was the main source of victory over the Axis Powers in World War II. Once this country's industrial and laborial momentum was converted to satisfying consumer wants and needs, there was a huge conversion from "needs" to "wants" in American consumerism. In 1928, candidate Herbert Hoover trumpeted, "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage", on his way to his landslide election to the presidency over Democratic candidate Al Smith. Optimism pervaded American consciousness, until the Great Depression struck in the fall of 1929. The Great Depression was brought about by a cataclysmic crash on Wall Street that began in September 1929.
What is a "cataclysmic crash on Wall Street"? It's like when big-time gamblers bet big that one team will win, and against all odds, their team wins and the casino doesn't have enough money to cash the bet. In order to keep from going out of business, or getting their legs broken, the casino goes to Uncle Fong in China and borrows the money to pay off the winning gamblers. Now, Uncle Fong owns part of the casino and has a big say in how the casino does its business. Fong has a cousin who produces gaming equipment and trains dealers, so the casino has no way to prevent American manufacturers and home-grown casino dealers from being eliminated from the payrolls. Meanwhile, the big gambler takes his big bankroll and starts paying lawmakers to pass laws that help him protect his interests and ensure his winning ways. Why, even when he makes a bad bet and loses money, the government gives him enough money to pay his losses AND a bonus for his hardship. They label that a "bailout". Wall Street is the biggest casino in the history of gambling. Insurance companies and banks are the biggest gamblers in the history of finance. And they don't have to worry about "losing", since they are allowed to make up the rules as they proceed. Insurance actuary tables, and banking porfolios are so constructed as to guarantee profitability. Arnold Rothstein went to jail for fixing the 1919 World Series, but not one crook from the Great American Bailout of 2008, or excuse me, The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, has sniffed the interior of a jail cell or courtroom.
Back to my statement about consumer-driven Western Capitalism. As prosperity bloomed in the 1950's, 60's and 70's, Americans continued a headlong rush into buying and consuming like there was no tomorrow. Gordon Gecko became an American Financial Folk Hero. "Greed is Good" became the rallying motto for Big American Business. Make more goods, more cheaply and then market the shit out of them. American labor unions priced their services out of the global market, so, one by one, American industrial giants fell victim to cheaper world markets. Television went from three networks broadcasting 9 hours a day to over 500 channels blasting 24/7. You don't even have to get off your ass to buy anything, in any quantity and have it delivered right to your door. We have become a society that has an attention span of around thirty seconds. News has become corporate sponsored entertainment. Social consciousness has been replaced by personal entitlements. National pride now comes disguised as political partisanship. Family values are now debated from the pulpits of Gay/Straight, Abortion/Right-To-Life and Conservative/Liberal, there seems to be no compromise.
I'm getting real pissed sitting here, venting, trying to put into words my frustration and anger about where this world has gotten to. So, the Yankees are off today. The Rockies are in Frisco, not necessarily must-watch TV. But, the Broncos are on Monday Night Football in a couple hours, so I'll wind down and allow my blood pressure to stabilize. I would welcome any and all comments, agreed or disagreed. Are you pissed about our world and national standing? Are you glad that we have sports to distract us from the national debate? Can Peyton-fucking-Manning deliver another winning performance tonight?
