Some of you know that I am a dilettante in the field of what I call “Sociological History”. All that really means is that I don’t have a degree in the field, but do try to study and learn from it.
Sociological history is the study of the effects of society on governments and the world at large. Something the governments of all ages tend to ignore, particularly those that are driven by the urge to power.
Most of the signs of the collapse of any culture are micro rather than macro. It is not the riots and sit-ins that tell the tale. One of the first signs is the populace’s loss of faith in their law enforcement and court system. Think of Eric Holter and the 4th, 7th , and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Think about the inroads the DHS has made from its beginnings as an information gathering agency. Others are the inflation of the currency particularly coupled with increased taxation and increases of the ration of the productive to those on the public payroll and the debt being greater than the country’s Gross National Product. Laws that attempt to sweep back the tide such as drug or pornography laws that can’t actually work and are seldom enforced. Governmental attempts to outlaw certain sexual behaviors done in private between consenting adults such as prostitution, etc. Does any of this sound familiar?
However the crowning thing in all of this that signals the near total collapse of ANY culture is RUDENESS. A loss of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of gentle manners is more significant than riots. This symptom is most serious in that the individual never thinks of it a sign of societal death, but as proof of his/her/their strength.
Once this last symptom becomes wide spread it has never been stopped short of the death of that culture. Am I saying we don’t have a chance? Actually, I am not. You see, just as the health industry has progressed to the point of literally resuscitating the dead or near dead patient, we have developed a mechanism to revive our culture. That mechanism is our unique and tested Constitution. IF and I repeat, IF we can force our governing, elected officials to obey the rule of law for this country we can regain our unique cultural heritage. If we cannot … we shall go the way of the various French ‘Republics’ and monarchies; of Marxism and Communism, even of the ancient Greek republic. I wonder if we have the guts to do this. As for now I despair. I see even organizations bragging about being rude and crude, to say nothing of some elected officials that have been elected officials way too long.
For those interested in this I might invite you take a look at Gibbon and Smith’s From the Yalu to the Precipice. Although that last is a very doctrinaire treatment it can lead to some valuable insights. For our purposes here I highly recommend Penn’s The Last Days of the Sweet Land of Liberty.
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