American Decadence

During the heyday of the Roman Republic, ordinary citizens took up arms to protect it from invaders.  Heroes, such as Cincinnatus, left their farms to battle the foe and then returned to the plow once victory was achieved.  Their patriotism, their willingness to make personal sacrifices, eventuated in a great empire.

But once the empire was securely in place, once the riches of the orient and slaves from central Europe began pouring in, ordinary Romans lost interest in joining the legions.  They preferred to stay home and enjoy the bread and circuses that had been bought by the blood of their ancestors.

Instead they began to hire barbarians to stand guard on the borders.  German and Hunnish mercenaries now fought their battles.  That is, until these non-Romans decided to march on Rome.  It was then that this great empire fell.

For a while the Romans were able to buy off their enemies, but ultimately their reluctance to defend themselves spelled their doom.  Are we now witnessing the same decline of the American hegemony?  Have we too grown so decadent that we are unwilling to protect our interests?

Barack Obama tells us that he has no intension of putting boots on the ground in the Middle East.  He likewise sought to buy off the Iranians with a craven quasi-treaty.  As for the Russians and the Chinese, he merely tells them they are on the wrong side of history.  This magical incantation will no doubt bring them to their senses.

Meanwhile closer to home, rioters are calmed by allowing them free reign of our inner cities, while protesters are assured that their demands are in the vanguard of social justice.  All we need do to bring peace to our streets is to confiscate the resources of the wealthy and shovel them toward the poor.

The home of the brave and the land of the free are a distant memory.  Our forebears may have battled to protect their frontiers and establish great industries, but all we need to do is live off the affluence they created.

Politicians declare that we can become great again, but how is that possible when so many of us are unwilling to exert ourselves?  How is it feasible when we embrace the fictions we hear in school and the media?  Can a people intoxicated by entitlements ever stand up for themselves?

Nowadays we tell children that if they are bullied, they must immediately appeal to an adult for relief.  They are advised not to stand up for themselves.  How is this supposed to instill courage or personal resolve?

Schools are likewise swept up in a vortex of grade inflation.  Students expect to be at the top of their class even if they learn nothing.  They also expect trophies merely for participating in little leagues games.

Americans may be awash with self-esteem, but they are living in a fool’s paradise.  As the clichéd observation has it, they were born on third base, yet are convinced that they hit a triple.

Nor are we alone in our decadence.  The people of Western Europe are also so self-satisfied that they too have forgotten how to protect themselves.  Somehow they cannot say no to importing millions of foreigners who are intent on destroying their civilization.

Wealth and power are apparently enervating.  They draw the courage and motivation out of people.  So intent are these folks on dining on peacock’s tongues and playing their lyres that they do not notice when they are in danger.

The national debt may be unsustainable, but the economy has not yet collapsed.  Our military is in decline, but it remains strong.   American families are disintegrating as we speak, but children are not starving in back alleys.  Thus, why should we worry when the temple still stands?

Decadence is a fatal condition.  If it is not recognized; if it is not stemmed, it is lethal.  Will this be our fate?  Will we passively allow it?

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph. D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University