To read or not to read ...

 

That is a silly question when there are so many good books around. I've just finished another Nick Bryant book, "When America Stopped Being Great - A History of the Present".

The above YouTube clip gives a good introduction, even though I always cringe when they do that "we acknowledge the elders past, present, and emerging" thing. I'd much prefer my version: "We acknowledge and pay our respects to the British and European elders past, present, and emerging, who introduced civil society and prosperity to this country".

 

Read a preview here

 

A similar question was raised in televised 'The Newsroom' series, when Will McAvoy is asked by a college student "What makes America the greatest country in the world?" Adopting at first the politically correct route, he then gives the honest answer which sums it up pretty well.

 

 

And, of course, they still want to rule the world, don't they?

 

"... The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance."
[Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark]

 

Unfortunately, they also breed and they vote - and all too often in that order! Methinks their quarter of an hour of fame is just about gone!

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