I'm sure that if someone from a century ago were to visit us now in 1999, he would be shocked by our devolution. Sure, maybe we're smarter, more informed. We can all read. Nietzsche said religion made us weak, sapped our wills. Well, God has been eclipsed by the boob tube and that stupid Taco Bell Chihuahua.
Television is mostly to blame.
But you, reader, should pat yourself on the back. Good for you for actually reading a newspaper, though the media is also partly responsible for the numbing of America. But at least you're reading, and not watching the damn television. Turn it off. Take off those hip shoes and go outside.