(I found this a very interesting and insightful read from a historical perspective of America - takes into account all the ethnic characteristic backgrounds of each nationality, religion and traits peculiar to each. Both good and bad! The best part - we are living it NOW! - CL)
The corrosive impact of prolonged exposure to the banalization of foulness in popular culture: The increased tolerance of corruption among the elites.
It seems over the years that more and more Americans have come to stop worrying and learn to love corruption. It’s as if many people, perhaps the majority, have become accustomed to corruption(and even criminality), much like Asian Indians have learned to live with air pollution. Corruption and foulness have always defined humanity and in many societies simply became mundane facts of life, even across centuries(or millennia for that matter).
However, the passivity, even a kind of acceptance(and embrace), in the face of corruption among Northern Whites is historically significant. Not that Northern White societies were ever devoid of corruption, a timeless and universal feature of humanity. But just as air pollution, though a universal condition, is a far bigger problem in some places than others, the levels of corruption have never been uniform across cultures. Some have been notably more corrupt than others, some remarkably less so. Some have been very tolerant of corruption, some highly allergic to it. Granted, there have also been societies that learned to ‘harmoniously’ navigate through meticulous rules-based corruption, like in Japan.
At any rate, the socio-political orders developed by Northern Whites have long held a reputation for being law-abiding, conscientious, and ethical. Some have called them ‘high trust societies’ due to confidence in the authority and the populace in general. A distinction between Northern Europe and Southern Europe(and Eastern Europe) has had much to do with public governance and civic virtues.
A similar distinction has applied to North America and South America, with the North having cleaner, more ethical, more efficient, and more conscientious societies than the South where too many people, from top to bottom, have become resigned to corruption and incompetence. It’s been a key reason for the mass migration from the south to the north, i.e. many in Latin America have given up on fixing their problems and opted to migrate up north in search for a better life.......
.......This contrast between the North and the South has held for a long time. Therefore, the acceptance of corruption as the New Normal among Northern Whites is a troubling, even alarming, development.
For sure, the Northern prestige has dissipated over the years. In the past, Northern Whites in both Europe and America took pride in running the most functional societies in the world. Thus, they expected new arrivals from the corrupt South(and backward parts of the world) to show some respect and appreciation for what the Northern Whites had achieved. Those from corrupt countries had much to gain by modeling themselves on the Northern Whites who led the world in forming and sustaining sound societies.
But over time, with the rise of the ‘White Guilt’ ideology and ‘anti-racist’ dogma, it was unacceptable for Northern Whites to take special pride in their achievements. And for the peoples of the Global South being mired in poverty and corruption, the bulk of the blame was usually placed on ‘Western Imperialism’ — never mind that Latin America was the first creation of Western Imperialism in the New World; why did imperialism produce functional societies in North America but dysfunctional ones in South America?
With the abnegation of pride and confidence among Northern Whites, the only game in town was to blame them for having more goodies(apparently by exploiting and stealing from other peoples, especially the ‘darkies’) than to ponder why they achieved more(often with less) in life. Notice that Somalis and American blacks in Minnesota never make an effort to learn from the Scandinavian-and-German Americans who created nice societies; they only know how to bitch, complain, and demand.....
....This contrast between the North and the South has held for a long time. Therefore, the acceptance of corruption as the New Normal among Northern Whites is a troubling, even alarming, development.
For sure, the Northern prestige has dissipated over the years. In the past, Northern Whites in both Europe and America took pride in running the most functional societies in the world. Thus, they expected new arrivals from the corrupt South(and backward parts of the world) to show some respect and appreciation for what the Northern Whites had achieved. Those from corrupt countries had much to gain by modeling themselves on the Northern Whites who led the world in forming and sustaining sound societies.
But over time, with the rise of the ‘White Guilt’ ideology and ‘anti-racist’ dogma, it was unacceptable for Northern Whites to take special pride in their achievements. And for the peoples of the Global South being mired in poverty and corruption, the bulk of the blame was usually placed on ‘Western Imperialism’ — never mind that Latin America was the first creation of Western Imperialism in the New World; why did imperialism produce functional societies in North America but dysfunctional ones in South America?
With the abnegation of pride and confidence among Northern Whites, the only game in town was to blame them for having more goodies(apparently by exploiting and stealing from other peoples, especially the ‘darkies’) than to ponder why they achieved more(often with less) in life. Notice that Somalis and American blacks in Minnesota never make an effort to learn from the Scandinavian-and-German Americans who created nice societies; they only know how to bitch, complain, and demand.......