Reply #8: We've been too comfortable . . .

[ChicagoRonin]

In some ways, I think we've reached an inevitable point. The U.S. has been so successful and so powerful for so long, the entire country has lost touch with the fundamentals of life. Yes, there's still real poverty and desperation in many parts of the country, but on a large scale unfound in most other parts of the world, there's an assumption of prosperity, stability and opportunity among the general populace. Hence, because there aren't wars or overt injustice happening on every street corner, people don't really understand what it means. In many other countries, there might be a shanty town next door to your middle class home, not just a handful of annoying panhandlers. Because we have so much (comparable) material comfort, it's easy for everyone to turn their attention to the trivial and mundane. Gossip, rumor and entertainment have replaced knowledge, trivia has replaced understanding. Until everyone in this country is faced with desperation up front and center, nothing will change. And that moment might be coming. Not looking forward to it.