Kerby Anderson
When two boys are wrestling in the living room and break something, a parent is sure to say: “This is why we can’t have nice things.” Christian Schneider applies this to society at large arguing “We Can No Longer Have Nice Things.”
He opens with a story about The Portal, which is a public technology sculpture. It beams live video from the streets of New York City to Dublin, Ireland. It was one of several planned “portals” meant to virtually teleport people across the globe. It was supposed to be “a symbol of unity and wonder that draws in crowds from far and wide.” It was built to last for centuries. It only lasted six days. People in New York and Dublin broadcast middle fingers and body parts.
This is just one example of the decline of decorum and civility in our society. America’s culture is fraying. He talked about stores having problems with self-checkout lanes. Some stores will limit the lanes to people who pay a $98 annual fee.
During the pandemic, food chains set up online systems so customers could order on their phones, pay for it, and then pick it up off the shelf. Unfortunately, many people are grabbing the meals off the shelf. That happened to me when I ordered dinner for my family at McAlister’s.
Recently, “Disneyland and Disney World had to crack down on the rapidly growing number of people who claimed disability status in order to avoid long wait times on the rides at their amusement parks.” Apparently, this trick was promoted on social media so people could game the system.
And as I write this, a news story just dropped about climate activists disturbing another athletic event. And don’t even think about letting these activists into an art museum.
When a society is in cultural decline, you can no longer have nice things.