Society & Culture
Egotopia: Narcissism and the New American Landscape
Must we bear witness to one more bumper sticker proclaiming that some insecure guy loves his dog?
“There are moments in history that divide eras, moments that serve to direct our attention, to inform us of a fundamental shift in collective perception, in professed values.”
Although he wrote Egotopia: Narcissism and the New American Landscape 23 years ago, and the book received no acclaim, John Miller, co-founder of Scenic America, was on to something.
“The emergence of the New American Landscape is such a moment,” Miller said, “whose significance, for the most part, is a steep detection of sociologists, historian, and architectural critics alike.”
The [Greedy] New American Landscape
Keeping in mind, that his writing pre-dated the statue-toppling Leftists, here are my notes and excerpts from Egotopia:
So little of our historical landscape remains, replaced by the “New American Landscape,” that it’s hard to appreciate our present aesthetic deprivation, having few opportunities for comparison.
Must we bear witness to one more bumper sticker proclaiming that some insecure person loves his dog? We have been transformed from a society modeled on the professed virtues of balance, harmony, rights, and responsibilities to one that celebrates self indulgence in the name of self-liberation.
The ugliness of our environment is a function of our transformation from a society to communal values to one that celebrates and encourages individual self indulgence. Greed, ignorance, mindless science and technology, and excessive materialism contribute to both environmental destruction and a public confusion and ambiguity about aesthetics.
Self-absorption Reigns
In a historically brief 50 years, America has turned its back on community, as community has been traditionally defined, and embraced the suburban cultural breeding ground of self-absorption.
For people whose identity increasingly depends on what they consume, advertising messages are no longer irritating, intrusive, and inane but informative, sustaining, and nurturing.
We appear indifferent to the physical and environmental loss of our cultural heritage as, one by one, authentic small towns and charming country side are paved over.
Concurrently, we seemed pleased and satisfied in having created a physical environment in which it is literally possible to be no more than minutes by car away from refrigerated soft-drink.
One Big Shopping Strip
The great suburban transformation has remade travel, from one part of the New American Landscape to another, into merely physical motion. One travels thousands of miles to encounter the same chain stores, the same chain restaurants, and the same chain motels.
The New Man imposes himself on the environment, first by his obvious presence (car, camper van, boat trailer, videocam, screaming kids, barking dogs) and then by conditioning sales- savvy vendors to cater to his tastes. Ultimately, travel in America promises adventure and novelty while delivering standardization and mediocrity.
Of all the players appealing to the debased sensibilities of the new man, none is more capable, calculating, nefarious, and successful than the billboard industry. It has succeeded in corrupting and tainting public aesthetics, public welfare, and public consciousness. Billboards are intrusive, obnoxious, annoying, and, unlike television, they cannot be turned off.
America, the Once Beautiful
During the 1980’s the billboard lobby attempted and often succeeded in incorporating the following civic minded notions into law:
- Modify the highway beautification act from protecting scenic beauty to preserving “Communications through the outdoor medium.”
- Abolish the traditional use of municipal authority to remove billboards.
- Required that all trees blocking the billboard would by law be cut down at taxpayers expense.
The billboard industry maintains that billboards save the traveling public from being bored out of their minds. They stand tall on the very border of parks, across from schools, churches, hospitals, and even within sight of cemeteries. They are a common place on sides of busses, and bus stops.
Some cities permit billboards to be placed on parking meters. The U.S. senate seriously debated selling advertising space on mail trucks and neighborhood mailboxes. Billboards have been erected on ski lifts, on golf kiosks, in little league parks, and on soft drink vending machines.
What is Art?
The billboard industry has contended openly that billboards constitute art and has promoted the notion that we should evaluate individual billboards for their effectiveness, artistry, and eye catching appeal. Marshal McLuhan would have understood the billboard industry’s need to seduce the public into focusing attention on the message and not the medium.
Billboards hawking alcohol and cigarettes nearby schools are potentially far more insidious than the availability of pornographic tapes in an adult video store.
Each day, they’re subjected to the grotesque and vial commercial solicitations, the intrusiveness and insanity of which would have shocked our collective sensibilities only a few short years ago.
Today we do not consume to live. We live to consume.
The Advertising Mob Rules
We have created and institutionalized a mob which sets for us our societal standards, cultural icons, and norms of behavior.
They now determine how America looks and feels. We have been guilty of being too generous with those that would debase our society.
Long have we been devouring our moral capital. Many are satiated on the heady narcissistic nutrients that flow so generously from our cultural bounties. Yet, even they might realize that their gluttony foretells a mighty fall.
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Life
With Representatives Like Kelly Daughtry, We Can Take Back America
Daughtry is a soft-spoken woman who gets things done
When President Trump takes office next January 20th, he’s going to need a cadre of strong-willed Congressional representatives. It’s not enough to simply retake the White House, we need the foot soldiers with the unshakeable resolve to restore America.
In North Carolina’s 13th district, one candidate is firmly rooted in the values that made this country great, and will make it great again. Her name is Kelly Daughtry and, quite frankly, the nation needs many others like her.
Raised in rural North Carolina and the daughter of a U.S. veteran, farmer, lawyer, and entrepreneur, Daughtry has been a practicing lawyer for the past 25 years in Johnston County, where she makes her home. She’s been in the trenches and is not skittish about the slings and arrows that come with taking bold, conservative positions for what is right.
Clear Positions on Vital Issues
Daughtry is exceedingly clear on where she stands and on what will improve the lives of American citizens. She is a vigorous supporter of law enforcement and decries ‘de-fund the police’ movements wherever they arise. She understands that, by and large, the men and women in law enforcement are dedicated, hardworking individuals who, in many instances, put their lives on the line.
Similarly, Daughtry supports the U.S. military and our veterans. She knows that nations around the world with rogue leadership wish to do us great harm, and that we must maintain a strong military at all times. Not coincidentally, a strong military is the best prescription for peace.
On the border issue, Daughtry recognizes that the Biden Administration is firmly committed to swamping our country with illegal aliens. Why? Because the U.S. Census count doesn’t focus on U.S. citizenship, only the number of residents per county and state.
Hence, Democrats can gain a 20-seat advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives by continuing to flood our nation. This ploy is precisely why Biden and company have brought lawsuits against border states seeking to protect themselves.
The drugs, the crime — the murders — and the bursting budgets of towns and states trying to cope with the onslaught of illegals should never have happened in the first place. Daughtry knows what needs to be done, and done immediately.
Reversing Biden’s Reckless Agenda
Daughtry will go to work on restoring our nation, dismantling Joe Biden’s reckless agenda for America. She understands that Biden’s policies towards China in particular, and the bribes he has taken, have been nothing less than devastating for hard-working Americans and for our national security.
Most notably, she is firmly opposed to the Chinese Communist Party and their representatives who are seeking to buy farmland throughout North Carolina as well as every other place in the United States.
Biden’s out-of-control spending has particularly hurt North Carolinians. Farmers have taken the brunt of the punishment. The unending inflation that we’ve faced for 38 months also has dealt a crushing blow to North Carolina small business owners and families in general. One of Daughtry’s first agenda items will be to help steer our country back towards fiscal sanity, which in turn will have a direct impact on the cost of groceries and gasoline.
Americans First
Like President Trump, Daughtry understands the importance of putting Americans first and of safeguarding or voting procedures, elections, and indeed what it means to be an American citizen. Of note, she has no misconceptions about the differences between men and women and will work to stop the malarkey that the Left imposes on us every day, with their “56” types of genders.
Daughtry is a soft-spoken woman and in her quiet way, gets things done. If Donald Trump had an army of Kelly Daughtrys, the country would be on firm footing in relatively short order. She knows what hard-working Americans want and need, and is exactly the type of politician that North Carolina must send to Washington D.C.
It is not an exaggeration to say that in Wake, Harnett, Johnson, and Wayne counties in North Carolina, as well as the entire state and entire country, the 2024 election will be the most important in our lifetimes. This has been said about other elections at other times, but considering the damage that the Democrats have wrought on America, the time is now to reclaim our great nation and, with the likes of Kelly Daughtry, we can.
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Society & Culture
Why East Coast Workers are Blurry Eyed on Monday Morning
Most major television events start at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. in the eastern times zone and many end far later than 11 p.m.
Take a good look at the list below. What do all these events, listed in reverse order of occurrence, have in common? The answer: they all occur on Sunday evening.
* Jan 07 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards
* Jan 14 Miss America Finals, NFL Wildcard Playoffs
* Jan 21 NFL Divisional Playoffs
* Jan 28 NFL Playoffs Conference Championship
* Feb 04 Grammys, NFL Pro Bowl
* Feb 11 Superbowl
* Feb 18 NBA All-Star Game
* Mar 10 Academy Awards
* Mar 17 Selection Sunday
* Mar 24 March Madness, round two
* Mar 31 March Madness, round four
* Apr 07 NCAA Women’s Final Four
* Apr 14 Masters Golf Finale
* Apr 21 NBA first round playoffs
* May 05 NBA Conference Semi-finals
* May 19 NBA Conference season finals
* May 26 National Memorial Day Concert
* Jun 09 NBA Finals, 2nd game
* Jun 16 Tony Awards
* Nov 17 Billboard Music Awards
As much as we’d like to think that Sunday is the most relaxing day of the week, too often, for much of the U.S. population, some late-night television event captures our attention and renders us blurry eyed for the next day.
Some television networks, such as HBO (now “HBO Max”), have a predisposition to air new episodes of recurring shows on Sunday evenings. Sunday nights are also considered prime time for sports such as football and basketball.
Problematic?
If you live in the Pacific time zone, the vast array of specialized television events on Sunday evening is not problematic, as most events start at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. and end between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mountain time residents benefit nearly the same as Pacific time zone residents.
If you live in the Eastern time zone, you’re in trouble because most events start at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. and many end far later than 11 p.m. Those in the Central time zone enjoy a one-hour earlier end to such events, which is often enough to avoid the issue addressed here.
The obvious solutions are to either rest up on Sunday with a long nap, so that you can stay up late to watch the shows to their conclusion and not head in to work the next day blurry-eyed, or limit yourself to watching half of a show, pause it, and finish watching it the next day.
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