When did it become de rigueur to dress
like you just cleaned out your garage?
Once you get away from Manhattan or
Los Angeles, it's rare to see anybody
who appears to give a damn about how
they look. While there are always a few
elegant exceptions, the majority seem to
have fully embraced mediocrity. To the
point where there's little to no difference
between dining in Lewistown, Billings,
Denver, or Seattle. America the great
has become America the complacent.
Whatever happened to pride of self?!
Our country is a sea of chain brands.
While easy access to the same things
in every city may seem beneficial, we
are actually withering away from our
national diet of pablum. Today most
of us live our lives in an antiseptic,
air conditioned world. There's almost
no difference between Dubuque and
Dubai. We dine on McDonalds as we
sip our Starbucks, Never realizing
that those national brands may just
be killing our individuality. Have we
been lulled into a state of sameness?
Conspiracy theories aside, it seems that
Big Brother is no longer content with
simply controlling the Federal Reserve.
Rather he's fully focused on eliminating
whatever makes each of us unique. Once
one joins the pack, it becomes harder and
harder to stand alone, to think differently,
to step out of bounds. After all, it's easier
to manage one homogeneous group rather
than a gaggle of rebellious renegades. Is
the age of the individual over? Have we
allowed our country to be medicated into
a culturally comatose state? Wake up!
Whether one lives in a double wide
or McMansion, chances are you're
watching the same show on your
flat screen TV. Today one's lot in
life doesn't necessarily mean a lot.
The brie that you serve is probably
manufactured in the same plant as
Cheese Whiz. The bigger corporate
America becomes, the smaller the
fringe shrinks. Most Americans
drive through life's drive through
oblivious to the fact that someone
else has taken over the wheel.
I'm a man of extremes. That may
be the reason I'm only happy when
in Manhattan or Montana. While
impacted by mass influences, both
pride themselves on being unique.
Lewistown is rather like a remote
Amazonian village. While it may
occasionally be exposed to broader
civilization, most locals live as they
like. While the byproduct of said
isolation may be a lack of style,
I'm blessed to be able to live in a
place where I can happily be me!