Decades of Decadence

The American Dream and Decades of Decadence

In the decades following World War II, the American Dream felt attainable, and everyday behavior often reinforced social cohesion. Men wore suits to work, women wore dresses with hats, and children were expected to behave and show respect. For those who embraced it, and many did, this was a time of shared norms that helped hold society together.

The 1960s shattered that relative stability. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 left the nation reeling and, in the eyes of some historians, accelerated a cultural shift. What followed was growing embrace of countercultural ideas, including influences from Marxist thought, alongside a broader rejection of traditional conservative values. Liberal ideologies had gained such momentum that conservatism was pushed to the cultural sidelines in what felt like the dawn of a new era.

The 1970s only widened the divide. The gap between liberalism and conservatism deepened into outright tribalism, with political affiliation becoming a marker of identity rather than mere preference. It was a turbulent, disorienting decade marked by economic stagnation, the Vietnam War's aftermath, rising drug abuse, collapsing traditional morality, increased violence, and social upheaval. Many Americans felt unmoored.

By the 1980s, a partial rebound seemed underway, as if bursting free from the previous decade's malaise. Americans found renewed commonality through vibrant music, bold fashion, and an optimistic attitude. Under the Reagan era's conservative resurgence, people rejected the excesses of the 1970s and forged something fresh and energetic. Yet this sense of unity proved short-lived.

The 1990s brought a more monochromatic, materialistic phase sandwiched between the dynamism of the 1980s and the uncertainties of the new millennium. Life felt increasingly focused on consumption over community.

In the 2000s, the cohesion in preferences continued to erode, mirroring a deeper societal drift. The explosion of new media forms accelerated this fragmentation. Since then, popular culture has signaled status or tribal affiliation more than building widely shared experiences. We have been sliding down this slippery slope ever since, drifting further from the common ground that once bound society.

Unless we find a way to make civility once again an important and popular part of the American culture, we risk devolving into warring factions.

The signs of reclaiming our beloved heritage are showing everywhere. We will get there, with tenacity and patience, as long as we continue to move in the right direction.