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by Robert Malone, Contributing Editor   | Abstract: | American values haven't changed much since John Wayne wielded his six-shooter, which means U.S. manufacturing is being left in the dust. |
American values are in conflict with reality. We expect mobility, immediate satisfaction, and cheap products, and we expect privacy, personal consideration, and quality of life. But we don't want to pay the price for these privileges. Many of these values were embodied in the Hollywood Westerns popular from the 1930s to the 1960s. Films like Stage Coach, High Noon, and Shane defined American values. We saw ourselves as wide-roaming, rugged, independent, fair, and fast on the draw. Our military and manufacturing world prowess reinforced this image. And our arsenal of democracy transformed into an arsenal of the shopping mall without so much as a snort. We came to believe that we deserved our open life and seemingly limitless cornucopia. The Western portrayed the open range as one of life's necessities — "don't fence me in" or get ready for a shootout. The construction of our national highway system in the 1950s was a manifestation of that philosophy. We could go anywhere, any time in big, fin-brandishing autos and on cheap gas (roughly $.20 a gallon in the 1950s). And with credit cards, we could buy everywhere. [Click to continue] |