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A couple of months ago, I wrote a post that honored the American moon landing and wondered if 1969 marked the year of peak competency for America. Here are the two pertinent paragraphs from that post that contrast 1969 America with 2019 America:
Something happened to America. Instead of the eagle landing, the dodo has landed. Oh, sure, we still show flashes of supreme competency—the space shuttle, the internet, and the cell phone immediately come to mind. But when it comes to the everyday competencies of rearing children, managing household finances, mastering workplace responsibilities, and governing waistlines, we appear—to say the least—bewildered. And when it comes to the crucial societal competencies of educating children, cultivating safe communities, providing affordable healthcare, managing pensions, controlling our borders, and protecting the public purse, we appear equally flummoxed.
Again, I don’t want to come across as a nattering nabob of negativity. I sincerely hope I’m wrong. I just can’t say with conviction that America works, that America can tackle any challenge. For far too many Americans, especially those at the helm of our most important institutions, it not only appears that “failure IS an option” but also appears that failure is NO BIG DEAL.
Governing Our Waistlines
Well, during this past week, one of America’s most renowned uber-liberals backed my fear that America reached peak competency back in 1969. Bill Maher used a recent monologue to lament our distressing inability to control our weight. And he even used the Apollo 11 mission to prove that this wasn’t always the case! Here is how Mr. Maher put it:
Europe doesn’t look like [it’s been besieged by obesity] because Europe isn’t always eating for two. We weren’t always like this. Watching the footage of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, I was struck by how not-fat everyone in the crowd was. We looked like a completely different race of people. Now, look at us. We wear shirts that our ancestors could have used as a sail.
America 1969
America 2019
There were, of course, obese people when I was growing up in the 60s and 70s. But they were the exception. Today, it’s the reverse. I typically sit in my car while Mrs. Groovy does the grocery shopping at Walmart. And all the time I’m playing a windshield sociologist (45 minutes on average), I will literally count only two or three skinny people. Nearly everyone exiting from or returning to his or her car is overweight. And it’s not just a Walmart or Southern thing. I saw the same depressing condition on a recent trip to Philadelphia and Atlantic City. Skinny was the exception, obesity was the norm.
The point of this post is not to ridicule obese Americans. The vast majority of obese Americans are good people. And their obesity is not entirely their fault. Our food industry knows that human beings are genetically disposed to crave fat, salt, and sugar, and it exploits this weakness with gusto. No, the point of this post is to show that every once in a while I get it right. I believe America reached peak competency in 1969 and Mr. Maher, an unlikely ally, just issued a ringing endorsement of that conclusion.
Obesity and Societal Competency
Obesity isn’t the only measure of societal competency, of course. But it is one of the key measures.
Competent people adjust to new circumstances. Incompetent people don’t. Our food industry became more predatory over the last 50 years. Our response should have been an equally forceful counterattack. Our teachers, pastors, and civic leaders should have been screaming from the rooftops:
Processed food is ruinous. Make your own meals. Eat real food. Don’t fall for the food industry’s trick. It’s not plying its products with fat, salt, and sugar to enrich your life. It’s doing so to make you a junk-food addict and separate you from your money. And it couldn’t care less what the overconsumption of its products will do to your health.
Instead, we did nothing. Our leaders let us down. And we let ourselves down. And, now, as Mr. Maher glumly stated, we look like “a completely different race of people.”
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. What say you? I say that Americans are less competent than they were in 1969, and I say Bill Maher’s recent monologue backs up that assertion. Am I on to something? Or am I a delusional fool? Let me know what you think when you get a chance. Peace.
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