If Trump and the GOP ignore the culture wars, America is Rome - See more at:
https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/07/if-trump-and-the-gop-ignore-the-culture-wars-america-is-rome#sthash.qol3rOnY.dpufBy Nicole Russell
July 26, 2016
The GOP nomination of Donald Trump has introduced its fair share of challenges for certain sects of conservatives — combating his narcissistic personality, vague domestic policy ideas and lack of foreign policy experience — yet another strike against the candidate, to many conservatives, are recent comments that the culture wars are a thing of the past. Not only is this demonstrably false and patently absurd, they’re just as important as economic growth and a vibrant national security.
Peter Thiel’s speechIn his convention speech Thursday night, PayPal founder and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel made a strong case for America to get on the same page again, citing its lack of technological advancements outside Silicon Valley and unified economic and technological goals.
Americans get paid less today than 10 years ago. But healthcare and college tuition cost more every year. Meanwhile Wall Street bankers inflate bubbles in everything from government bonds to Hillary Clinton's speaking fees [...] But today our government is broken. Our nuclear bases still use floppy disks. Our newest fighter jets can't even fly in the rain. And it would be kind to say the government's software works poorly, because much of the time it doesn't even work at all.
He pointed out that one of the things preventing the American GOP from making economic and technological progress is its preoccupation with “fake culture wars.”
When I was a kid, the great debate was about how to defeat the Soviet Union. And we won. Now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares? Of course, every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American. I don't pretend to agree with every plank in our party's platform. But fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline. And nobody in this race is being honest about it except Donald Trump.
While economic stability and growth is vital to a country’s well-being and indeed, natural security is just as essential to a country’s ability to thrive and prosper, neither are more necessary to a country’s success than so-called “culture wars” like transgender bathrooms and abortion.
To say that a country should ignore its cultural issues in favor of only strengthening economic policy and national security is to saw the leg off a three-legged stool rendering it unable to stand. All three share equal significance, and lean on each other to create a platform for success.
The fall of Rome
If politics is downstream from culture and culture is downstream from ideas, than all must be viewed with equal weight. Rome is perhaps the most glaring example of why, even today, culture wars — abortion, marriage, the LGBTQ movement, transgender and bathroom issues — matter. In his essay, “When Nations Die,” Kerby Anderson writes: “Four important trends demonstrate cultural decay. They are the "decline of education," the "weakening of cultural foundations," the "loss of respect for tradition," and the "increase in materialism." Anderson notes, “Three important trends demonstrate moral decay. They are the "rise in immorality," the "decay of religious belief," and the "devaluing of human life." Sound familiar?
Anderson also cites Donald Dudley’s “The Civilization of Rome,” wherein he says “no single cause, by itself, would have brought the empire to its knees. Instead, the fall came through "a number of weaknesses in Roman society; their effects may be variously estimated, but in combination they must have been largely responsible for the collapse." [1]
America bears so many similarities to Rome, it’s worth noting as she has emulated Rome’s successes, she may very well imitate her downfall — and many would argue America is well on her way. The transgender “bathroom” issues are but a symptom of the very moral decay Anderson describes. Sometimes the issues that seem as small as a termite are the very distractions that eat away at the core of the foundation of an empire.
- See more at:
https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/07/if-trump-and-the-gop-ignore-the-culture-wars-america-is-rome#sthash.xzPl2uuQ.dpufTHERE IS MORE AT THE LINK
