I'm going to go against my better judgement right now - as I dislike when writer's do this, most of the time - and sound off a definition.
De-cen-cy: 1. behavior that conforms to accepted standards of morality and respectability.
Okay, now that I've done that, keep it in mind during this article.
Are you like me and while you're floating back and forth between your pre-req sites (ie; facebook, imdb, twitter, etc.) do you happen to go past the Yahoo homepage and scroll through what's "hip" & "new" & "trending" or "popular" or whatever? Well, I've been doing that lately, and you know what I notice a lot? Their Top Searches.
Eleven days ago, an 8.9 earthquake devestated Northern Japan regions and was followed up by a wallop of a tsunami that carried away more than 130,000 souls, who are either missing or confirmed deceased(it's not like I really need to tell you). Shortly after, another crisis reared it's unfortunate head, as their nuclear reactors began to fritz, and when I say fritz, I mean possible melt-the-fuck-down scenarios began to play out as the survivors fled for the literal hills of the island and panic set in.
So, when I go by the Yahoo homepage and see that the top Searches for the day are Justin Bieber or his haircut, or El fucking Chupacabre, or Christina Aguilera's mugshot photo, it really, and I mean really, pisses me off. I will give Yahoo a piece of credit as they have raised some Six million dollars towards the relief, but they are not what makes the vein in my forhead throb: the Users are.
America, I'm guessing.
Have we all become that...self involved and vain? I don't even know if those are the right words. But I can guaran-fucking-tee that if you looked up most American's searches, and I mean picked a single guy or gal out and checked their history, it's full of who wore what and who fucked who and who's getting naked on film this week(not that I have never searched those things) and most likely their own name - and again, not the worst thing in the world - but when the collective population of six billion people are doing it...well, that's soemthing to kind of worry about, don't you think?
A good friend of mine's son is over there, and she's breaking her freaking neck trying to get him out safely, and if I prayed to a God, his and her name's would be first on my list at the end of every day, so I guess I am a little bias, but it's erks me. It really does.
Has America lost an overall sense of decency? Yes. Are we all horrible people who wouldn't help a person in need if they were bleeding onour freaking doorsteps? No. We're all just selfish fucks, bumbling around, running into each other, trying to exist - it's just that sometimes, we're not very good at it all. We believe we all have hearts of gold, and when put in the right situation, we would all be heroes. Haven't we all had that daydream? Swooping in and saving the day? I know I have. Maybe it's that it's not directly affecting us. Sure, we have neighbors and classmates who have family there, but that "in"directly affects us. It doesn't hit quite the same spot, though, as if it were our mothers or fathers, brothers and sisters. In a few words, it doesn't hit home.
I hope, one day, when the situation presents itself, I have the oppurtunity to do the right thing. To save the day. To be a hero. Or, just to be decent.
