January 05, 2008

Best of Crosstalk (First Aired January 2, 2008)

Today in America there is a rampant refusal of Americans to grow up. This attitude is having tremendous consequences for families as well as the economy.

For example, Ingrid cited a news story from December 31st where a mother, desperate to get tickets so her 6 year old daughter could see 15 year old actress Hannah Montana, decided to help her daughter write an essay for a contest. The problem is, the mother had her daughter lie and say that her soldier father was killed in Iraq.

Ingrid then noted stories concerning America's unpaid credit card bills and the sub prime mortgage problem. These difficulties show America's "gotta have it how" mentality, an attitude not unlike that of young, spoiled children.

The cult of youth mentality has even hit the church. Ingrid gave one example of a Pennsylvania church that is making the interior look like a McDonald's restaurant for January and February so the pastor can drive home some sermon points concerning worship.

For those people that want a more detailed look at this phenomenon, Ingrid referenced one of the voices documenting this problem. Her name is Diana West. She's written a book entitled, The Death of the Grownup: How America's Arrested Development is Bringing Down Western Civilization.