Are you feeling like the whole world’s gone crazy?
You’re not alone.
So many changes in such a short time and most of the changes don’t seem to have been for the good.
In America, a sizable number of our governmental, institutional, corporate, media, and even religious figures have been operating at warp speed to implement changes within society.
From the classroom to the courtroom to the boardroom and beyond, fundamental philosophy has been supplanted, institutional policy altered, and underlying goals redesigned.
It seems as though the changes that have occurred have impacted each and every facet of our lives. As a result, many of us are suffering, often silently, in mind and in spirit.
In this article I wish to focus on the effect that all of the changes have had specifically on the American culture, changes that a major portion of the population finds unacceptable, and at times downright heartbreaking.
The culture of a nation is generally comprised of a common set of beliefs, values, and behaviors. This common set acts as a kind of a glue that binds people together and holds them together through the best and the worst of times and circumstances.
Like many of you, I have spent plenty of sleepless nights trying to figure out what is happening to me personally as well as what is happening to America and to our people.
In my assessment, America’s culture has undergone an extensive transformation. The transformation is still ongoing, though, so it is difficult to see exactly what the country is transforming into.
The nation, as well as the culture that binds us together, appears to be more and more divided. This is extremely serious because our cultural bond is being tested to its limits.
There is a concept called the “Overton window” that may provide some insight into what has transpired.
The term Overton window is named after policy analyst Joseph Overton.
In the 1990s, Overton found a way of determining the viability of a given idea when presented to a population.
Much like a kitchen window, there are limits as to what can be viewed when one is peering through it.
Picture this if you will:
The Overton window presents ideas on the other side of the glass. But there are limits to the range of ideas that can be, and are, featured at any given point in time.
The culture, with its set of beliefs, values, and behaviors in common, is theoretically peering through the Overton window. It is also reacting to what it sees.
Overton found that the viability of an idea is dependent on where it falls within a range of acceptability to people.
There are powers that be who are working to push ideas beyond the range that the present culture finds acceptable.
For a large number of people, this is causing discomfort, confusion, and oftentimes distress.
For others, especially those who align with the powers that be, the ideas are seen as progress.
The American culture is a tolerant one. It is also one that seeks harmony. And so it is that our people who are negatively affected by the changes that have been implemented so far have arrived at the place of unwilling acceptance.
It is here when another change of perspective is likely to occur, courtesy of the powers that be.
The Overton window shifts.
When the Overton window moves, that which was formerly unthinkable may not only become acceptable, it may also become the new standard.
There are ongoing debates as to whether the Overton window has shifted to the left or to the right politically.
To me, the two things that matter most are the extent to which the window has shifted culturally, and, when it moves again, whether we will be able to put the scattered pieces back together.
James Hirsen 