In The Transformational Decade, Herb London presents an anguished view of America. It’s a country hobbled by its own lack of confidence, out of touch with the great ideas on which it was founded, and senseless of its momentous achievements. Despite his dire assessment, London holds out hope that America can still find its way back to its core values.
The book surveys the time between 9/11 and Obama’s election as president. But London’s real conceptual timeframe begins with the cultural revolution of the mid-Sixties and the long shadow it has cast over the past decade or so. London places the blame for the country’s current state of confusion on many of the usual candidates—diversity, multiculturalism, civil-rights leaders, obscenity (Is anything still thus categorized?). To these he adds additional culprits, such as childcare centers, the Internal Revenue Service, and protesters (who should be called thugs or criminals). I am particularly fond of his questioning of the word artist, which was at one time reserved for individuals of real merit. Now every pop performer of any genre is a “recording artist,” whereas the greatest classical performers and composers are barely even acknowledged. His point is simple: “that words are ideas incarnate. If words are used inaccurately, thoughts cannot be accurate.”
London decries the shift in political values whereby “rights” have been raised over responsibilities. A significant portion of the population doesn’t pay federal income tax but wants more services and benefits, which are, of course,
