Americas Moral Decay: Main Causes and How We Can Move Forward

What led to America’s great moral decay? How did we get here? Well, the moral decay of American society is something which was in the process of happening for decades, culminating in the moral ambiguity of the past decade and especially of the past few years. The first is the decline in the participation of and trust in traditional institutions. The second is technological advances and the role which they play in the social isolation of many. Finally, the idea of “the two Americas”, and how the perception of the future of our society is fundamentally different between areas. 

1. Decline in Trust and Participation in Traditional Institutions

Ever since the beginning of human civilization, there have been certain things which have remained common with our caveman ancestors to this day. One of these things is social interaction, and the natural need to find belonging and acceptance in the things we do, and things that we enjoy, and find commonalities between us. In American society, for much of our history, there has been an unwavering trust in the institutions deemed holy by the Constitution and by God. Now, it's important to note that in no way I'm advocating for a return to previous times; but, when these things were there, no matter how controversial or morally wrong they were, they were the glue of American society. These were family, the church, sports, and a sense of local community. Many of these things are replicated across the world even today, but in the U.S, these institutions are being eroded. It usually comes down to the fundamental difference between the Western individualistic culture which defines us and the traditional communal living which many societies practice today: that we as Americans feel responsible for our own destiny, and as a result, have a desire to be liberated from the shackles of society. Capitalism was born from the free-thinking individualism of the Enlightenment movement, who found a new home across the pond in America. This, combined with the Protestant work ethic so deeply ingrained in our society to this day, created and set up an erosion of moral values and community bonds. In ancient times, people found belonging through the "tribe"; and people needed to rely on each other in order to feel secure, safe, and happy. That feeling is still with us today, and most Americans found it through work, religion, or sports. But, in all three of these aspects, the traditional institutions which gave Americans a place to belong to and to strengthen bonds with have been declining. Perhaps the most notable example is the church, and the overall place of religion in American society. Even though our First Amendment forbids the state-sponsored use of religion and advocates for religious freedom, the church played an important role in American society since its inception during the colonial era. Many movements took place as a result, and as Americans moved further west, they took religion with them. By the time of the Gilded Age, an age of unfettered capitalist desire, the Christian Temperance movement pushed back, ailing for a return to traditional values. The Christian influence on American society is profound; after all, in a nation with such diverse beliefs, for centuries, religion was a unifying factor. It also did something which the Constitution could not; it gave most Americans a working set of morals and values, and laid the foundation of American moral thought. This, in turn, gave Americans a way to live their lives, balancing the ingenuity of the Constitution with the steady morality of the church. By the 1950s, almost 90% of Americans were affiliated in some sort of church or religious denomination. It is at this point in time that things begin to change. With the 1960s and 1970s advocating for individualism, sexual liberation, and racial equality, the traditional values rooted in much of working-class America began to erode, especially in the cities, where a more cosmopolitan, capitalist society took its place. Since then, membership and overall religiosity in American society have both declined to record low numbers; the latest Pew Research Center poll states that over 40% of Americans do not believe in God, and the number of Christian denominations have dwindled in both participation and size. Coincidentally, this decline has mirrored the concerns about the moral decay in American society. Now, it is important to note that the church's view on morality is in many ways outdated and unjust. However, they gave America a common moral compass and set of values which anybody and everybody did follow for centuries. When that vanished, the inability of American society to build a new set of moral and cultural values on top of it has led to a moral reckoning today. Another key institution in the past was family. Earlier, like in the rest of the world, American families were close-knit, and with a few exceptions, the nuclear family did not really exist. The joint family system was prevalent, allowing for people to find comfort and shelter in their own homes. Also, this led to people caring about their families. However, as American culture evolved and people focused more on the pursuit of material gain, families isolated. The joint family system evolved into the nuclear family. Take me, for example- my nearest family that I'm close to is across the nation in California, and I only meet them two times a year, compared to every day if we were living together. That kind of isolation leads to a decay in the relationships between family members, leading to the overall demise of true connections in a family. This erosion of family in American society led to the erosion of a truly American institution, one which gave people morality and something to value. 

Technology, Hustle Culture, and Social Media

The world changed forever in 1990, when Tim-Berners Lee came out with something called the Internet. If you're reading this and you were alive at the time, you might recall many experts calling it a joke and will not reach 1995. 35 years later, we can't imagine our lives without it. Many times, we simply focus on the technology; but the Internet, computers, and any other of our favorite gizmo friends have all had monumental effects on American society, and the way in which we interact with one another. At this time, the erosion of traditional American institutions was already occurring due to the mass societal change catalyzed by the Civil Rights Movement and the overall liberalization of America. And, because of technology, we reached a paradox: the very thing which was supposed to connect us ending up isolating us more than when we started. Technology and social media contributed to social isolation, creating more of a moral decay than ever before. After World War 1, the rights of workers in the U.S increased exponentially; 8 hour work days, health insurance, and other perks all were now official U.S law. As a result, American workers could begin to focus on other aspects of life, and American society opened up as a result. By the 1950s and 1960s, people were obsessed with the 9 to 5; where before and after, nobody disturbed you; no emails were answered; and work was at a slower and more manageable pace for most Americans. However, during this time, an idealistic change began to happen. People no longer wanted to work for a living; they wanted to find purpose through their life. Incidentally, this takes place during the decline of traditional institutions, leaving a void which many thought could be filled with 90 hour work weeks. With the advent of the computer, things changed even more. Computers are known as capital goods, goods which contribute to the production of consumer goods. These goods are supposed to make the production of goods faster and more efficient. Employers now expected their workers to work more hours and at the same wage, leading to an overall increase in worker productivity and length. Coupled with the idealism of the second half of the 20th century, a cultural shift began to occur. People began working more, and seeing work as a necessity to happiness and fulfillment. By the 21st century, this hustle culture had taken root into the deepest and darkest corners of American society. People today work more than ever before; today, the average American worker works around 50 hours a week, a whole half day more than the 40 hour work week advocated for by labor unions. People work more, and because of technology and the interconnectedness of business networks, the work doesn't stay at the workplace; it comes home with them. This has become such a huge problem that work-life balance is the newest buzz word in self-improvement circles. All of this has led to the contribution to the erosion and virtual eradication of high levels of social interaction. Earlier, people needed to interact with and rely on each other to survive. In the age of Amazon, Netflix, Instacart, and Doordash, not so much. Technology and the easiness which it gives our lives has weakened our desire for social interaction and developing true relationships which contribute to the moral fabric of society, which is usually formed by a strong people. In addition, because work has taken precedence, 1) nobody has time to think about morality, and 2) no one is concerned about it as well. Another key technological advancement that has thrown younger generations especially into a loophole is social media. 

When apps like Facebook and MySpace came out in the early-to-mid 2000s, everyone was excited for what it meant. Everyone would be connected all the time. However, this was not the case. I fell victim to the trap of social media, where I thought it would make me more connected with my friends. In reality, it was a big time-sucker, and it really played on many of my insecurities. Social media divides and isolates us through this; the main objective of social media algorithms is to categorize us and play on our fears and insecurities to make the algorithm stronger, thus forcing us to spend more time on the app, making it more successful for them and more addicting for us. External validation, envy, competition, and perfectionism are all human problems which have been pervading us since the beginning of our existence. Social media amplifies all of these emotions to a new level, and further isolates us more than ever before. Furthermore, social media gives us the perception of social interaction, when in fact it is anything but that. For example, I downloaded Instagram as a freshman in high school because I wanted to follow my friends' accounts. Eventually, I just liked their posts(it took 5 seconds), and then spent most of my time on the app scrolling through reels. They were funny, and were also isolating me from my friends. This is unfortunately all too true among teenagers my age and young adults. 

3. Multiple Americas

Since the 1970s, we have seen a profound change in the perception of America and its potential depending on geographical location, race, and a number of other factors. And while these perceptions were always there, they have become more pronounced than ever before. Part of the problem of our nation's moral decay is that we are unwilling to listen to each other; we all want to impose our version of America onto each other, without seeing what the other side feels about it. This is evident in our politics today, where in the presidential debates, it has become more about arguing and proving a point rather than actually listening to one another and DEBATING, not arguing and making personal attacks. We, as Americans, have forgotten the art of listening, and that has translated into multiple, smaller Americas being created within our own nation. There's the far-left America, that worships at the altar of cancel culture and feels that whatever Republicans do is wrong and that the word of Progressives like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren should never be questioned. Then there's the rural, conservative America, that does not understand where the world is going and is still stuck in the past, and wishes to return to a more "civilized" society. There's the poorer side of America, that has no time to wonder and ponder these deep questions, since they are obviously more concerned with their day-to-day lives because society has failed them. There are many other Americas, all of which have a common theme: their rigid devotion to their ideology, and the unquestioning belief in not listening to any others. Now, it's not horrible to have people with differing political perspectives; in fact, that's what America basically means. But, the only commonality throughout our history is that we listened to each other, and we continued to change and evolve. The number of bipartisan deals has dwindled from 150 in 1950 to less than 5 by 2021, showing how on a national level, the voters and in turn, the politicians are not willing to compromise on anything. These divisions have frayed the moral fabric of our society, since we longer can agree on anything and find more that divides us than unites us. 

4. How Can We Move Forward?

We can move forward from this decline by systematically tackling each of these issues. The root issue is that our society encourages us to run away from the very things which make us human. First, we need to develop more of a sense of community in American society, and advocate that individualism can peacefully coexist with a more communal societal dynamic as well. This starts by connecting towns and cities physically, as well as emphasize the creation of more social structures and organizations. We need to create a work culture which values work-life balance, enhancing productivity while giving people a sense of belonging and purpose. In doing so, people can lead more fulfilling lives and feel more connected to their life. Lastly, the fact is that technology isn't going anywhere. However, we can choose to regulate and use technology in a way that is beneficial and not detrimental to our society. By regulating and limiting the influence of social media, and by encouraging others to reduce reliance on technology, we can "step out of our shell", so to speak, and begin to connect with real people as well. All of these things can give us time, and also rekindle the motivation to develop communities and relationships around us. And, as a result, the morality and ethics of a society needed to advance forward will develop. I'm not saying that everyone has the same exact morals and beliefs; this isn't Communist Russia. But, I do believe that if we can agree on our common humanity, compassion, and empathy for one another, and begin to become more accepting of each other, that we as Americans can finally move forward from the moral decay that has plagued us for the past decade and continue to develop into the shining example of idealism that the Founding Fathers intended our nation to become.