Jeff,
It wasn’t “ad hominem” it was “reductio ad absurdum.” I had no intention at all of suggesting that Mr. Rourke *actually* was lamenting that we no longer had to fear getting eaten by alligators…
I think I must have been clearer than you took me or others would not have gotten my point.
And my point was simply that it is a timeless thing to observe the changes in the world and declare them a “decline.” It seems, to me, pessimistic to some degree. I have a greater faith in humanity.
And, to respond to Mr. Rourke’s comment above. Was it any different at the early part of the last century when I can easily imagine someone “resent[ing] hard work” when their automobile stopped running and they had to step out and turn the hand-crank until it started again?
It’s all relative.
PS – I’m not going to announce it, but I’m quite curious what party you think I must belong to.
