Like I said: Root Cause Analysis

I've been struggling with this one as well: what are the root causes of our collective societal malaise, including violence, irrational financial policies, and all the rest.

Here is at least one view regarding the root cause of the violence we see so prevalent:
http://steveelliott.patriotactionnetwork.com/2012/12/17/what-just-happened/

To address problems with

• our mental health institutions
• virtual reality gaming
• the drugging of our children
• our gun laws
• the media culture’s glorification of such violence

without dealing with the root cause of our societal decay are vain attempts to mask symptoms.

And what is that root cause?
The destruction of the family.

The destruction of the family leads to people living lives alone. When people live alone they are drawn to filling in their lives with things they make up.

It is always easier to make things up, deal with sound bites, and worship false gods than to spend the time and energy to think things through carefully and comprehensively. It's easier to be a couch potato than to actually get out and about and do real stuff. Especially if you are alone and there isn't anyone around to spur you to get moving. So people, especially young people, end up in a made up world of make believe, which increasingly is filled with violence.

But if you surround yourself with hatred, violence, and falsehood how can you rationally expect your life to be full of anything except hatred, violence, and falsehood?

If you go through life with constant background of noise: radio, TV, earbuds, how can you think?

But that's the point. Don't actually think. Just do what feels good. Nevermind the consequences.

And buy more violent videos and games. And buy more romance magazines, and then buy more clothes to dress like a bimbo (male or female), and then get pregnant and have yet another fatherless child to perpetuate the cycle. All the while, of course, buying more stuff.

And,  further driven by the addiction to media, be now addicted to other things the media offer: more political correctness and soundbites, closing the loop on irrational financial policies...

All leading to a rational conclusion: we are no longer a thinking nation, rather a feelgood nation, and reaping what we have sown.

The post is spot on. Please read it. He uses facts and statistics and logic, not feelgood emotionalism, to support his argument:
http://fatherhood.about.com/od/fathersrights/a/fatherless_children.htm

Children from broken homes account for:

• 63% of teen suicides.
• 71% of teen pregnancies.
• 90% of homeless and runaways.
• 71% of high school dropouts.
• 75% of all drug users.
• 85% of behavioral disorders.
• 70% of those in juvenile detention.
• 57% of all prison inmates.

 So let's focus on root causes. Not politically correct causes of the moment.