Moviemaking had become big business in the United States. Starting after the turn of the century with silent films, industry executives quickly graduated to lavish productions for the "big screen", and eventually turned their attention to the new medium of television. Early TV was not much more than replicas of the old vaudeville acts that used to travel from theater to theater throughout the country. TV made stars out of Milton Berle and Sid Caesar. Comedy reigned uspreme in the 1950's and into the 60's as Lucille Ball dominated the airwaves, and families like the Cleavers and the Nelsons brought tame adventures into America's homes. Then things got dirty. Revelations that professional wrestling was not much more than pernicious performance acting spoiled that venue; scandal rocked the world of TV quiz shows, and the ho-hum family dramas and variety shows were wearing thin on American audiences. Even action-packed westerns were no longer attracting sufficient viewers, and ratings were more and more the "name of the game".
Johnny Carson became a legend as he presented his special blend of "wink-wink" innocence and naughtiness on late night TV for thirty years. But movie makers and television programmers needed something more daring - something more edgy - to keep ratings high and advertisers spending big bucks for a thirty-second commercial. By the mid-1970's things had been tweaked up a notch, and the tweaking continued throughout the 1980's and into the 1990's. Suddenly, it was considered commonplace for viewers to see couples engaged in various sex acts on the movie screen; suddenly it was acceptable to use curse words on television, but only for "dramatic effect", of course. Censors argued with writers over what was gratuitous and what necessary to the plot or theme of the performance. As the entertainment industry overstepped its bounds, Congress stepped in and - as always - proceeded to make a mess of things. A new spurious "ratings system" was touted to the public as a means of warning potential movie-goers about content. Only movies with a 'PG' or 'G' rating were considered wholesome enough for family audiences. If the movie was rated 'R' or - God forbid ! 'X' - your family was warned not to pay for films showing nudity, sexual acts, graphic violence, rape, or unsubdued raw language.
At first the movie industry fought the ratings system. But then something happened that changed their minds. Movie makers suddenly recognized that an 'R' or 'X' rating often boosted attendance! Even kids would lie about their age to get into a theater just to see Sharon Stone cross her legs while not wearing panties! Indeed, some film makers began inserting such sexy scenes just so that their films would earn the 'R' or 'X' ratings!
Society was changing, thanks in large part to the influence of movies and television. It was no longer uncommon to hear a junior-high-school student use the "F" word in class. Teen-age girls started wearing more revealing clothing to school while Mom and Dad were experimenting with wife-swapping or group orgies. "Mens' magazines" were prominently displayed for sale easily within eyesight of young children. Graphic depictions of rapes and murders became everyday fare on television, even in early evening prime time. Some experts estimated that an average American child witnessed more than 30,000 scenes of rapes and murders before they were out of high school. By the end of the century, life was imitating art.
The influence of images projected by the "entertainment" industry had calloused America. Suddenly nothing was sacred; nothing was private. Movie stars enhanced their popularity when they confessed to cheating on their wives, frequenting houses of prostitution, or entering a rehabilitation center to cure them of drug or alcohol abuse. It was familiar fodder, and America gobbled it up like pigs in a garbage pit. High school kids were dressing in gothic black garb and murdering their classmates just to "see what it would feel like".
Politicians and lawyers conveniently created complex laws that they used to their advantage. "Just because it's legal doesn't make it right," argued one law professor. But creative interpretation of cumbersome legislation allowed lawyers to skirt the law and caused Congressmen to disregard the Constitution of the United States. The wealthy elitists and industrialists, lobbyists, special interest groups and big business had all played a role in the degradation of America. The "entertainment" industry spoon-fed its toxicity to Americans, who found themselves swimming in a cesspool of sin and seduction without even recognizing how such errant behavior had deteriorated even the 'common people'. You were no longer considered such a terrible person just because you'd been married and divorced multiple times; divorced men were even running for office!
There was no shame connected with being caught in the flames of an extra-marital affair. Living together was not only acceptable, but viewed largely as preferable to the tie-me-down commitment of marriage. Casual sex was rampant among teen-agers and college kids. If you were an alcoholic or drug addict, it might make you famous - or infamous. Abortion was easy and accessible to the masses - but, while it was legal to kill and unborn child, it remained illegal to kill a terminally-ill person who simply wanted to die with a modicum of dignity. Cross-dressers, flaming homosexuals, bi-racial couples, lesbian television stars, steroid-using athletes, child molesters, wanna-be murderers and unmarried pregnant couples not only came out of the closets and confessed their discretions, but gained notoriety, respect and financial security by doing so!
Then an American President got caught in the throes of a dalliance with a White House intern, and his political opponents spent millions of taxpayer dollars on impeaching him because he lied to Congress about it. Oh, to be sure, there were other 'issues' - but the most titillating segments of the Congressional investigation concerned Bill Clinton's colorful sex life. And from there things unraveled. Teen-age girls no longer thought it was wrong to give their boyfriends blow jobs on the school bus. After all, it was nothing different than a kiss on the cheek. It certainly wasn't "sex"!
The entertainment industry had influenced Americans and Americans influenced the entertainment industry. With a few notable exceptions, most TV and movie producers, writers, programmers, directors and actors exposed their limited abilities and creativity by reducing their work to nothing more than worthless slime. Just as big business had no use for long-term planning anymore ("you're only as good as your next quarter's bottom line" said one CEO), careers in the entertainment industry rose and fell with one's most recent exposure. If you weren't on the front page of the "Enquirer" or featured in some ugly designer dress in "People" magazine with your latest lover, you were a nobody.
By the turn of the century, George W. Bush's handlers knew how to manipulate the press and influence the American people. Lying was not considered something the government shouldn't do; after all, it had its agenda to maintain at any cost. To hell with the idea of serving the "people"...there were masters to serve. Masters who contributed heavily to political campaigns in return for 'favors' or 'special consideration'. Like the entertainment industry and big business, the U.S. government neglected any sense of responsibility. Moral or ethical conduct was unimportant anymore. "Getting the job done" was important - at all costs and at any sacrifice on the part of the American people. Hatred, bigotry, lying, cheating, stealing, raping, murdering, conspiring, price-gouging, misrepresenting, abusing, conning, manipulating, and dominating were all acceptable behaviors - as long as you could legally get away with, of course. And legally getting away with it only required the cost of a fancy-pants attorney, an obliging member of Congress on the right committee, or a pliable President who had no clue what to do without the guidance of his handlers.