I'm not sure who you mean by the robber barons, big business or gangs? The 1930s certainly had gangsters, which I think were a bit different than today's gangs. Years ago a community raised a child. Extended family, neighbors were all involved. Why? Mainly because resources were scarce. A nuclear family really couldn't make it alone. Today we all have independent resources and we are told to be independent from the day we are born. But that's just not logical. Sometimes we all need help. And sometimes it's difficult raising children even with two parents in the household, let along a single parent.
But we no longer have that sense of community, that reliance on family and neighbors. When I was growing up, we knew all our neighbors, everyone was there for everyone else. We actually depended on one another for our day to day existence. A wife was sick in the hospital, no problem, a neighbor made sure the kids were fed and sent off to school. An aunt or an uncle needed a break from a disabled child, no problem--someone was always there to help out.
Now I know few of my neighbors, and would I ever leave a child with them? No, because I don't know them.
And I actually believe we are smarter than ever. Overworked and overstressed? Yes, definately. But America was built on the philosophy of success, gaining wealth and prestige. Why did my immigrant grandparents come to this country? They were seeking a better life, i.e., success and, if not wealth, a better living. It's all about the American dream, a single family home with two cars in the garage and all the extras.
We are a nation built on the dreams of immigrants--a better way of life. But that dream has mutated into material wealth, getting more and more things. But I wonder...what's really important in life?
When I'm on my death bed, are my last words going to be about my ever loyal SUV or about something else, some memory, some person?
America may have some problems, yes, but would I ever want to live in any other country? No, never...