Newsmax columnist Alexandra York has inveighed against modern art that doesn’t reflect “Western heritage” and come out in favor of “masculine men” and everything “classical.” It’s unsurprising, then, that she would spend her April 5 column complaining about all the rude and uncouth people she encountered on recent travels:
Spring break is over, and observing American families on holiday in two different states (one snow and one sun) is also — thankfully — over.
The Vermont visitors were mostly from the east coast (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and New England); the Florida visitors were from the same tri-state area plus the mid-west.
The sampling was extensive in Florida, from Pompano Beach up to Hutchinson Island and all in between. Palm Beach was a mostly but far from entirely more sophisticated crowd, and the same can be said about upscale restaurant diners in both states.
[…]Visitors’ behavior at hotels: Unruly children of all ages from tots to teens running, jumping, screaming, and dominating swimming pools and hot tubs while young parents — 30s-40s — joined in the raucousness or busied themselves with cell phones and let their offspring run wild.
Books were sometimes present but rare. Locals’ behavior: Basically brusque or bored, hurried and harried.
Visiting so-called “adult” appearances: Tattoos — Arms (one or both covered); legs, backs, necks, hands, and fingers to different degrees. Piercing — Multiple ear decor, eyebrows, lips, noses, and some tongues. Hairstyles — Anything attention-getting. Cascading braids, stand-up bristles, shaved-here-but not-there, green, purple, orange. … Message T-shirts/sweats — From places to politics. Torn jeans. Locals’ appearances: Pretty much the same.
Restaurant observations: Failure to eat properly by both parents and children. With some exceptions most diners stuffed their big-bite food and chewed with open mouths; forks disappeared within clutched hands.
Noise levels were deafening as laughing and shouting were emitted by all ages, but none of the uproar seemed to bother some families where every member was glued to their cell phone while eating without engaging in any conversation at all.
Obesity was less prevalent in Vermont — skiers — but in Florida alarmingly common. Bikinis were as popular with waddlers as with the slim.
What to make of all this? One might be able to explain one ornamental tattoo, but dozens of overlapping designs? Even primitive tribes display affiliation or communal identity in an arranged manner.
Addictions to “more is better?” “Monkey see monkey do?”
In the past, obesity was frowned upon as not only unhealthy but unattractive (both of which are still true even if ignored). Respect for the context of other people — manners — used to be expected. No longer.
York further ranted about people who have not achieved the same level of maturity she claims to have:
But usually by the age of majority — 18 in America — when most young people are finished with formal schooling, developed enough to objectively judge moral right from wrong and select rational life-serving values rather than vacillate between emotionally driven impulses, make initial career decisions, select romantic-sexual partners with care, and take on the responsibilities of adult self-sustaining/self-respecting behavior, the childish needs make way for full individuation into a unique adult who is secure in their worth as a person.
This, along with a refinement of manners, a thoughtfully created outward appearance that bespeaks an inner personality without signage, and dignified public discourse and comportment that does not interfere with the peace and space of others defines maturity.
We can hypothesize, then, if not conclude that chronological “adults” who crave attention to the point of advertising their personal penchants all over their body for everyone to see (and perhaps chat about) are signs of an immature desperation to be noticed; of course, this blatant in-your-face billboarding backfires because anyone with a particle of sense lumps such people all together as fad-following “losers” without any true identity under all the show.
The preponderance of obesity today generally signals a childish incapability to delay gratification, and loudness betrays both attention-getting and impulse-acting obsessions.
Because these people aren’t as sophisticated and refined (or as thin) as she portrays herself, York insists they’re ruining the country:
America’s real chronological children are demonstrably being indoctrinated into societal obedience; no one with eyes to see or ears to hear can deny this by now.
Until or unless We the People who have come of age in years but continue childish preoccupations (causing vulnerability to authoritarian dictates) grow up to adult responsibility and rational, mature courage to resist, the elite power lusters — there are countless internationally, nationally, and locally now — will destroy this exceptional country that still stands at least symbolically for personal freedom and individual rights.
If America as an idea founded on values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is allowed by its own citizens to perish, all lights of western civilization also will go out one by one or simultaneously under a global tyranny that is actively in the making by self-anointed and elected elites here and abroad. The hour is late and darkness hovers.
York, of course, isn’t going to talk about how many of her fellow sophisticates have exposed themselves to “vulnerability to authoritarian dictates” by being followers and supporters of convicted felon and serial adulterer Donald Trump. That would be so gauche.