Straight talk

I forgot that I promised to provide a solution to the problem of this blog’s title sounding like something dirty. And here it is: the most inoffensive critique imaginable. Forward everyone in your office a permalink to this post with the subject line, “THIS ADULT CONCERNS GUY REALLY TELLS IT LIKE IT IS! NO JOKE! PLEASE READ”. Depending on the political leanings of your office, you may wish to supplement your email with pictures of an eagle clutching an American flag, the Earth cupped in a pair of human hands, or a pig dressed up like a policeman (not forgetting my Black Panther readership this time!)

Lately, I can hardly turn on the TV without feeling sick to my stomach. The political atmosphere in this country is toxic. Whatever your ideology, restraint and decency are commodities that are in too short supply right now. We need politicians that will move us forward instead of engaging in more partisan bickering. It’s all a house of cards, I’m sorry to say. China is financing our deficit spending, and they are going to be putting how many cars on their roads in the coming decade? The economy is changing, and more bailouts aren’t going to save us next time around. Does anybody believe the system is working?

No, it is a deeply flawed system, and things are probably going to get worse– especially considering the landmark Supreme Court decisions of recent years. The problems we’re facing as a nation are too severe to keep kicking the can down the road forever. It’s time to own up. Entitlement spending and personal debt – are they really two sides of the same coin?

Also, consider that many young people today are despicable and sad. They are avoiding growing up, and their health statistics are alarming – but hardly surprising. Their callow sexual practices are serious cause for alarm, yet they are also boring and reactionary. In a culture where Jersey Shore is what passes for entertainment, what do you expect?

But I for one see hope. I see hope in backyard chickens, the charter school movement, tablet computers, street protests against repressive foreign regimes, stimulating TV dramas, and some charismatic social entrepreneur on a quixotic mission to solve an entrenched problem. After all, other young people are quietly starting a revolution of some kind that could shake the world. We’ve got to remember what really matters, what’s always mattered: Family. Responsibility. Community. I still believe in what Abraham Lincoln said on a battlefield called Gettysburg a century and a half ago: “be the change you want to see in the world.”

...and congratulations! The phrase “Adult Concerns” is now conflated with “inspirational truth-telling” in the eyes of your coworkers and bosses, rather than “grainy anal sex videos”. Your office popularity and my blog audience both skyrocket. High five.