Last Night, I had a dream. I was in a radio station studio, being interviewed in front of a small audience. The host of the program had heard a song I'd written recently, and kept asking me about it. The audience's curiosity was aroused, and everyone was asking me to sing it. The title of the song was Whatever Became Of The Country I've Known? I kept hedging for time, because I had never heard the song. I hadn't written it yet.

When I woke up, I thought of the one line of the song: "Whatever became of the country I've know, and lived in all of my life?" And it made me wonder. I happen to be talking about the United States, but I imagine my Brit, Canadian and Aussie friends could ask the same question of their country. United States bashing being the most popular indoor (and even outdoor) pastime these days, it's easy to compile our own Hit List of culprits. Half the BS threads on Mudcat are about them. I'm hoping this thread can go a little deepr than the obvious villains of the piece.

So, just to get the guys in black hats out of the way, it's the Rightwing conservative Republican Christian homophobic corporate homophobic polluting politicians what done it. Did I miss anyone?

What about you and me? And, are there changes that occur as a country grows stronger and more materialistic that really are out of our control?

Let me give a first example. When I was growing up in the Midwest, we had what was called a "skelton" key for our front door. I don't remember our actually locking the house. It wouldn't have made any sense, as there'd never been a burglary in our neighborhood, and if someone wanted to get in, they could buy a skeleton key for ten cents and Woolworth's that would open 90% of the front doors of the houses in the town. Now, my wife and I live in an area where burglaries are almost as rare as they were when I was growing up, and yet we lock all of our doors. Even when we're home. Has the world changed that much, or have we?

And, I remember when the first McDonalds opened in my home twon back in the early 50's. It was just an abberation then... 15 cent hamburgers that you could skip all the way across the river. We still ate most of our meals at home with our parents and brothers and sisters, and if we wanted a hamburger, we went into a "greasy spoon" and sat at the counter or in a booth, and hung out for awhile. Now, most parents are grabbing food on the run as much as the kids, and family dinners seem reserved for holidays.

And, I remember when tomatoes tasted like tomatoes. Not the carton's they're shipped in these days.

So, who's a fellow to blame? We gotta blame someone.

How has your country changed? Is there anything you can do to reverse the change in a small way?

Other than complaining, of course?

Jerry