Years ago, Americans rooted for the underdog. American culture was all about the little guy getting his chance.

Since then, I've watched the culture in this country become increasingly cruel. I remember early on arguing on a mailing list that the sudden popularity of "Survivor" was a bad sign, that encouraging people to think in terms of "kicking people off the island" and eliminating "the weakest links" pointed to an emergence in social-darwinistic thinking that would eventually lead to very dark places.

Since then, the culture of cruelty has increased, to the point where openly cruel, "who cares about them?" sentiments are appearing in mainstream political discourse. Think of the way Republican talking-heads spoke of the victims of Katrina. Is there any doubt that a large portion in this society would kick all the less-than-rich, less-than-healthy, and less-than-fortunate off the island if they could?

Where has the country gone that rooted for the underdog? How many decades before we look back as a culture and find ourselves appalled at the cruelty of the times?

Tucker