Barbarians at the Gate? No, in our Midst

The traditional notion of barbarism is that it is matter of one less civilized culture or nation attacking and plundering a more civilized culture or state.  Such is the image of the barbarians tribes from northern Europe, the Vandals and the Goths, invading and plundering Rome in the early centuries AD.   We also think of the Huns and the invading Mongolian tribes traversing the steppes of Russia to attack the cities of middle and Western Europe. 

In today's multicultural, ethnically mixed societies such as the United States, this picture is not quite relevant.  The US does not stand in danger of being overrun by hordes coming across our borders, despite the real problem of illegal immigration.  However, the US does stand in danger of internal barbarism in which large numbers of its own citizens, long dependent on government subsidies, and having no inner moral code compelling them toward self-control, rise up when the subsidies become unsustainable and intimidate the more civilized members of American society. 

We are already seeing hints of this.  In this article by Bert Atkinson, Jr., we read of the many signs that are American civilization may be breaking down.  Let's us hope that a strong leader is voted into power in November who will put a stop to this very scary stuff.