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I think this is just a sign that you are getting old and starting to sound like your parents or your grandparents. In other words, I am sure, with little difficulty,you could go find a newspaper column written in the 60s, written by someone over 40, that says much in the same about the world then... and how it was going to hell in a handbasket.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
A note on music... there is a ton of new music out there. In fact there is probably more than ever before. The great leveling force of computers and the Internet has allowed more people to create more music and distribute it to more people than ever before. In fact, I would argue that the do-it-yourself punk attitude is more alive than ever before (only it's being expressed in a multitude of musical forms).
The big difference is that it is not in the hands of corporate music. It is inherently independent and therefore not being heard via mainstream sources such as FM radio. There are a ton of new musicians out on tour as well. They just aren't playing giant venues and charging the kind of fees that will put you on the top ten list.
The playing field is leveling and so are the audiences. Tune into my favourite web radio station, CBC Radio 3 and you will hear a plethora of new bands (from multiple genres) that are touring, creating exciting new music and speaking to an audience that is not a part of what was traditionally called, Mainstream.
As for television... there has *always* been drek on TV. Stop looking at drek and start watching better TV. There has been a renaissance of drama over the past 10 years with programming being produced that is reaching new levels of importance and relevance. I can show you any era and point our that (most likely) 75% of what was being made was crap.
As for "outsourcing", I suggest you get used to it. Corporations are not simply national institutions any long. They are not beholden to anyone but their shareholders. Labour and skills are cheaper abroad. The market will not tolerate needless expense. That said, you should also understand that those jobs have done more good, in terms of developing nations that could otherwise be getting ready to go to war with each other or worse.
One could argue that the main reason India and Pakistan did not go into nuclear war back in the 90s is because of the risk that that war would have meant the loss of India's status as America's back office. If India had gone to war it would have meant a disruption in the services they offer, via the Internet, to hundreds of US business, worth billions of dollars. That business would have gone elsewhere (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.) and would not have come back. India pulled back.
I would suggest that China and Taiwan will not go to war for much in the same reason. They are both heavily invested in being part of the supply lines to the US and the West. They cannot break that supply chain without losing out in a huge way.
These same forces are working to bring many of the nations of Asia, that were nothing more than third world dictatorships, into the second and first world. This is just the sort of economic and social change that people point to when they argue that invading a place like Iraq is not the answer... investment is...
I can't help but feel that the US is going through a change. A very important change. I feel, however, that it will come out the other side stronger and leaner... and perhaps very different but also a lot smarter and a much better International partner to all.
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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
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