Sign of Our Continuing Decline

I have borrowed the title of this post from "News of the Weird" a weekly collection of real-life news.  Chuck Shepherd, the curator of the collection, often groups together stories and one of his favorite categories is "Signs of Our Continuing Decline."  It's a fitting designation for so many features of modern living.  Today's tale is case in point.

On Monday, JT and I headed over to the local mall to hear the school's Madrigal choir sing holiday songs.  As we were getting out of the car, a family pushed their stroller past us.  None of this was remarkable but when the family was out of earshot, JT said to me, "Those people had a dog in their stroller.  Either that, or that's the hairiest baby I've ever seen."

It was dark and I figured that JT hadn't seen things clearly.  I suggested that the stroller didn't have a hairy baby.  "Maybe the baby had on a snow suit with a furry hat," I cheerily announced.  But when we got inside the mall, there were several dogs in strollers.  Even more in purses.  Dozens on leashes.  It was "Take Your Pet to Visit Santa" night.  I turned to JT to confirm that I hadn't gone mad.  People are waiting in line to take their pets to see Santa.  Then we texted T to share our horror.

Me: Just saw a dog in a stroller.  I worry about our nation.

T:  Are you worried our dogs are getting soft?

Me:  Dogs are soft and people are worse.  The decline has begun.

I don't know much, but I do know this: a nation who encourages people to bring their dogs to the mall to visit Santa probably deserves to lose its status as a world super-power.