Late Night Live: ABC Australia. Broadcast - 10/21/2003

The Twilight of American Culture

Dr Morris Berman is an academic, cultural historian and social critic who believes that American civilisation is on the verge of collapse. 

Among the signs that America is a culture in decline, Berman cites its citizens' love of capitalism, their belief in globalisation, the increasingly large gap between rich and poor, people's fascination with celebrity culture, and their inability to distinguish quality from kitsch.

He also has some solutions, like the 'monastic option'; preserving and copying knowledge to be held for the inevitable cultural renewal.