Americans Pull Back from Values That Once Defined U.S., WSJ-NORC Poll Finds

As far as pulling back from patriotism, I'm not sure. Patriotism got co-opted by certain factions and the words and actions might be the same but the meanings underneath the words shifted. It's no surprise that there's less reflexive patriotism.

According to the article, in USA the self-reported importance of patriotism, religion, having children, and community involvement are down, while that of money is up.

let's take a closer look at the declining "values":

- Religion: we still act with religious devotion, but now it is directed towards consumer brands, not a supernatural entity

- Hard Work: the US pretty much exists at this point to accelerate wealth inequality, so this one is pretty sensible

- Patriotism: would you volunteer to stand around a burn pit in Iraq? me neither

- Having Kids: its a personal choice, but your coworkers will not be at your funeral. I expect lots of folks burned out on careerism will try to backpedal on this one when it's too late

- Community Involvement: oh we're involved in our communities...we go on Nextdoor and scream at each other

the Money trend should be no news to Silicon Valley and HN which basically just exists to pursue $$$$