Decline of the American culture

I've been reading Coming Apart by Charles Murray, which details the systematic decline of morality and industriousness among the bottom rungs of society. It pissed off Paul Krugman, which meant I had to read it myself.

Murray argues that this decline of "American" values is as much a symptom of poverty as the cause. At the same time, he cites how the elites have increasingly developed an increasingly insulated culture.

So, what do you all think? Are we in a state of moral decay, or are we just experiencing a change in social mores like we have so many times before? And are we separating into an increasingly bifurcated society?

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