The 1930s was the time of the Great Depression - the most severe collapse of capitalism that ever took place, so I'm not exactly sure what your point is there. And yes, the culture may be more inclusive of gays, but America is still very much divided by racial and economic lines. Inequality is the worst its ever been in human history and American society has been dumbed down incrementally for decades. Acting in your own self-interest with total disregard for the welfare of others is what has the country in such a miserable state in the first place. People are dying from lack of healthcare and because everything has been privatized, the majority of people can't even afford the cost of living. If you consider a sophisticated culture to be one in which the poor, sick and elderly die on the streets and black people are shot by police on a daily basis then you have a lot to learn. American exceptionalism is over, face it. Kane's decline is symbolic of America's decline.