American entertainment, the bellwether of cultural rot

The grace, sophistication, and genuine talent of Shirley Temple Black have given way to the obese, trailer-park coarseness of Honey Boo Boo....

The cultural decline of western civilization is as predictable as it is pathetic. 

If democracies follow this progression: Bondage > Spiritual Faith > Great Courage >Liberty> Abundance > Complacency > Apathy > Dependence > Bondage.....
then I'd say we are around Apathy and Dependence, just like before the fall of Rome, 
where the bizarre and repulsive count as entertainment.