There's a quote in the Book of Isaiah, 5:20.  Here is the first line:

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.

Sound familiar?  Whether you're a person of faith, the prophet's message is a warning, now ignored by complacent Americans.

For over thirty years, I've viewed human behavior and culture through the lens of people whom I've helped.

As a licensed therapist, I've served clients, from twenty-year-old college students to seventy-plus adults with advanced degrees.  Ninety-nine percent are high-functioning and seek therapy for crises or secrets, which they cannot discuss with anyone else.

Many provide me with the temperature of current trends, and it's not a pretty picture.  A couple from Generation X appear on Zoom with pronouns front and center.

In the arena of pursuing love and monogamy, I sit with people who share their distaste for online dating or specific encounters due to negative experiences.

A few women disclosed how some men send photos of their nether parts without invitation or permission.

Another described an initial virtual encounter after texting and emailing with a young man.  She said he was polite until every other word became an expletive.  Although she admired his ability to overcome difficult circumstances, she couldn't get past his coarse language.

In a recent article in the Spectator, Lara Prendergast described the rise of the Millennial sex party.  She has noticed something that is really happening.

I hear about polyamory among Millennials, who often engage in sex-oriented gatherings with like-minded individuals.  I don't ask for details, but the once-upon-a-time taboo is now accepted with risky and frisky Millennials.

Yet, these carefree individuals forget about one constant.  Even in their so-called liberated circles, jealousy shows its fangs if one's paramour migrates to a new flavor of the moment.

Ms. Prendergast is also right about the matter of secrecy.  It isn't always maintained when several people are involved.

During one narrative shared with me, I envisioned a spider weaving a web as I heard how one partner spent the weekend with another's spouse, with the silk unraveling as more partners emerged.  You wonder how things became out of control at such a fast pace.

There are many elements, but from everything I've witnessed, it involves specific developments.  Social media and the quest for instant fame are one.  Another is the increase of moral relativism in our society.  If a brave soul calls out the unclothed emperor, he is accused of racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, body/fat-shaming.  Often, he is destroyed by loss of job and friends.

Some Boomer and Gen X parents have contributed to this decay by taking a lackadaisical approach to parenting.  No limits are imposed on their precious cherubs, and if insults, including the F-word, are hurled at them, excuses abound without consequences.

We know the universities allow their spoiled, entitled students to make demands without ramifications, and few schools, including law and medical, escape the indoctrination of radical leftism.

How do I know?  Because I've sat with some of these students.

Adding to this is the vile and narcissistic exhibitionism of entertainers and politicians.  Their vulgar behavior carries no shame, remorse, or penalty.

A few years ago, the actor Robert De Niro appeared on stage at the Tony awards expressing the famous four-letter word towards a sitting president.  Not only did he pump his bicepses as he expressed this profanity, but a fawning audience applauded.  Decades ago, this display couldn't be imagined, never mind allowed.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago used the same language toward a sitting Supreme Court justice during a recent Pride parade, as did Maura Hawke, a nobody if not for her famous parents.  Ms. Hawke was a guest on Jimmy Fallon and uttered those boorish words toward the entire Supreme Court because of Roe.  When Mr. Fallon chastised her, she restated the expletive.

Not outdone, a Rhode Island state senator revealed her campaign message of twerking in a bikini while upside down at the beach.  When critiqued, the woman doubled down.  She claimed that the motivation of these attacks was race and sexual identification.

The rapper 50 Cent mocked the defiant woman's unbecoming video.

There are many examples of this vulgarity, including music with lyrics denigrating women.

Ladies of the left, where's the outrage?

How about art, with Jesus Christ in urine or Robert Mapplethorpe's self portrait of a bullwhip in his anus, one of his many celebrated masterpieces?

Does free expression equal "let it all hang out"?

For leftists, the answer?  Yes!

Recently, I took a walk with a close leftist friend.  The long-term relationship has suffered since 2017–2018.  My friend claims that politics aren't at play even though she couldn't contain her TDS for 45's entire presidential term.  Last year, she wondered about her new neighbor's unfriendliness, not considering her brazen display of two BLM signs and the effect on those living around her.

During our stroll, my friend told me about her involvement with someone developing a piece of artwork to honor the female body.  She added that the new creation would reveal a woman menstruating.  When I questioned her with a what?, her response didn't surprise me.  In her usual manner, fluffing off the outrageous, she reminded me that it is part of the culture.  These days, we disagree on most topics, but regarding this matter, I couldn't agree more.

It's the culture, and what a shame!

Image via Pxhere.