Are We Becoming More Moral?

In my 07/21/08 post I speculated that the one thing that might really pose a threat to Las Vegas would be a surge of morality among our citizenry. Today, I read Joel Stein’s article in the August 24 issue of TIME: Less Vegas: The Casino Town Bets on a Comeback. Comparing the two would legitimately raise the question: are we becoming more moral? Is that the explanation for Las Vegas’ hard times? As much as I would want to think so, I fear that the truth of the matter is that we aren’t becoming a more moral people, just more prudently and pragmatically ethical in our amorality/immorality. You see, it’s not that people no longer want to come to Sin City, it’s just that they see it as financially risky right now. Sort of like those who would jump at the chance to get into a high-risk mortgage if it was again offered, patrons of Las Vegas are simply biding their time until they feel they can afford to be immoral again. As the folk song goes, “When will they ever learn?”