Is this the American Dream?

I guess we're all feeling old and curmudgeonly this week. I managed to stay out of Roscoe and Kellus' discussion about the precipitous decline in customer service in cities as opposed to small towns, but this photo really got to me.

For anyone who doesn't recognize what's going on here, here's a quick quiz. This guy is hoisting his prize overhead, exulting in victory, because:

A. He won an Academy Award.

B. He won a local spelling bee.

C. He stood in a line for an embarrassingly long time for the rare privilege of forking over an obscene amount of his own money for a toy.


Of course, C is the correct answer--we are looking at the proud owner of an Iphone. This apparently is what passes for accomplishment nowadays.

To paraphrase the movie Gladiator, the Founders had a dream for our country, but this isn't it.