But slowly, but actually as long as I can remember, it became a different age.  Men wore their ties not simple old school like Bobby Kennedy or Eisenhower, tied straightforwardly, but there came to be a crease just beneath the knot, as if suddenly men wanted to show off that they were strong as well-dressed European power brokers, king-pins.  And at the same time, slowly, again, and unnoticeably, the smart younger generation, intellectual, clever, up to date, began ending their statements with the inflection of doubt or question, as if to ask, "am I right?" even when they were stating known things that they had studied and reached conclusions.  And also at the same time, people interviewed on television on news shows suddenly adopted manners of speech like "look..."  or "listen."  As if all had been given a handbook about how to communicate effectively, as in a 'winning friends and influencing people' sort of a guide.  It was like everyone was talking dumb to each other, or putting on a show with ties even more powerful than respected men of good upstanding behavior from the days of good and decent men.  Something creepy was going on.  And many were participating in it, or affected, or effected, by it.

It all reinforced the notion, to me, anyway, that a lot of things had become a show, and that since substance and quiet ties and even statements from intellectuals who had carefully considered everyone but seemed to have no final convictions, and a new kind of pandering showmanship on the part of trusted journalists, that all this opened up the path for the great showman, the great hollow man, the great profiteer posed as flag-waving patriot.  And it was all disgusting.