If the American president functioned like a monarch with absolute powers, then he would be able to order executions with a single word. In such a situation, you would see Americans suddenly locate their manners and no one would be daring to post derogatory comments or pictures of their leader. You see, it’s not that Americans can’t be well-mannered, restrained, civil people—it’s that no one is requiring them to be. Reverence is a lost concept in American society. Our judges can be paid off. Our law enforcement officers are told they have to just eat the daily rudeness of civilians without retaliating. Our politicians are pretty powerless, and our president can’t make a move without hundreds of people agreeing to go along with his idea. Our schoolteachers used to be able to send snarky kids off to the principal’s office for a good whoopin’. Now many of them can’t even verbally scold children without getting reprimanded themselves. On the one hand we’ve got a bunch of parents totally abusing their kids as a means of coping with their personal issues. At the same time, we’ve got a bunch of parents who are so threatened by their kids not liking them that they won’t dole out the discipline that’s needed. Instead of killing those who intentionally murder others, we just give them a slap on the wrist and send them out on parole after they spend a few years in a prison that looks like a five star hotel compared to the hellholes other countries are stuffing their criminals into. When Americans look around, they don’t see any leaders who are worthy of reverence. Sure, everyone has personal enemies who upset them, but American society as a whole has no strong authority figure leading it, thus Americans deservedly get a global rep for being a bunch of ill-mannered brats. It is reverence which motivates us to submit to authority, obey instruction, and put effort into restraining our carnal instincts. Without reverence, we just run amuck.