[cynicom]

It started downhill into the sewer when the media and left
started assulting people for their "puritanical" beliefs.
Once that was accepted it was open game to see who would go farther.

[gcruse]

It started downhill into the sewer when the media and left
started assulting people for their "puritanical" beliefs.

I think it is more of a cultural imperative, much as democracy tends to socialism once the electrorate realizes they have the keys to the treasury (read, the other man's pocket).

Look at the change over time in men's wear from long-tailed morning coats at the turn of the 20th century, through shorter tails until tie & tails gave way to tuxedoes for formal wear and tailless jackets for commerce, culminating in casual Fridays.  Culture tends toward easier living.  Mores seem to move in train.

The Puritans will always be among us, handling snakes and invoking brimstone, but life goes on outside the walls.