dark ages

At bedtime prayers with my son tonight we were somehow talking about the dark ages. He asked me about them and I had to admit that I didn't know much about them other than that civilization as it was known declined into disorganization and chaos. I decided to do a little research. It turns out that the barbarians had a lot to do with the fall of the Roman empire. The Vikings, the Visigoths, the Magyars invaded. A lot of the learning that had been developed was lost. I got to thinking about the Minnesota Vikings and about the young people in my son's junior high school today called "goths". When we name a team or group of people after bloosthirsty barbarians, we've pretty much lost the shock appeal that the real thing held. I got to thinking about shocking, bloodthirsty groups today that will someday be corporate or cultural icons. How about the Al Qaeda Rebels, The Shining Path All-Stars, The Aryan Athletics, The Hamas Hellions. I'm ordering my official jacket and cap today. They will be collector's items some day for sure.