Poetry for Peace, Day 27: Who Will?

So finally, I managed to catch up and this is the poem for day 27 of my year-long poemathon. It was inspired by observing some pretty degraded behaviour on the part of someone who should know better (no name, no details, sorry) passed of as "bit of a laugh" and the subsequent realisation that if we are to improve our world
- which has been turned into in many respects a grubby place - we need more adults to start acting grown-ups with higher standards and some dignity. many people I know already do but we need more of the slackers to join them. I include myself in that and have resolved henceforth to set a good example as best I can. I hope you at least don't hate the poem.

Who Will?

by Steve Cook

Who will uphold the dignity of our race
And put a braver face on our fears?
Who will stand tall for the self-respect of Man
And walk head-high as only heroes can?
Or take pride in womankind
And treat her without dishonour
Nor leave behind like the porny fingerprints 
Of petty crime the grubby stain 
Of shame upon our works?
Who will mind the gates
Or climb the scaffold to make good
The ramparts 'gainst a tough universe?
Or stand up and be counted
Fine to defend our children?
Who will eschew the coward's way 
Of the pantie-waist dilettante
And raise standards 'gainst the slimey
Onslaught of anything-goes psychobabble?
Who will argue for honour 
Or the privilege of belonging
To our star-born race
Or burnish again chivalry's rusted shield?
We cannot escape the burdensome truth, 
That the problems of survival yield
Not to the pop-a-pill, least-resistance,
Pretend-it-doesn't-matter quick fix
And never will
We cannot make a better world
Without rising  to the challenge
Of bettering ourselves in word and deed. 
Who will answer the call for the heroes
We need to pull us from the sticky 
Cesspit of gleeful yakety-yak
Into which our civilisation has sunk
Under the listless weight of fake men.