I agree fibbits. The "NEW" writing style that your referring to is to be "wishy washy" - to "ride the fence" - to "go with the flow".

For some reason writers are allergic to the solid "good guy versus bad guy / hero vs. villian" formula. They believe that it's unbelievable and that a clear cut good vs. evil struggle does reflect believable reality. So exactly what in the hell have we been going through since 911 anyway? An actual struggle of good versus evil - or a little "I'm Ok - Your Ok, just misunderstood" tiff? I DON'T THINK SO! Tell our young men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan that solid heroes are a myth! THEY ARE SOLID HEROES!

Also, I am really getting tired of this "living in the gray area" mentality that writers have anymore.
YES - a lot of things in life DO fall into gray areas - but they are different shades of grey - some leaning more towards the dark and others toward the light. You might say that a totally black and white position does not exist, but in doing so you must also come to terms with the fact that niether does absolute ambiguity.

From the relativistic perspective - mathematically - if your moral bent is over 50% towards the dark side - your generally a bad guy. If it's over 50% towards the light, then your generally a good guy, but NOBODY is exactly 50 / 50. Your still on divided ends of the ethical spectrum.
I'm sure even Hitler had one or two things in common with Winston Churchill, but they were still the antipathy of one another - and that was a static condition.

It's bologney to say that there is no right or wrong, good versus evil, etc., and that writers shouldn't even go there. As a result of this prolonged exahltation of the "anti-heroe" fence rider character formula (which is MY GOD SO OLD AND TIRED), you do not have a more open, "sophisticated" audience - but a more hardened, SYNICAL audience - because they've been spoon fed dog poop for so long that they now prefer it over a well planned meal.