As I mentioned in my bio, I teach 8th grade English. One of the things I have the students do is write, write, write. One of the prompts I use describes a scenario where it's hot and dry, and there is a bank of vending machines in a park. You realize you don't have any money, but at the same time notice that someone has accidentally left a bag of money on the bench near the machines. Nobody is around; nobody is watching. Is it okay to take the money? I teach in a fairly well off community, but I was still appalled by the answers. Sixty seven percent of my students said it was okay to take the money. Only a handful said that it wasn't okay because it wasn't theirs, and most of these said they'd take it to the police to try to find its rightful owner. There was a time in this country when the number who wouldn't take the money would have been about 95%. There is a moral vaccuum in this country which has permeated our society. "Sexting," flash mobs, drug use, sex at a very young age--all these things are evident in the majority of today's youth. And it's just getting worse. You wouldn't believe the books they read (those that do read anyway), or the movies they watch. I'm talking about thirteen year old kids not just watching, but obsessed with movies like "Saw." When I was thirteen, I watched "Psycho," but only because I was staying overnight at a friend's house and we watched it late at night when everyone was asleep. My parents would have killed my if they'd known about it. Today's youth goes and watches the most horrific or sex-filled movies with parental approval.
On top of the fact that the morals and values of today's young people are quickly eroding, I am appalled by the fact that many of them know almost nothing, despite the fact that, by the time I see them, they've been in school for seven years, not counting kindergarten. I always try to blend history into my lessons (I'm also licensed to teach that subject), so when they ask me how old I am, which they invariably do, I tell them I was born with about two years left in the administration of Dwight Eisenhower. They look at me with blank expressions, so I make it more current. I will tell them that I was 17 the year we ended our involvement in Vietnam. They have no clue about that either. I show them a picture of Jimmy Carter or Gerald Ford or, incredibly, Richard Nixon, and they don't know who any of those people are. Sometimes, when trying to make a point, I'll bring up a movie or something. They don't know who John Wayne was. Let me repeat that. They don't know who John Wayne was. Once actors like John Wayne graced our movie screens, and the characters he played taught America and its youth about things like honor and responsibility and loyalty and courage. Now they watch movies about people being tortured by psychotic killers--and they laugh about it! Look at their "heroes," and it's no wonder that we are raising a generation of children who are amoral and who participate in degrading and dangerous behavior. Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, both of whom felt it necessary to go without underwear and be photographed spreading their legs as they got out of cars. Lady Gaga, who found it necessary to drape herself in raw meat. Angelina Jolie, who once was famous for wearing a vial of blood around her neck. Tiger Woods, whose serial philandering sends such a great message, especially in a world plagued by AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and whose cursing and spitting on the golf course are seen by millions.
The seemingly endless list of hormone using sports starts sends a great message as well. I remember watching players who performed with honor, such as Hank Aaron and Nolan Ryan and Jack Nicklaus. I watched an interview with Nicklaus once, and in it he remarked that he was watching a replay of a tournament and saw himself lining up a putt with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He thought to himself, he said, how many kids must be seeing that, and he quit smoking that day and never smoked again.
We've seen Lindsey Lohan jailed repeatedly for various offenses, and become a serial participant in rehabilitation. The #1 song in the nation right now, by Katie Perry, is about a young woman waking up after a night of drunken partying with her home in a mess, and wondering whether or not that mark is a "hickey or a bruise."
It's time for college and pro sports to get tough with athletes who set a bad example. Forget about the almighty dollar for a minute and put some real teeth into enforcement. Lifetime bans for players caught using performance enhancing drugs would be a good start. Show the kids that bad actions have consequences. Forget the almighty dollar for a moment and, even if it's a big star, do something which would get the attention of the youth of America and enable parents to say, "See, that's what happens when you cheat." You know, set some examples. Maybe then Hollywood will follow suit and promote more stars who send a positive message of responsibility and fealty, rather than ones who send a message of drunkeness, cruelty and debauchery. More stars like John Wayne.
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