Freedom-Fighters Forum

By William J. Dell – June 1992

There has been much in the news lately about the breakdown of the American Family. Two models have been brought to the forefront of the argument both of which entered the home through the medium of television. The first of these is “Murphy Brown” who is being cast as an improper role model, by Vice President Quayle, because she had a child out of wedlock as a “life style choice” i.e. she just wanted to have a baby but didn’t want to get married. The second is another sitcom of the fifties “Ozzie and Harriet” with its “wholesome” family life.

This writer agrees that there has been a breakdown in the American Family and the traditional values that used to apply to family life as taught in our Judeo-Christian Heritage. The question is what is responsible for the crisis that confronts the family in our society today. Can the blame be laid completely at “Hollywood’s” feet or are their others who are equally at fault? Further, if the causes for the breakdown can be established, how can we guard against them in our own families?

First of all since it was raise most recently, let us look at television. Television and the Video Media are a very powerful teaching tools. In education, it is well know that the more senses involved in teaching any subject, the greater likelihood that it will be learned. This is true of good things as well as bad things. With television and the videos that are brought into the home, sight with motion and hearing transport us all away into an unreal world of fictional characters. This is particularly true of weekly shows. The line between reality and fiction can become very thin when we are involved with a TV character weekly. Their experiences become more “real” to our minds than our real living friends who we may see less often. The serial, particularly the soap opera, is guilty of carrying us away as we struggle and sometimes worry how our “friend” is going to solve this or that problem and the advice we would give them if we could.

During the fifties, television was careful not to teach anything amoral. Violence was minimal. Generally a parent or grand- parent did not have to worry about what a child would see if they turned on the TV. So what happen to the medium of television? A movement was started in the sixties to get more “realism” into the programming. More realism meant — more course language, more explicit sex, and more violence and dysfunction. Now nobody is going to deny that these things have existed in society throughout the ages. Nobody is going to deny their reality. This writer however is going to lay partial blame for the increases of these ills in our schools and communities and nation at the feet of television. My reason for this is that our children have seen and heard the language, sex, violence and dysfunction so much on the television and in videos that they believe that it is the NORM because of the “EVERYBODY” syndrom.

What is the everybody syndrom? That is when your child comes to you and asks to do something because “Everybody is… can I do it too?” Consequently because of television’s and Hollywood’s lack of responsibility to their viewers through the decades an attitude has been shaped. It is an attitude of “our family is no different than those we see on TV or in the movies, we must be normal”. We have been carefully taught to accept the course language, the explicit sex, the excessive violence and dysfunction in families by and irresponsible media who sought FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE EFFECT IT WOULD HAVE, HAS HAD, AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE ON ITS VIEWERS.

If we are to have a moral nation, moral communities and moral families, morality must be taught. Teaching morality will not eliminate all the excesses of language, sex, violence and dysfunction in our nation, but I firmly believe that it will help. Television and Hollywood can play an important part in this effort to restore traditional moral values if they assume responsibility for what they are teaching all of us in our homes.

Now as I indicated Television and Hollywood are not alone. What of the sponsors that pay for the shows and movies? They too must assume responsibility for the the decline in morals. By their backing of amoral conduct in the shows and movies to sell their products, they have become accessories to the destruction of morality and the traditional family.

What about the government, they too have contributed to the decline in morality and the destruction of the family because they relaxed the laws and standards to permit it. If the laws of the fifties had remained concerning what could be broadcasted, we would still be viewing “Ozzie and Harriet”, “Leave it to Beaver”, “My Three Sons”, “Gomer Pyle”, “Mickey Mouse Club”, “Mr. Wizard”, etc. Now some of you are saying, “How corny!” Perhaps it was, but you didn’t have to wonder what the children were watching. It was also both educational and entertaining.

Lastly, what about us as parents? Have we contributed to the problem also? Have we faithfully taught proper viewing habits? Are our teachings followed in our absence? How much Public Broadcasting is watched on our TVs instead of the excesses of network TV? How many R rated videos have been in our homes? How many R rated movies have we attended? What books and magazines are available for our children to read? What do our children see in OUR EXAMPLE of what to watch and what to read?

We too have a responsibility to teach the children strong moral values. As a matter of fact, we have the prime responsibility. Lately, this Patriarch feels that he is struggling against the tide. He has seen his children become desenitized to the amoral conditions around them. They are neither outraged or surprised by the excesses of language, sex, violence or dysfunction that surrounds them. The still small voice and the voice of this Patriarch seems to have little chance of being heard above the irresponsible roaring din of peers, the television and other media.

For all of his efforts to teach correct principles and have his children govern themselves, this Patriarch is frustrated in his efforts. Since the Scriptures tell us that we are not to be weary in well-doing, how then can we guard against these excesses that threaten the morality of our children, grandchildren and the destruction of our own families? This Patriarch would like to suggest the following standard for our homes and families:

“If you would feel uncomfortable viewing the TV show, Movie or Video with the Savior, THEN YOU SHOULD NOT BE VIEWING IT WITHOUT THE SAVIOR.”

Lest you fall into the trap that good Videos are hard to find, may I suggest that you contact:

Feature Films for Families, P O Box 572410, Murray, UT 84157
Phone: 801-263-8553 or 1-800-347-2833

These folks have embarked on a project to provide first rate videos without the excesses of today mentioned in this article. The more subcribers they have the more films they can provide.