?Every age has its massive moral blind spots,” U2 lead singer Bono, said. “We might not see them, but our children will.”
This is only a fragment of the celebrity’s speech presented to the graduating class of 2004 at Pennsylvania State University. Although Bono refers to the poverty in Africa, neglects to mention society’s remaining moral blind spots.
?Since the hippy revolution of the 1960s, our society has moved away from ethics and rules,? Anne Schattke, Nurse Practitioner at Kaiser Permanente said. “Many teens now have an unruly disrespect for authority and kids have different social and ethical upbringings. Our sense of responsibility and rules in society went out the window.”
According to Frank Stirk?s 2000, article, ?Today?s Family,? the combination of violence, sexual content and crude language on television has nearly tripled in the last decade.
?Now it is acceptable for the media to be more promiscuous than ever before,? Schattke said. ?Movies are pushing moral boundaries further; there are even sexual innuendoes in PG movies. Teens begin to believe their own truths about drinking, violence and casual sex according to the media.”
In Kerby Anderson?s article, “Violence is Society”, he states the average child watches 100,000 violent acts and 8,000 televised murders before finishing elementary school. These numbers more than double by the time he or she reaches 18.
?I play violent video games all the time; it doesn?t affect me at all,? Walter Scott, ?08, said. ?People blame the media for violence in our society, but I think it?s a lame excuse. I notice the violence in the media increasing, but I don?t really care.?
Media’s influence on society
The source for increasing amounts of violence seems to be because of the video games and movies. In addition, the media seems to promote adultery, premarital sex and homosexuality.
?The increased societal acceptance has bred a moral change of opinion,? Schattke said. ?It used to be that when a teen girl got pregnant, it was considered unacceptable. Now there are nurseries in the high schools and that is sending the message that society is tolerant of premarital sex.?
These moral blind spots have not only affected entertainment but the mindset of teens and adults seem more self-centered. Bible teacher, Ellen King, believes many neglect poverty without a a second thought.
?Another problem facing our society today is poverty,? King said. ?Most teens just turn their head the other way when the issue is presented, even though it is a part of our responsibility to help others.?
Campus Pastor, Scott Falk, also believes the disease and poverty in Africa remains overlooked. According to Avert, the amount of people in Africa with Aids in 2006 was an estimated 24.7 million; the death rate was an estimated 2.1 million.
“I don’t feel like the issues in Africa affect me,” Jennifer Lewis, ’10, said. “I feel bad when I see people who are living in poverty, but it’s easy to forget about it.”
In addition to the problems in Africa, Falk is concerned regarding moral blind spots within the medical field.
?In our society today, even fields of medicine are pushing moral boundaries,? Falk said. ?When it comes to cloning and stem cell research, we may be making a huge mistake.”
“The issues we are encountering right now reflect the cultural mentality of carelessness,” Falk said, “people think the future will take care of itself and they don?t realize our actions affect future generations.?
In concluding his speech, Bono challenged the young adults to take responsibility for the issues confronting society today.
?We can?t fix every problem- corruption, natural calamities are part of the picture here,” Bono said, “but the ones we can we must. For the first time in history we have the know how, we have the cash, we have the lifesaving drugs, but do we have the will??
