Posted on 06/15/2005 6:43:04 PM PDT by CHARLITE
In his new book, Porn Generation, Ben Shapiro mocks the absurdity of some common liberal solutions to society’s ills. He exposes the outrageous advice of liberal celebrities and media figures, detailing how liberals have transformed the overthrow of traditional values into an art: by methodically watering down religion, undermining parental authority, and giving all views equal legitimacy, they’ve produced the cultural crisis that we see today.
This approach has left my generation plagued with moral relativism, narcissism, and many other unintended consequences that the hippie generation is unwilling to take responsibility for and which the aging leftists that now control academia are still trying to promote. By detailing this, Shapiro provides the slap in the face that America needs.
Perhaps my experiences at Wellesley College make me especially ready to embrace Shapiro’s ideas, but I would argue that anyone would consider this book a quick read and (if they have the stomach for it) hard to put down.
Porn Generation has all of the bite and harshness of a young conservative who has been pushed to the edge by the constant force of liberal propaganda within our education system, yet it also presents arguments which are thorough and unavoidably convincing for even the most liberally-minded.
Shapiro details the chronology of society’s moral breakdown – explaining how today’s trends can be traced back to the Kinsey study in the ‘40s, the Clinton scandal in the ‘90s, and other prominent events that changed our understanding of sexuality and culture.
Loaded with quality conservative sarcasm, this book analyzes the hypocrisy enveloping the liberal machine and looks at the various aspects of our culture – teen magazines, pop celebrities, and commercial marketing – that influence our youth.
The one warning that I must issue before encouraging you to read this book is that it does have very provocative titles and explicit language. The irony, however, is that this language is nothing that we do not see or hear every day watching the news, listening to the radio, reading popular magazines, or attending university seminars. Shapiro calls conservatives and liberals alike on their hypocrisy for buying into the new culture that they condemn in principle, yet support with their wallets.
Shapiro points out the craziness of a society which turns criminals into multi-millionaire rap stars, especially when they teach boys “that it’s okay to treat women like dirt” and that these “contemporary buffoons, vulgarians and misogynists are…the ones who are ‘keeping it real’,” while teaching young girls that boys only want strippers and prostitutes.
He argues that youth cling to “gangsta’ rap” because it “distances them from their parents, and in some sense, serves as a rejection of their parents’ culture and their race itself.” This new mentality, according to Shapiro, has only served to promote moral relativism and give young whites the “false impression that [gangsta’ rap] actually represents mainstream black America.” This highlights the hypocrisy of multiculturalism and empowerment within my generation. As the Rev. Al Sharpton said, “Civil rights marchers didn’t march so that a rapper ‘has the right to call your mama a ho.’”
Shapiro looks with disdain at the careers of pop idols Madonna; the former-Mouseketeers-turned-Madonna-wannabes Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera; and newest Disney “pop tarts” Hillary Duff (who hasn’t sold out yet) and Lindsay Lohan (who has). He also looks at the lyrics from such “artists” as Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Ozzy Osbourne (who compared Bush to Hitler just months after the President complimented him on his music success), and Marilyn Manson.
He lauds these artists on a few points, praising Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder for declaring that “any generation that would pick Kurt [Cobain] or [Eddie Vedder] as its spokesman… must be a pretty f–up generation” and admitting that Britney Spears is right about one thing: “It’s a fantasy world that [she’s] doing…It’s up to the parents to explain that to their children.”
Shapiro highlights a critical disconnect between parents and the current generation, citing such figures as: “While only 15 percent of surveyed parents believed that their teens had gone beyond kissing, 27 percent of teens reported being with someone in an intimate or sexual way.”
The recurring theme of this book is that parents are increasingly being cut out of the loop, with schools replacing their authority in sex ed, teenybopper magazines telling their kids what to think and “how to exploit…‘rents into letting [them] date,” and music contributing to the clash of generations. He summarizes his view of teenybopper magazines with the question “Where the hell are your parents?”
This book is the ultimate summary of how we “have been re-defining deviancy so as to exempt much conduct previously stigmatized,” while concurrently defining deviancy up so that the normal has been made to be found deviant. It differs from other conservative crisis-of-our-age books in that he doesn’t just scream bloody murder at the problems caused by the liberal hijacking of our culture, but also offers shrewd solutions for how each of us can help restore and transform our culture.
Overall, Porn Generation is well worth reading and very enjoyable -- assuming you can stomach knowing exactly how disgusting our culture is.
Maribeth Armitage is a former Witherspoon Fellow and a graduate of Wellesley College. She managed a congressional campaign in Boston before coming to work for Townhall.com.
I guess that would simply be an issue of state law and the ability under such laws of towns to pass certain zoning. I don't think this says anything about pornographers being able to force communities to allow their businesses on main streets. Blame your state legislators for this.
Yet there it is, courtesy of the ACLU and a bunch of jackass judges.
From what you've described, it is there courtesy of the state legislature.
The story has some holes in it.
A)It's perfectly legal for a town to pass a law to restrict "adult establishments" from being too close to churches or schools. NYC passed just such a law.
B)If it's such a small town, why did the landlord rent to such an establishment? Doesn't he have to face his neighbors etc.?
C)Most retail establishments deal with community standards one way or another. If a business doesn't meet community standards, then nobody will patronize it and the place goes out of business.
D)Adult establishments generally don't open on small town Main Streets. They know their customers prefer anonymous entrnces and exits.
I addressed your arguments in another comment. The fact is that a debased cultural climate, driven by moneyed interests (as in Hollywood and pornographers - but I repeat myself) and leftists - as in the ACLU and a bunch of judges, including some on the SCOTUS - affects everyone.
It is not easy, and in fact virtually impossible, for parents to protect their children from the pervasive cultural climate of acceptance and indeed, glorification of immorality.
When moneyed interests, leftists, and moral relativists (who aren't relative at all) have determined to turn the whole world into a dump, those of us living in the dump are affected by the atmosphere.
And the reason they aren't applicable is the influence of leftist moral relativism. I have personal knowledge of the very beginnings of the feminist movement, as well as having read some of their literature. Feminism is one of the most vile philosophies to hit the planet, and it is one of the prime moving forces behind easy and legal abortion, "children's rights" - to have abortions, have sex early and often, homosexual rights, no-fault divorce. All of these have seriously degraded the cultural climate in only 40 years.
The original feminists were primarily lesbians and heavily influenced by communism - in fact, Betty Friedan was a member of the communist party for a while, IIRC.
So the reason they are not applicable is because certain groups - leftists all - have exerted great effort to change the culture.
If you see no evidence of devolution, then you must agree with the cultural degradation which is happening very clearly before our eyes.
The legislature cannot pass a law which the 9th circuit or SCOTUS, in their infinite wisodm, has declared unconstitutional.
"When it comes to marriage: would you go on a cruise ship if 60% of the cruise ships sank?
Why get married, since 60% end in divorce?"
On a cruise ship you have no control if it sinks or not. In a marriage it's your own dumb-ass fault if it fails.
I see shifting patterns that don't point in one direction or another. For instance, there is a coarsening of popular culture, but church attendance is up across the country. These two phenoms are contradictory. I'm not implying they are related, but they are happening simultanously.
The 9th Circuit cannot override a SCOTUS decision:
Simple avoidance is no longer an option.
I could V-Chip sexual explicit,homosexual program in the entire tv/cable lineup but it is useless because the TV commecials still permiate promoting the those shows. It does no good to "clip" "queereye for the (cuckold)straight guy" because their commercials still reach children.
Even so called safe channels like nickelodeon are infested with sexual subtexts like the recent "we are (a homsexual)family" indoctrination program.
Those that advocate the change the channel or just go another way are either living in a dream world or are working for the perversion pushers.
The hollyweird types have worked overtime to make changing the channel useless. See when the suits of paramount ORDERED all their programing producers to each make one of their episodes about aides and "diversity of lifestyles".
In conslusion: we can't avoid anymore, it is no longer an option. The pervasive porography push has to be attacked outright.
If you include people who remarry the person they divorced (per ann coulter) OVER 60% of marriages succeed/take hold.
You are confusing divorce law with marriage success. There is no peaceful or painless divorce.
You do have an option you left out
TURN THE TV OFF!!!!
save
Ben's dad says Ben might be on "O'Reilly" tonight. Maybe somebody could review it here for those of us who don't have t.v.s
That's why fiscal conservatism needs to be in the driver's seat and social policy needs to sit politely in the back of the bus and not pester the driver.
Your TV has been replaced by a Twonky that turns itself back on if you shut it off and follows you around if you walk away from it?
This I gotta see!
I didn't write the 60% commment, I was quoting the other guy who did. I merely implied that a failure in marriage is due to a failure of the individuals, which shouldn't dissuade another given individual.
One piece of evidence which I can't believe you don't take seriously is the huge percentage of births to unwed mothers. Around one third of all births in the US are to unwed mothers, in the black community it's 75+% percent. Think about those numbers. In the UK it's 49%.
Social implosion due to the destruction of the family. Kids raised in what used to be called "broken homes" become very damaged, generally speaking. Of course, some overcome the damage. But many, many don't. Kids raised without their own mother and father in the home are at an extreme disadvantage, much higher incidences of drug/acohol use, molestation, violent behavior, acting out, promiscuity, and they have a much worse track record at being able to form stable marriages themselves.
If this doesn't herald danger to you, then you are either shutting your eyes willingly, or have extremely odd standards.
I agree with you 100%.
Which begs the question - why do people vociferously support pornography? They must either want it easily available for themselves, or applaud the destruction of morality for some other reason. For instance, those who support socialist revolution greatly value the destruction of social order, since it helps their cause.
A third reason might be that if a person is attached to some form of vice, a culture that tolerates or promotes any and all vices is more comfortable.
Public indecency is still illegal etc? Ha. Whether it's illegal on the books or not has little relevance.
Ever seen any footage of "Gay Pride" parades, or been there in person?
Nuff said.
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