Coarser and Coarser
| By: Dr. Ted Baehr; ©1999 |
| Does it seem to you that television and movies are just getting worse and worse these days? Dr. Baehr agrees, and explains what can be done to reverse the trend. |
Contents
COARSE AND COARSER
When even secular critics are fed up with the tastelessness and coarseness of the movie product, the public should take notice. In many ways, especially in terms of their wealth, the entertainment industry leaders have become the new nobility; but there is a marked difference in the way they respond to their fame and fortune than the lords and ladies of yesteryear. Although there were many exceptions, traditional nobility was based on gentlemanly Judeo-Christian virtues —noble virtues, and, their rule of life was noblesse oblige which meant that the nobility was obligated to care for others based on the biblical principle “To whom much is given, much is required.”
When I spoke at Parliament in London, Lord Orr-Ewing gave a 45-minute introduction stressing the importance of the House of Lord’s preserving the good, the true and the beautiful in British society. Someone may say, “But, look at this bad Earl and this conniving Knight.” Just as the exception doesn’t disprove the rule of law, the bad apples do not destroy the general principle.
Regrettably, though, our leaders have thrown out all sense of responsibility and commitment to virtue. Today our society is built on meritocracy and an unbridled ambition to climb the ladder of fame and fortune. So much so that the big guys think nothing of pandering to the lowest common denominator and stepping on those below them. The court cases in this area are legion, where a big studio steals an idea and refuses to pay an independent producer, running roughshod over others.
Perhaps, it is time that we demand a higher standard. After all, “To whom much is given, much is required.”
