American Society: Myths and Realities

A post in MaGo's group made an observation that “nobody bothers in US if you portray its students as drug addicts”, and even when a movie represented Jesus in a bad light “no body in US bothered”. This would seem to suggest that American society is highly tolerant of alternative views. There is indeed a lot of space allowed in public discourse, e.g. in the mass media, for alternative views on a wide range of matters, in contrast to the highly restrictive information environments in many other countries of the world. But let’s not get carried away by American boasts of free press and freedom of expression. The situation is more complicated and complex.

It’s likely that most of us would still recall the orchestrated protests in the USA against Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Powerful forces in Hollywood and the media had tried their level best to block the release of Mel Gibson’s movie. Why?

American society is soaked in media. It’s the country that launched the phenomenon of round-the-clock news. Yet, more than half of the American voters who re-elected Bush (in Nov 2004) were of the impression that Saddam had WMDs hidden away in some deep bunkers (waiting to be discovered) and that Saddam had collaborated with Al-Qaeda to cause 9/11. A democracy is only as good as its citizens; their decisions depend on how informed and discerning they are. The fault lies not only with the media, which shapes the information that is reaching the people, a vast majority of whom rely on the TV rather than print for their news. Americans are themselves increasingly selective about what they would choose to hear and see, thus narrowing their outlook and reinforcing their prejudices.

On the other hand, America’s pornographers have exploited the First Amendment for a full play of freedom of expression. As a result, American society is awash with porn. Such porn is today available across the globe, even in remote towns and villages. This is undermining and fragmenting entire societies: moral degradation, sexual crimes, weakening of the family, etc. American society is not immune: there are some who lament that America is becoming a moral wasteland. David Brooks writes in the New York Times (May 29, 2005): “In 1960, three-quarters of poor families were headed by married couples. Now only a third are. Poor children are less likely to live with both biological parents, hence, less likely to graduate from high school, get a job and be in a position to challenge the hegemony of the privileged class. Family inequality produces income inequality from generation to generation.. ” (Note 1)

No society is safe from the corrosive effects of such ‘morality’ that is being increasingly globalised. We are already starting to witness the impact right here in Singapore. There may be reason to plead for greater INtolerance (or less tolerance) in some matters.

Note 1: (added on 22 May 06)

ADD, ABSENT DAD DISORDER
Coach Dave Daubenmire
March 1, 2006
NewsWithViews.com

We are a nation of broken families. Family trees now resemble a shrub. Over half of our children no longer live with Dad. Some studies show that nearly 7 out of 10 black children are born into a home without a father.

Boys are confused. A national epidemic of single family homes has deprived America’s children of a solid, consistent, male role model. Some turn to gangs, some to drugs, some turn to homosexuality.

Girls are abused. Promiscuity continues to skyrocket among the Britney Spears generation as the young prosti-tots display their wares. Navels in school are now more common than navel oranges in Florida. The daily headlines reveal the latest sex-capades at the hands of public school teachers, the fruit of young girls striving to find that male connection. …….

……… Brokeback Mountain, blatant homosexual propaganda, has been all over the news. Disguised as a movie, it is nothing more than a commercial to try and normalize deviancy.


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