Imagine a world where the media actually promoted traditional American values.  What if television, radio, newspapers, magazines and all forms of advertising encouraged morality, justice, truth, personal responsibility, hard work, and a cohesive family unit?  What kind of society would we have? 

Obviously major media organizations think their businesses would fall apart and the world would come to an end if they supported these virtues.  “Sex sells,” as they say, and this golden rule of advertising has done a tremendous job in destroying our national character.  The media’s focus on sex, whether explicitly or implicitly, has undermined all of the virtuous traits that I’ve listed by promoting a lifestyle of hedonism and irresponsibility.

Young people nowadays are taught the ways of the world from their experiences at school and immersion in the media culture.  The average working parents see their kids maybe a couple of hours everyday, which isn’t enough time to counter all of the immoral social influences faced by our youth, and engrain proper values in their children. 

Schools have all but given up on telling kids to wait until they are married, or at least until they are adults, to have sex.  The focus has now turned to instruction in “safe sex.”  The word “safe” here only implies physical safety, as in the prevention of spreading disease, not emotional or social safety, as in the impact their actions will have on themselves and society as a whole.  School districts in California, Florida, and Maryland have even forced students to embrace homosexuality and bisexuality, and have given guidance for children to explore their “gender identities.”

The various media outlets have gone above and beyond the schools in promoting not only an active sexual lifestyle, but the alternative lifestyles of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender/transsexuality.  Such “lifestyles” once considered immoral, are now pushed onto the public as normal and beneficial for society.  One can hardly look anywhere in the media without facing these issues.

The bombardment of young people with such ideas does no good service to the integrity of our nation.  Most of the justification for “sexual freedom” comes from purely relativistic rationale.  Apparently as long as an individual doesn’t feel like they are doing anything wrong, or hurting anyone, they can have sex with whomever they wish.  Personal feelings, however, do not determine right from wrong.  

Without a clear right and wrong, there can be no moral choices.  This makes sex with any partners one chooses not a problem. 

There can be no justice when LGBT groups claim their “rights” should force the government to create special laws for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals.  Anyone who opposes them is automatically labeled an intolerant and hateful human being. 

When everything is relative, how can there be truth?  Again, this means we can’t judge such actions as wrong.

When personal freedom means freedom to have sex whenever and with whomever one chooses, how can there be personal responsibility?  It now seems normal in many communities for teenagers to have children.  At one time, the teenager, and the parents, would have been chastised by the whole community.  Many teenage and young adult women today have more than one child out of wedlock, sometimes with multiple partners, and no fathers to help care for the children.  The lack of personal responsibility falls on women and men alike.  Irresponsible pregnancies also lead young women to have abortions since they cannot take care of their babies.

Many television programs, songs, advertisements, etc., specifically geared toward young people make sex out to be the ultimate goal in life.  “Drink our beer, wear our fragrance, buy these jeans, live life like we portray it and you too can find yourself having sex with someone extremely attractive and physically fit!”  What happened to working toward the benefit of your family, or your country?

The traditional family has also fallen by the wayside.  Today’s society is fixated on acquiring as much money, and having as much sex as possible.  A traditional marriage only gets in the way of these goals, especially if you are only interested in members of the same sex, or want to have sex with men and women.  Why should a young person inhibit themselves with getting married and having a family when a variety of sexual pleasures are to be had?

While promoting honest moral values may not make magazines fly off the shelves like pictures of a half naked fifteen year old Miley Cyrus do, those involved in the media industry should care more about their country and fellow citizens than to let them fall into moral decay.  Since the media does play a big role in shaping societal norms, they should use their influence to strengthen, and not destroy, the moral character of our nation.