Killer Culture

In "Killer Culture," David Kupelian blames the moral degradation of society, and teens in particular, on the media and the corporations they are a part of.

Before I get into the actual essay, I have to say that I felt the introduction was completely biased against Kupelian, by comparing him to the early preachers in America "who hissed fire-and-brimstone warnings against the sinful ways of their congregants and exhorted them to follow the straight and narrow path prescribed in the Gospels." I don't think it was necessarily fair, just because Kupelian has morals and believes in and quotes the Bible, to label him in this way. I pictured him as a "bible-thumping" religious zealot, who was intolerant of anyone who had values that were different from his, and I was very guarded in my reading of this essay. What I found, however, was that he was a concerned parent and citizen of our country, who has a belief in right and wrong and feels that our society is headed in a path that leads away from what is right and good. I applaud him for his bold stand, and agree with much of what he had to say.

I really found the MTV section fascinating. I knew corporations were willing to stoop to new levels to market to children and teens, but I didn't realize just how low they were going. The culture spies, shills, and street snitches were somewhat new to me. I knew these companies did a lot of research about teens, but I didn't realize they were actually the ones "buzzing" to them and creating the hypes that teens can't get enough of. It makes a lot of sense to me. I have actually contemplated how some brand, music group, or movie could be considered "cool" for such a large group of people with different backgrounds, tastes, and personalities, and reach the entire country in a relatively short period of time. Very sneaky, indeed!

Call me naive, but I was really shocked by some of the stuff that is going on with teens today. Yes, there were sex, drugs, and rock and roll when I was a teenager, but not to the extent that there is today--and I'm only 35 years-old! It really hasn't been very long since I was a teenager, but the sharp decline of morals and respect for one's body, and the increase of promiscuity has surprised me. I am fearful for my children and what they will have to face when they are teenagers. I feel like these things that used to happen primarily in high school are now reaching our elementary and junior high school children. When my son was six years-old, he overheard 5th and 6th graders talking about sex on the school bus. He had very explicit things to say about it, so we ended up having "the talk" with my little first-grader, to clear up any misconceptions and give him our explanations of sex and our values associated with it. I really think that is the key--open communication with your children. I was just grateful that my son came to me, and I hope that he will continue to do so as he grows.

Another thing I liked about this essay was how Kupelian began with the Scout Law--something sweet, pure, and innocent, and then he takes the essay down to the most base and filthy place it could be. Then, towards the end, he starts lifting it back up again by giving parents suggestions for avoiding this path with their teens, and again, ends with the image of the Scouts and the innocence that was felt in the beginning. It is truly an emotional rollercoaster, especially from the point of view of a parent, and I appreciated the knowledge I was able to gain from reading this essay.