There are two responses to the question of morality. One says that we can distinguish between right and wrong, because there is a real difference between them. The other says that morality is whatever the individual wants to make it.
Today’s media
The second view of morality and approach to education has produced today’s Yuppies. They are, by and large, pre-eminently comfortable, self-absorbed, lacking a strong religious affiliation, single, childless. This is also an apt description of the people who run the media, write the columns and conduct the TV interviews.
They cannot accept the view that there is a definite distinction between right and wrong, and can only see it as a judgmental attitude and an unwarranted imposition of an alien morality. This is why groups like REAL Women, Right to Life, and others who work from a set of objective values, encounter such difficulties when they confront the world and the media.
The REAL Women Newsletter
Those of us who grew up believing that there is a definite difference between right and wrong had no real problem with the newsletter that caused such a media furor.
It said in effect that when all the rules in society change as radically as they have in Canada, it’s not surprising if the least stable elements in the community flip out and go right off the deep end.
This is an attitude that is not understood or acceptable to man in Canadian media and society. Combine that with inaccurate reporting of the actual words, and the tendency of reporters to try to out do each other, and you get the kind of publicity that attended this meeting.
Suggestions for coping:
- The media can barely understand moral values based on concepts of right and wrong, so as much as possible, forget the media. You know where your beliefs come from. Consult that source, and stand up for it valiantly.
- Remember that everyone has problems with moral questions concerning sexuality. Following the Biblical example, be very careful to judge the issue, not the individual.
- The radical changes in attitudes have left many casualties. Be prepared to tend the wounded. Be careful not to propound ideals that cut them out completely.
- People often hear criticism, when they desperately need example and inspiration. Don’t tell people how NOT to live. Tell them and show them HOW to live, how to surmount the problems they encounter. Aim for positive solutions.
