John Whitehead's Commentary
What Hope Is There for America's Young People?
"The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops-no, but the kind of man the country turns out."--Ralph Waldo Emerson
While our nation remained riveted to reports on the sniper shootings, the Josephson Institute of Ethics issued a grim report on the ethics of high school students to mark National Character Counts Week (Oct. 20-26).
Cheating, stealing and lying among the teenaged population have continued to spiral upwards in the past ten years, according to Josephson's survey of 12,000 high school students. Students admitting they cheated on an exam at least once in the past year jumped from 61% in 1992 to 74% in 2002; the number who stole something from a store within the past 12 months rose from 31% to 38%, while the percentage of those who lied to their teachers and parents also increased substantially.
If the Institute's survey results even come close to accurately reflecting the state of our young people and their strength of character, it doesn't bode well for our nation. And for those who cherish hopes of private religious schools making a difference, the 2002 report offers even dimmer results. For example, the report found that students who attend private religious schools were less likely to shoplift (35% vs. 39%), but were more likely to cheat on exams (78% vs. 72%) and lie to teachers (86% vs. 81%).
In other words, although private religious schools may make a difference academically in a child's life, according to this survey, they don't seem to make much of a difference in their moral/ethical upbringing.
Critics suggest that the fault lies not with the schools but with families for not teaching or showing by example the proper values. But the students who were surveyed shot a hole in that theory with their responses: 87% of them agreed that their parents want them to do the ethically right thing, no matter the cost. And the students surveyed certainly seemed to know the difference between right and wrong, at least in theory. Asked whether they would lie to get a good job, save money or succeed, most said no. In fact, 76% agreed that they were better than most people they knew when it comes to doing what is right.
In his official proclamation of Character Counts Week, President Bush reaffirmed America's dedication to promoting good character and upholding the "timeless virtues" of hard work and honesty, commitment to excellence and courage, and self-discipline and perseverance that make our nation strong. Bush stated, "[A]s we work to preserve peace and freedom throughout the world, we are guided by a national character that respects human dignity and values every life. The future success of our Nation depends on our children's ability to understand the difference between right and wrong and to have the strength of character to make the right choices."
Yet the key to instilling young people with the strength of character to choose right from wrong rests with all of us. We live in a schizophrenic society where the values taught at home and those promoted through popular entertainment are no longer in alignment. For instance, when it comes to sex appeal and relationships with boys, whose influence will be most prevalent among young girls-Britney Spears or their mothers?
Popular culture has an incredible impact on the lives of young people. All day, every day, our young people are offered lessons in life from marketing mavens and entertainment gurus who are promoting morals and lifestyles in complete opposition to the values espoused by mainstream America.
One life lesson taught by our media-culture is that celebrity is better than accomplishment. Just consider how swiftly one can become famous and "worthy" of celebrity status for something as inane as outlasting contestants on Survivor. Another lesson is that violence is entertainment and has few consequences. A perfect example can be found in two popular video games produced by Rockstar Games. State of Emergency equips players with any weapon imaginable-even a Molotov cocktail or an AK-47 rifle-and allows them to break into stores, looting and leaving a trail of bloodshed behind. In Grand Theft Auto, "criminal" players steal cars from unsuspecting bystanders, kill cops and maim at will.
While it might be easy to blame popular culture for the state of our young people's morals, it is not the real cause of moral calamity. With kids spending most of their time in school, educators bear some of the responsibility for influencing their young charges. It is nearly impossible to teach right from wrong without holding firm to certain absolute values. But in this age of relativism and political correctness, few teachers are willing-or able-to voice any opinions or teach any long-lasting truths.
So is the solution to lock young people up and throw away the key, at least until they come of age? Isolation might work for some, but it's impossible to shut life and culture out. Religion offers few answers, with many churches today choosing to take the path of least resistance and confrontation. And televangelists often look and act more like game show hosts than men of God.
What it comes down to is not just teaching our young people the difference between right and wrong but ensuring that they apply the knowledge-in other words, that they understand how to translate knowing into doing. And the only way to accomplish that is for each of us to "do the right thing." We must show our young people by example that actions do have consequences, whether you're a pauper or a president. And we must be prepared to live by the same moral code we hold out as gospel to them-and hold those around us accountable, as well.
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. He can be contacted at johnw@rutherford.org. Information about the Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.
While our nation remained riveted to reports on the sniper shootings, the Josephson Institute of Ethics issued a grim report on the ethics of high school students to mark National Character Counts Week (Oct. 20-26).
Cheating, stealing and lying among the teenaged population have continued to spiral upwards in the past ten years, according to Josephson's survey of 12,000 high school students. Students admitting they cheated on an exam at least once in the past year jumped from 61% in 1992 to 74% in 2002; the number who stole something from a store within the past 12 months rose from 31% to 38%, while the percentage of those who lied to their teachers and parents also increased substantially.
If the Institute's survey results even come close to accurately reflecting the state of our young people and their strength of character, it doesn't bode well for our nation. And for those who cherish hopes of private religious schools making a difference, the 2002 report offers even dimmer results. For example, the report found that students who attend private religious schools were less likely to shoplift (35% vs. 39%), but were more likely to cheat on exams (78% vs. 72%) and lie to teachers (86% vs. 81%).
In other words, although private religious schools may make a difference academically in a child's life, according to this survey, they don't seem to make much of a difference in their moral/ethical upbringing.
Critics suggest that the fault lies not with the schools but with families for not teaching or showing by example the proper values. But the students who were surveyed shot a hole in that theory with their responses: 87% of them agreed that their parents want them to do the ethically right thing, no matter the cost. And the students surveyed certainly seemed to know the difference between right and wrong, at least in theory. Asked whether they would lie to get a good job, save money or succeed, most said no. In fact, 76% agreed that they were better than most people they knew when it comes to doing what is right.
In his official proclamation of Character Counts Week, President Bush reaffirmed America's dedication to promoting good character and upholding the "timeless virtues" of hard work and honesty, commitment to excellence and courage, and self-discipline and perseverance that make our nation strong. Bush stated, "[A]s we work to preserve peace and freedom throughout the world, we are guided by a national character that respects human dignity and values every life. The future success of our Nation depends on our children's ability to understand the difference between right and wrong and to have the strength of character to make the right choices."
Yet the key to instilling young people with the strength of character to choose right from wrong rests with all of us. We live in a schizophrenic society where the values taught at home and those promoted through popular entertainment are no longer in alignment. For instance, when it comes to sex appeal and relationships with boys, whose influence will be most prevalent among young girls-Britney Spears or their mothers?
Popular culture has an incredible impact on the lives of young people. All day, every day, our young people are offered lessons in life from marketing mavens and entertainment gurus who are promoting morals and lifestyles in complete opposition to the values espoused by mainstream America.
One life lesson taught by our media-culture is that celebrity is better than accomplishment. Just consider how swiftly one can become famous and "worthy" of celebrity status for something as inane as outlasting contestants on Survivor. Another lesson is that violence is entertainment and has few consequences. A perfect example can be found in two popular video games produced by Rockstar Games. State of Emergency equips players with any weapon imaginable-even a Molotov cocktail or an AK-47 rifle-and allows them to break into stores, looting and leaving a trail of bloodshed behind. In Grand Theft Auto, "criminal" players steal cars from unsuspecting bystanders, kill cops and maim at will.
While it might be easy to blame popular culture for the state of our young people's morals, it is not the real cause of moral calamity. With kids spending most of their time in school, educators bear some of the responsibility for influencing their young charges. It is nearly impossible to teach right from wrong without holding firm to certain absolute values. But in this age of relativism and political correctness, few teachers are willing-or able-to voice any opinions or teach any long-lasting truths.
So is the solution to lock young people up and throw away the key, at least until they come of age? Isolation might work for some, but it's impossible to shut life and culture out. Religion offers few answers, with many churches today choosing to take the path of least resistance and confrontation. And televangelists often look and act more like game show hosts than men of God.
What it comes down to is not just teaching our young people the difference between right and wrong but ensuring that they apply the knowledge-in other words, that they understand how to translate knowing into doing. And the only way to accomplish that is for each of us to "do the right thing." We must show our young people by example that actions do have consequences, whether you're a pauper or a president. And we must be prepared to live by the same moral code we hold out as gospel to them-and hold those around us accountable, as well.
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. He can be contacted at johnw@rutherford.org. Information about the Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.
ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at staff@rutherford.org. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.
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