Values and Morals in American Society: The 1950s Vs today

A new cultural values survey of 2,000 American adults, given by the Culture and Media Institute, finds that 74 percent of all Americans believe that our nation is in a moral decline. Interestingly enough, 64 percent of those surveyed felt that the news and entertainment media are a major influence in that decline.

As I reflected on these statistics, I realized, sadly, that I wholeheartedly agree. I often think back to the early years of my life. Being a child of the Fifties, I have a wonderful recollection of television shows such as, Leave It To Beaver, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, and many others. Almost without exception, every show presented an ethical or moral challenge to one of the main characters. As they tried to work through their various dilemmas, we also learned valuable lessons along with them. Right and wrong was clearly defined. The concept of "situational ethics" had never been imagined. As a child, I was not only entertained, but also learned character building concepts, that were embraced by most of society at that time.

The messages of today's programs are quite different. Many shows blatantly promote adultery, premarital sex, drug and alcohol use, extreme violence, rebellion and disobedience, disrespect of the law, and many other detrimental concepts.

I do not consider myself a prude, by any means, but I chose to carefully monitor all television programs that my daughter watched, and did not allow her to have a TV or a computer in her bedroom. Most often, when she was younger, we resorted to prerecorded programs or videos suitable for her age, and in line with the values we wanted to teach her. Programs like The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie were greatly appreciated, but that quality of programming was definitely in a minority, during her growing years.