| Cal Thomas
Apathy and Ignorance
THEOLOGIANS CALL THE STATE in which we find ourselves "contented
worldliness,'' in which nothing matters except our own personal peace
and affluence. In Dow Jones we trust.
In this condition, we can watch Jack Kevorkian kill another human
being on television and not be bothered because ratings are high and
what does life matter anyway? Coming soon, sponsored killing, brought
to you by a pharmaceutical company or a national chain of funeral
homes. Call it a marketing strategy. The big TV networks are losing
audience. If profit is all that matters, why begrudge them if they
want to update "Murder, She Wrote''?
Will a televised abortion be next? Hardly. That would be more
disturbing to our comfort level than the snuffing out of an adult
life. Besides, the man said he wanted to die. The baby has no say.
Some people might change their minds about abortion if they saw one.
That would disturb another group.
Democrats want to render a verdict on President Clinton's lying and
obstruction of justice without any punishment save the "humiliation''
he has already "suffered.'' A judgment without punishment is like a
speed limit with no enforcement. It is a meaningless gesture with no
hope of discouraging similar behavior by this or a future president.
The recent low voter turnout guarantees a continuation of poor
leadership and a weakened government not only disrespected at home
(otherwise more people would have bothered to vote) but viewed with
contempt abroad as Saddam Hussein listens to another "warning'' and
laughs.
People are being turned off by professional sports as overpaid
athletes and super-rich owners grab for even bigger pieces of the pie
with complete disregard for the public. A New York Times survey found
the current lock-out by owners of National Basketball Association
teams has produced a wave of apathy among fans who apparently don't
care if the players ever take to the court again. That's rather
amazing, especially when you consider this may be Michael Jordan's
last season.
That which now passes for entertainment once was defined as
pornography. According to one survey I saw, Hollywood released 33
movies in September and October. Most were rated "PG-13'' or "R.''
Four were rated "PG,'' and not one was rated "G.'' Television is now
banal at best and more often offensive to those who seek stimulation
outside their erogenous zones. The latest Cosmopolitan magazine tells
young women how to "unleash'' their lusts. I was not aware that Cosmo
readers ever had their lusts leashed.
Things seemed better before we became rich and self-sufficient.
Through wars, a Great Depression and uncertainty, families mostly
stayed together, kept an eye out for their own and other children and
invested some time to become at least minimally conversant with
important political issues. The public media believed they had a civic
duty to shield audiences from things that would appeal to our lower
natures. People were supposed to care about things that mattered. Now,
if you care about anything, you risk being labeled ``intolerant.''
Once there were more examples of people who acted out of conviction
instead of trying to avoid conviction. Who now would pay any price or
bear any burden? Today we are about paying no price and ridding
ourselves of anything burdensome.
"Just say no'' has been replaced by "just say nothing.'' Does O.J.
Simpson get off? Shrug. Will President Clinton escape accountability?
Shrug. Is someone murdered on TV? Shrug.
C.S. Lewis, born 100 years ago this Nov. 29, warned that we should
not be infected by our own propaganda. About prosperity, he said that
it "knits a man to the world. He thinks he's 'finding his place in
it,' while really it is finding its place in him.''
We are richer than ever, yet we are more impoverished than ever. We
don't care about much of anything but pretend that by not caring we
are not being "judgmental'' (an even worse sin, if we believed in sin,
which we don't). For those who would blame Bill Clinton for this mess,
they are looking at the wrong man. He's not the cause of our decadence
but the result.
The old joke tells of the opinion poller who asks a woman about
ignorance and apathy. "I don't know and I don't care,'' she responds.
That's us. But who cares? Welcome to 1998 America!
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