Do you think American society has lost its moral fiber?

Question

OBSERVATIONS:

1) Youth are more disrespectful to parents and family. I.e.: Children being violent, talking back, using foul language towards family and friends.
Question: Why is this behavior rampant is society?

2) Television shows depict sex and sex with multiple partners quite regularly. I.e.: Nip/Tuck, Friends, Sex and the City
Question: Why is this occurence now readily accepted?

3) Actors, musicians, and athletes are paid more than teachers, caretakers, firemen, and police officers. I.e. : Athletes - $6million/year. Teachers - $45,000/year.
Question: One entertains. One directly affects society. Why allow such a disparity in $$?

4) Actors, musicians, and athletes have a greater impact on children than their parents.

5) Society fails to ask the "why" in doing or saying something. For clarification: just because the Constitution and Bill of Rights declares that we have the "right" to say and do certain things, does it mean we SHOULD?

Where do you believe the ripple of change should begin? From within the family unit? From the media? From government?

Answer 1

America has lost its moral value a long time ago, significantly when WW2 came to an end. This is mostly the cause of politics came into play and especially the movement of certain human rights.

This isn't to say that all those movements (such as women voting, gay rights, human labor, racial discriminiation, etc) are wrong, especially some things for women and the workforce. But you can see that over the years, we have turned some of those movements into the far extreme.

Some say this is because of the turn of century where we are able to live free and express ourselves anyway we want. But when that happens, values, standards, and morals are lost. People follow the crowd. They think "If Johnny does it, why can't I? It's not that bad is it."

Religion also plays a key role in this as well. When WW2 came to an end and though there were few major wars in the world, countries turned to secularism, particularly America, Britain, France, and Russia. The idea of secularism is that man is always right and there is always a justification for his wrong actions. As one Christian philosopher put it, "When man rejects God, everything around him collapses."

At this point, some things cannot be undone. A hundred years ago, "gay" men was often thought as a horrific sin and would shun those people out. Now, it's turned around. Gays get rights and anti-gays are forced to listen to their "free speech." I do not despise gays, not in the least little bit. It's their lifestyle, but lead it in your private life.

And as for actors and celebrities, yes it is a shame. Why we pay them so much money and so little to give our kids eduation who knows? Firefighters and cops get little to face death everyday. Celebrities get millions to face the cameras.

As for kids these days that are disrepectful and rebellient, this is also a small part in the parent's fault but cannot always be helped. Today, parents work overtime and spend little time with their kids. Many couples are divorced too which creates even a bigger burden.

You must realize that as kids grow up, they NEED their parents THERE for support, learning, and personal growth. And this isn't just one parent, it's both. The dad and the mom take on different roles, although in some cases, divorce is extremely encouraged if there are signs of abuse.

There are SO many more reasons and so much more history to why we are at this point today, but then this would become an entire book. Let's just hope some things can turn around in the years to come.

Oh America oh America...what have we done? Have we lost the things that are truly important? Where is that glory and wealth and valor we once stood in? Is it lost in the sea of politics? Has it been destroyed the madness of division? Or have we annihilated it so we can live our lives any way we please?

*Additional Information*

Ripples of change need to start back at the home. DO NOT GIVE THIS RESPONSIBILITY TO THE GOVERNMENT. And giving it to the media would be a mistake; they have no interest other than money. Parents need to the be the ones who raise their kids not elected officials or broadcasters.

Why do say the home? Sometimes it's too late to start with the older generation. It's best to start over again with good values, standards, and support. This should come from the parents who will raise the kids since the parents have that growth and knowledge.

Answer 2

America lost its moral fiber due to several social changes.
1. Tossing God out of school. Even if parents didn't take their children to church, we reenacted the Nativity each year during the days preceding Christmas break. Children believed they had a Savior to go to. Even if you don't believe in God you have to admit that there was no where near the crime and deviate behaviors around when people did belive in God.

2. Mother is not at home any more. Someone else is raising our kids. Some one who may not be instilling anything in them, juast watching and feeding them.

3. The movies and tv show horrid behavior and language. It has contributed to bringing down society as a whole.

4. Mother and Daddy are not married to each other any more or are not married at all. No long term committments.

5. I am sure there are other reasons but I just can't think of them. A lot of things combined have contributed to the way we are today.

Answer 3

the moral fiber is still there, only people want someone else to teach it to their kids. americans have become very lazy in that respect. let the tv, let the sunday school, the the rich and famous "successful" people be the role models instead of the parents. people can't delegate parenthood. for me there has been 2 generations since i was born and the lazier the parents are seeming to get. the other excuse it "no time", that's because the parents are putting their jobs, their hobbies, their private lives BEFORE their family. humans are a group minded creature, we need a close nit family unit, if the child dosen't get that at home then they will look else where, say...ganges.

Answer 4

As for #1... people have been saying that for thousands of years, generation after generation. That is nothing new.

#2... sex is not immoral unless it is non-consensual. Policing other people's sex lives is immoral.

#3... they make more money because they bring more money in. Teachers are paid by taxes. Unless you support massive tax increases??? Again, this is nothing new, people have always enjoyed entertainments.

#4... I don't think that is true at all. Unless you are talking about teens? Even then, I would say it is their peers who have the greatest impact, then parents, then celebrities.


The main problem I see in society is that people are hateful and want to police other's personal lives. But that is nothing new, it has always been a problem.

Answer 5

No - America has lost its Leadership and honesty in politics

Our Nation is now bankrupt

We have had our very Nation sold out from under our feet to foreign investors

Our children now have to cover our economic downfall and debt owed to the World Banks

Our Freedom and Civil Liberties are being stripped to make way for Globalization and a North American Union

We are all now slaves to the elite and very soon they will achieve Martial Law and that my friend will be the end of America and the Middle Class citizen!

So, what moral fiber are you talking about

I hope you have a 7 figure account - or you will be FEMA prison bound as well

That is what cracks me up - these Neocon citizens support thinking they are part of something greater than themselves and that somehow their support will keep them free and clear.

If they don't have a 7 figure account they will be shackled in those FEMA railcars just like the rest of us and headed for some Rex 84 facility!

They are helping along their own demise!

What fools

Answer 6

I agree with you 100% except for #3. While firemen or teachers have a more important job than athletes or actors, they get paid more simply because the movie/sports world is a highly lucrative and BIG business. That's just how it works. It's a part of life.

Answer 7

To be quite honest you have to wonder where we draw the line, soon enough there will no longer be any fabric to speak of. The American and in many regards the western way of life has declined in morals and values but that is not to say that the east doesn't have its own sets of issues and problems to deal with. But yes, I have to agree that we should probably reorganize our society and probably start with a shorter broadcasting day on TV and more controls on the internet. But good luck with those goals they will be hard to push these days.

Answer 8

I agree with you, I think it has to do with all you have said and people being real far from what they see on TV music groups athletes and all that,showing a life style that they all like to live by but only a few will even get close to it, so when they see the real world they crash back to reality and have no respect towards the real world they must live by.
Good luck

Answer 9

It is great to see an intelligent, thoughtful question for a change on this site. If we could engage in serious dialogs on questions like this on a national level we might see us start to develop more moral fiber in our socieity. I wish there were some easy answers to your question. I guess if there were you wouldn't need to be asking it. Your question assumes that at some time we had more moral fiber. That itself is probably debateable. It seems to me that we are very self centered. Perhaps man has always been that way. We tend to believe that our own interests and our own ideas are superior to others. We also tend to be quite shallow in our thinking. We are more interested in being entertained than in educating ourselves and others. Some say need to be more religious, but only if we share their particular religious views. I would also be interested in hearing your thoughts on your question. Wouldn't it be great to be able to sit down with a room full of people and discuss the question you have raised. Thanks again for your question.

Answer 10

Yes, look at their role models. I'm not talking about sports role models only, most kids see greed at work on the news and everywhere else everyday. We have a President that does whatever he wants and fires anyone who disagrees with him. Greed and corruption abound in our society. Television is only a small part of the real problem that stops at the very top.