Have we yielded and then legalized and now promote destructive behavior? It is a case made by the founding editors of Axios and Politico, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen—not notable moralists.
VandeHei and Allen note: “Once forbidden vices—weed, gambling and porn—are no longer confined to back alleys or the desert”. They continue: “They’re ubiquitous, digital and spreading at a pace that has outstripped the country’s social and deregulatory guardrail………We’re scaling sin in real time.”
So, what are our social guardrails? Hold on to that question.
Investors in America follow economic data. GDP. Jobs. Inflation. And, of course, stock market gyrations. But, when dealing with social behavior we tend to be moved to action by stories more than statistics. Or experiences.
This Wall Street Journal headline on addiction: “High Schools Are Losing the Struggle to Block Pot—Even During Class” took me back. According to the article flavored vape combinations cancel the smell of weed and bathrooms are the most frequent vaping venues. Most of us can retrace our teen history and recall school restroom experiences. But, what about statistics, I suspect the trajectory is not encouraging. Are these developments likely to be the spark that lights the fuse—creates a backlash?
Without boring you with statistics, “weed, gambling and pot” are growth industries. Industries? Well they create new sources of revenue including for governments that can’t discipline their spending. Is this government as a predator?
The Axios authors characterize the government’s role: “The government, rather than policing the line, has become the cashier.” Well, not the government in Utah. But then the elite treat Utah’s prohibitions or restrictions disparagingly since they are influenced by religion.
On the sin scale “weed, gambling and pot” will measure differently. My bent is not to measure them, but understand them as cultural phenomena that are not healthy—full stop. I first encountered them as a kid wandering around the circus grounds in the small town where I grew up.
I am not a student of Texas politics, but its legislature recently passed a law that requires schools to teach the Bible. In the moment, definitely a counter-culture move. If I were teaching the Bible course, I would concentrate on and unpack the scriptural treatment of the Ten Commandments and Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Why would be the operative word. Why were they created? Voiced? Written down? Did nature need the corrective? Divinity wouldn’t be a line that could be crossed in a public school setting. But, without transcendence, do they lose their power?
Predictably critics pounced on the Texas law. Unconstitutional, many said—there must be separation between Church and State. Discriminatory some insisted as the Judeo-Christian religions will be emphasized. Critics of religion are often quite effective; perhaps they should look into self-destructive trends and help shape counter-cultural pushback. But let me weigh in.
We, those who engage in representative governance, cannot mute the moralists while protecting and often promoting their opposite number and serve humanity. In an effort to deemphasize my own “faith structure”, I turned to an artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbot which drew on centuries of experience and writings on morality. I wanted to look beyond Texas law.
The AI response suggested a great books curriculum listing seven books ranging from Nicomachean Ethics to The Gospel According to Matthew to The Brothers Karamazov.
The Chatbot summed up: “All argue that morality is not merely a matter of rules or feelings, but is cultivated through communities, traditions, institutions, and everyday habits of character.” I would add humor to that mix of words. Mark Twain, I suspect with mischief in his voice, said: “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
I would add: acculturation begins early and this list of readings suggests at least late teens and is aimed at those with a more academic bent.
What about these sources for younger and then older children: Charlotte’s Web; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and then To Kill a Mockingbird; The Hiding Place; and The Book Thief? And, to this list I would add some biblical scripture—not a course on the Bible.
Okay, I hear you, enough. Goodness knows nobody would turn to me to prepare a curriculum. But, our moment as culture makers (and collectively we are) is not encouraging. The predators are winning. We need to do more.
We Have Much To Be Happy About
Polarization both divides and obscures. It obscures because people get mad and curse their neighbors—its easier than trying to understand.
But here is something we should all celebrate and let me be particular. I celebrate The Spy which keeps the window open—the window on what is happening around us. The freedom to know and express ourselves.
Mad is okay—quite human. But, as we think about America and the opportunity for self-governance and the right to be a critic have an appreciative 4th of July. Freedom Day!
