Small-Screen Terrorism

The Wash Times interviews Rebecca Hagelin, author of Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture That's Gone Stark Raving Mad, the latest in an endless stream of scare-the-parents books:

When parents understand that basic morality and traditional American values are being attacked by our culture, you can see how there are similarities in what we know as terrorism….

The Roman Empire did not fall from an enemy attack, it fell from within. So while we are rightly trying to protect our country and our lives from foreign aggressors and madmen, we also need to be building up and protecting our children's character development….

We like to say, "Oh, these kids today." … But I would submit that the real problem isn't "these kids today," the real problem is these adults today.

Adults are the ones creating the oversexualized culture. Adults are the ones creating the television programming. … Adults are the ones who have created the rampant pornography available through the Internet. Adults are the ones who created MTV. Adults are the ones who created the "if it feels good, do it" sex education that pervades our schools….

Whole thing here.

Actually, it's not at all clear who's complaining about "these kids today." By most indications, the kids are doing pretty damn well, especially if you're talking about declines in sex and drugs (and we know that's what Hagelin is talking about mostly).

In an ironic, though not at all surprising, way, Hagelin--who works at the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation--sounds a lot like left-wing critics of pop culture. Both focus on the crassness and the vulgarity of TV, video games, etc. and pay far less attention to how their kids actually interact with it.