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We all hear so often that television is the root of the decline of Western civilization, that we take it as fact without asking what seems like the obvious questions: is television really that bad, and is our society declining?

Television has long gotten a bad rap for contributing to the collapse of American society. Parents' groups and religious zealots point the finger at the sexual and violent content on shows, claiming that they contribute to a moral decay. The real truth is that the vast majority of television viewers are perfectly capable of separating the fantasy presented on a TV show from the reality of everyday life. Other cultures, particularly in Europe, have television that is far more openly sexual and their crime rates are far lower than they are here in America. Television is a good scapegoat, because it's the one thing almost all of us have in common; we all have a TV set. In truth, network television is extremely sanitized, which is why the best and most interesting television is being made on cable, where stories are being told free from the FCC's censorship.

The other point is that, despite what we hear on the evening news, our society isn't any worse than it's ever been. There is a perception that morals in America are collapsing under the weight of the images seen on TV, but when taken on a per capita basis, crime is really no more a problem today than it ever has been, and as recently as the late 90's, it was at an all time low. There are more divorces, and more single parent or unmarried families, the pundits like to shout, but that is really more indicitive of a change in our moral structure than a decline. We've decided to create families in our own template, which erases the social stigma of living in a single parent or divorced household which plagued the 70's and 80's. Americans rallied around each other in the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, and at our core, we are still a fair and compassionate people. I think there is no evidence of any moral decline in America, only that we have embraced a modern, humanist morality that is independant from the corporate religious structure.

So turn your TV's on and enjoy; the myth of the decline of American values is on its way out.

Learn more about this author, B.D. Bolin.
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