December 1995 Volume 24, No. 12

IMPRIMISBecause Ideas Have Consequences 23rd “Protecting Our year Children From a Plague of Pessimism” Michael Medved 625,000 subscribers Author, Hollywood vs. America

In this issue of Imprimis, film critic Michael ichael Medved is known to Medved identifies the real victims of the modern Mmillions of Americans as the co-host of the popular weekly PBS culture wars: our children. His presentation television series, , was delivered during Hillsdale College’s and as chief film critic for the New Shavano Institute for National Leadership semi- York Post. He has been a frequent nar, “Educating for Virtue: The New ‘Values guest on such programs as Revolution’” in Salt Lake City in April 1995. , Oprah, David Letter- man, the Tonight Show and Good Morn- Losing Hope ing America, and re- cently served as guest n recent years, our nation has been torn by host of the Rush fears that immigrants may be bad for America. Limbaugh radio show. Mr. Medved is also co- In April of 1995, however, a major study at the founder, with Rabbi University of Chicago suggested the profoundly , of Pac- depressingI possibility that the reverse could be true: ific Jewish Center in America just might be bad for immigrants. Venice, California and Researchers surveyed more than 25,000 eighth a Hillsdale College graders and found that, in every ethnic group, chil- Life Associate. He has written eight books, dren with immigrant parents perform significantly including the best- better in school than those whose parents were born sellers What Really here: “Their grades are superior, they score higher Happened to the on standardized tests, and they aspire to college at a Class of ’65?, The greater rate than their third generation peers.” Shadow Presidents, and Hol- Immigrant mothers and fathers generally “harbor lywood vs. America. His new optimism about the advantages of playing by the book, Saving Childhood: How to Protect Your Children from the rules and the benefits that will occur through edu- National Assault on Innocence, cation....They have a greater tendency to relieve their will be published by HarperCollins children of household chores to give them more in 1996. study time, encourage older siblings to tutor younger children, and restrict television viewing.” The defining difference, the Chicago report conclud- ed, is “the hopeful attitude of the immigrant par- ents.” Ironically, the longer immigrants live in this society and adjust to contemporary American norms, the more likely it is that they will lose this optimism–and their chances for success suffer accordingly.

Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan 49242 IMPRIMIS Because Ideas Have Consequences

A Plague of This depressed and nihilistic attitude toward life could be the biggest threat to America today–and Pessimism the most pressing problem in American education. The University of Chicago study on the offspring of his alarming study only confirms what immigrants demonstrates the very essence of our thoughtful parents already understand: current dilemma: Human beings will not learn, that our children stand to lose a great deal will not grow, and will not develop good character T from prolonged exposure to the dysfunc- traits if they believe that discipline and hard work tional elements in our current culture. They lose are pointless, that life is meaningless and unfair, faith. They lose confidence. And they lose resis- and that the outlook for the future is grim. tance to the most deadly epidemic menacing our youth today–which isn’t AIDS, or gang violence, or teen pregnancy–but the plague of pessimism that The Distorted World has infected tens of millions of young Americans. of the Media That plague’s main symptom is a cry-baby cul- ture, a national orgy of whining and self-pity. I rou- o understand how to protect our chil- tinely visit college campuses in every corner of the dren–and ourselves–from the current country, and with a few notable exceptions like plague of pessimism, we must first under- Hillsdale College, I don’t see a lot of shining faces, stand the forces that contribute to this or hopeful, enthusiastic students showing the T national addiction to despair. One of those factors is promise of youth as expressed in the wonderful tra- an immersion in mass media that engages most ditional university hymn, Gaudeamus igitur, or Americans for a significant portion of their waking “Let Us Rejoice for We Are Young.” Instead, student hours. As a working film critic, I have spent more health clinics at Ivy League universities report that than a decade complaining about the levels of gra- the service they provide most frequently to these tuitous brutality and loveless sex in American enter- privileged young people–aside from dealing with tainment. The deepest problem with this material birth control, abortion, and sexually transmitted isn’t the possibility that children will imitate the diseases–involves the treatment of clinical depres- behavior they see on screen–though we all know sion. In a national survey of young adults aged 16 that this sort of imitation does occur. The more uni- to 29, conducted by MTV, the word selected as versal threat involves the underlying message of “least” describing their generation was “lucky,” hopelessness conveyed by these ugly, consistently while “angry” and “stressed out” appeared among dysfunctional images in our society–a message that the “best” descriptions of this age group. Kurt encourages both self-pity and fear. Cobain, the lead singer of the rock band Nirvana Consider the vision of the future that movies who killed himself at the height of his wealth and and TV shows regularly convey: from Bladerun- fame, is widely hailed as the authentic voice of ner to The Terminator to Waterworld, Hollywood “Generation X.” suggests that the world that we pass on to genera- Adolescent depression is nothing new, of course. tions to come will be inevitably and infinitely Some of us are even old enough to remember the worse than the situation in which we live today. 1950s when a small handful of “sensitive souls” For many years, the movie business focused on dressed in black turtlenecks drank espresso coffee, nightmares about struggling survivors who some- strummed at guitars, and warbled grim folk songs how tried to carry on following the “inescapable” about the end of the world. The excuse for every thermonuclear apocalypse; now that the threat of excess of dementia or delinquency was always the world war looks less credible, it is “environmental same: “We’re living under the shadow of the big holocaust” that provides the fashionable basis for bomb, so of course we’re going to act irrationally.” the message of doom. The great irony is that in But what’s the excuse now? The Cold War is over. reality, the all-but-stoppable spread of democracy, The threat of nuclear destruction is dead–or at least free market ideas, and liberating technology has vastly diminished. Miraculously enough, every spectacularly brightened the prospects for our chil- country in Europe–even Albania–at the moment dren and grandchildren–those same children and boasts a democratically elected government. But grandchildren who are so powerfully addicted to instead of the jubilation and atmosphere of celebra- the media’s grim fantasies that they seem para- tion we might expect, we see instead a contagious lyzed by pessimism. cynicism and bleak visions of the future that reach Unfortunately, destructive media messages are by far more young people than the relatively small per- no means limited to those frightening fictional tales centage who were afflicted with the puerile self-pity that pass today for entertainment; they also pervade of the ’50s and ’60s. the news business, which really ought to be called “the bad news business” for its emphasis on disaster 2 and destructiveness. In the bizarre world of broad- Pretend that every major network, every cable cast journalism, killing is always covered, while channel in the land, confined its broadcast sched- kindness is almost always ignored. The more ule to uplifting, informative programming of the alarming a news item may seem, the more atten- very highest quality. Could we then feel comfort- tion it automatically receives. able with the fact that our kids watched an average If anything, the so-called “reality-based” pro- of 26 hours per week–which is the amount of time gramming and the ubiquitous TV talk shows are they spend today on television? even worse. Every day of the week they dredge up Of course, the answer is no. The major prob- some new perversion or human tragedy and tri- lem with the media today isn’t too much sex, or too umphantly display it for all America to see and much violence, or too much rude behavior; it is too savor. Just the other day I heard them advertising a much TV, period. Sure, an improvement in the talk show on the subject, “Lesbians Who Beat Up quality of TV could help the country, but we can Transvestites.” Now there’s a major social problem meanwhile help ourselves by reducing the sheer that deserves hard-hitting exposure by TV journal- quantity of what we watch. The schools should ists! What would a Martian think if he were trying make that reduction a top priority for all our kids, to draw conclusions about America based on regu- helping to tame the tyranny too much TV. lar watching of daytime talk shows? He’d probably One practical means to that end might be conclude that the population of this country is near- through the maintenance of a daily media diary. ly one-half transvestites, since Every member of the family cross-dressers seem to constitute above the age of eight should the favorite life-form of today’s “The major prob- own a notebook in which, TV programmers. before he turns in for the night, These are serious issues lem with the media he writes out the title of all the because in a sense our own TV shows, videos, or movies children–especially in their today isn’t too viewed that day. It is also earliest years–are like little important to jot down some Martians. Unfortunately, they much sex, or too brief evaluation of each of seem to spend less and less time much violence, or these entertainments–not any with their chronically over- detailed review, necessarily, but worked parents, and to draw too much rude even just a one-word verdict more and more of their infor- like “worthwhile” or “dumb.” mation about the world of behavior; it is too This simple daily exercise, adults that awaits them beyond which won’t take more than the home from the lurid images much TV, period.” two minutes of our time, will that flicker across their TV not only make us more screens. The true power of the thoughtful consumers of pop- media is the ability to redefine reality, to alter our ular culture but will inevitably reduce the amount expectations about what constitutes normal life. In of TV we watch. Very few of us could record all the recent years, movies and TV have abused that power time we waste on media entertainment without by advancing the notion that happiness and whole- some tinge of embarrassment–and without devel- someness are outdated and impossible in today’s oping a determination to change. world. This seemingly minor adjustment can in fact It is essential to fight for more hopeful and decent transform a home. Imagine that you cut down your material from the popular culture, and I have TV watching just one-half hour a day–surely a sus- devoted much of my life to that struggle. But it is tainable sacrifice for any American. That one-half also important to move beyond questions about hour a day amounts to three-and-a-half extra hours what Hollywood makes and focus new attention on a week to read a book, to listen to music, to exercise, what America takes; to concentrate on the demand to communicate with the people you love most, to side, rather than the supply side, of media issues. If work for causes you care about, or just to go out the we are waiting for the entertainment industry to door and enjoy this glorious world that God has change its fundamental values we may be in for a given us. long wait, but when it comes to altering our own private consumption of the popular culture we need not delay another day. To understand this crucial distinction, we can try a brief mental experiment about the impact of tele- vision. Just imagine that we all got our dearest wish and that trash TV became a thing of the past. 3 IMPRIMIS Because Ideas Have Consequences

The Poison of them and warn that displays of physical affection or corporal punishment are suspect. Children are Ingratitude taught, in other words, that parents are dangerous. The school, not the home, is touted as a “safe ppreciating that world properly is the obvi- haven” where they are free to be themselves and will ous antidote to the second principal cause of learn all of life’s important lessons. the present plague of pessimism, and that This dismal situation requires nothing less than cause is ingratitude–the a revolution in American edu- gross,A rank, unforgivable re- cation. The first priority of fusal to acknowledge all the every school, of every curricu- countless blessings we enjoy. “At this moment in lum, of every teacher should be Most of us understand from to bring children and parents personal experience what hap- history, ingratitude closer together, not drive them pens to us if we owe a debt of is the acid that is further apart. With disillu- thanks to an individual–a par- sioned members of the younger ent, a spouse, a business col- eating away at the generation so palpably hungry league–but for some reason we for heroes, our educators are blocked from expressing soul of America.” should make it clear that they our appreciation. Thankful- need look no further than their ness that is stifled can quickly own homes–since so many turn bitter and poisonous. It becomes an acid that hard-working American parents clearly qualify as corrodes our very soul. At this moment in history, everyday heroes. One of the reasons I dislike the ingratitude is the acid that is eating away at the soul institution of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is that of America. these holidays carry with them the implication that In so many ways, we who live in this remarkable we can pay our debt to our parents one day each country are the envy of the world. We enjoy a daz- year and then forget about them the rest of the zling range of opportunities that should make us time. Instead, every day should be Mother’s Day, the envy, in fact, of all previous generations. That every day should be Father’s Day–particularly in doesn’t mean that we should ignore the ferociously our schools. complex problems that confront our country every day. But dwelling on the negative, and neglecting Ingratitude Toward America the debt of gratitude that is so obviously due, makes At the same time our educational system should it harder, not easier, to summon the will to find treat every day like the Fourth of July. Nothing solutions to our most serious dilemmas. contributes so powerfully to the present plague of pessimism than the despicable attempt–now firm- Ingratitude Toward Our Parents ly entrenched from elementary schools to elite uni- “Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother” is not only versities–to smear the extraordinary and honor- one of the Biblical ten commandments, but it is also able history of the United States of America. the most fundamental precept of all human decen- This form of ingratitude strikes me as especially cy and right behavior. At the moment, however, our grotesque because, like those students in the media, our government, and even our public Chicago study, I am the child of an immigrant. My schools work together to undermine that impera- mother came to America with her family in 1934 to tive. Instead of attempting to increase the respect escape from Nazi Germany. On my father’s side, it and gratitude children feel for their parents, today’s was my grandfather who made the trip from a little politically correct curricula convey the clear mes- village in the Ukraine in 1910. He worked all his life sage that the older generation is comprised of a as a barrelmaker, and my dad recalls that his father bunch of sexist, racist, homophobic, puritanical, used to come home every day with sore and some- Eurocentric, materialistic and generally benighted times bloody hands. Beginning at the age of five, bozos. For instance, an official drug education my father used to help him in taking out the splin- study guide for the state of New Jersey calls upon ters. My grandfather never made much financial fourth graders to wait until their parents are away progress in his life and died in 1958 in the same from home and then to make a careful inventory of gritty South neighborhood where he the family medicine cabinets, registering the pres- had lived for nearly 40 years. Did he feel bitter? Did ence of all addictive substances from alcohol to he suffer clinical depression? No, he felt grateful for tobacco to–heaven help us!–aspirin. Meanwhile, the opportunities America had given him, and he sex education and abuse prevention classes in many lived long enough to see his son win a full scholar- public schools demand that children describe in ship to attend the University of Pennsylvania and graphic detail when and how their parents touch earn a Ph.D. in physics. 4 I mention this family story not because it is so If our schools can’t teach our children who to extraordinary, but because it is so typical. When my thank and can’t explore the role of religious faith as grandfather died, my father went through his things the foundation for our civilization, then they con- and brought back something to show me that I’ll tribute mightily to the sour and restless mood always remember. It was an American history book, among the young. written in Yiddish with the Hebrew characters, that my grandfather used to study for his citizenship exam; he always took pride in the fact that he final- The Uses of Adversity ly managed to become a naturalized American in his late seventies. In any event, this book was filled n the battle to overcome that mood we can, at with inspiring stories about our nation’s great times, enlist unlikely allies. The motion pic- achievements and noble heroes, and if anyone ture Forrest Gump, last year’s Oscar winner would bother to translate it back from Yiddish to and fourth biggest money-maker in HollywoodI history, offers a powerful alternative to English it would teach our children more effectively than any of the officially “enlightened” textbooks the penchant for pessimism. used in public schools today. It always surprised me that the many critics who How could we ever repay this country–this island sought to belittle the film regularly wrote it off as a of sanity and goodwill in the vast, turbulent ocean simplistic, sappy “feel good” movie. This sort of of historic human misery–for all the gifts it has characterization makes me wonder if they had even showered on us so freely, so open-handed- seen it, because the main character of ly, with such noble and generous this particular picture goes through spirit? a series of almost unimaginable There is a strange twist at tragedies. He is born with the very beginning of our limited intelligence, and national experience in the he feels it painfully. As a fact that George Wash- boy, he is forced to ington, the justly beloved wear braces on his Father of Our Country, legs, and he is inces- never had children of his santly tormented by own. One can almost see his peers. Even- the hand of Providence in tually he goes to this, because it means that war and watches to this very day, my children his best friend die and your children are just as in his arms, while much Washington’s descendants his courageous as anyone else. In effect, we have all commanding offi- been adopted into a noble family line. cer loses both legs on That is why it is so essential that we celebrate the battlefield. His adored not the multicultural contributions of our various mother also dies before his eyes, ancestors in Eastern Europe or West Africa or Asia, and the woman he has loved since child- but the achievements of our common forefathers, hood, after rejecting him time and time again for our national ancestors, who launched this country some 20 years, also dies within a few months of their and changed man’s fate forever. With all my heart, marriage. I want my children to claim that heritage and to cel- Does this really sound like a feel-good movie? If ebrate it as their precious birthright as Americans. Forrest had been more in tune with the mentality of Perhaps the most basic explanation for the epi- the 1990s and our crybaby culture, he would have demic of ingratitude in this country is that too many been entitled to innumerable claims to self-pity and of us, especially among our academic and media victimhood–as someone who was severely “mental- elites, refuse to recognize the great Benefactor who ly challenged,” the son of a single mother, an aban- most richly deserves our thanks. doned Vietnam vet, the husband of an AIDS patient, Even the observance of Thanksgiving has been you name it. distorted to suit the current and crazy idea that any But instead of whining, Forrest Gump held fast to acknowledgment of the Almighty in our schools his unshakable optimism and felt grateful for what represents some dire threat to our children. A num- favors he received. That’s the deeper meaning of the ber of elementary social studies go so far as to sug- movie’s signature line, when Mama Gump tells gest that the purpose of the holiday is to remember Forrest: “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never the Pilgrims expressing their appreciation–to the Indians and not to God. 5 IMPRIMIS Because Ideas Have Consequences Go ahead. Try it…

Welcome to the seventh grade at the Hillsdale Academy. If you like what you see, our Hillsdale Academy Reference Guide offers further guidance and information leading to proven levels of student achievement. Examine K-8 curricula, publisher and reading lists, school culture suggestions, parent and teacher handbooks, a complete bibliography and an introductory videotape for $150. Call toll free 800-989-READ for further information, or write to Lorna Busch, Hillsdale College, 33 E. College Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242. Visa/MasterCard/Discover

6 know what you’re gonna get.” Sure, you could get a In his impoverished village in the Ukraine, my nougat, you could get a covered almond, you could grandfather fought to follow that demand, and in get a cherry cordial, but the most later years its theme helped him, important thing about a box of under difficult circumstances, to chocolates is that everything it “Whenever our vi- continue dreaming his American contains is sweet. That is the dream. Rise up like a lion for the most important lesson we can sion may be cloud- service of the Lord! One could teach our children: to accept life, ed by the fog of hardly ask for a more forceful–or even at its most tragic, as a gift empowering–response to the from God. As Shakespeare wrote pessimism, we attitude of gloomy impotence in As You Like It, “Sweet are the fostered by the mass media, or uses of diversity.” If we make the should recall we the chronic ingratitude that saps most of our challenges as well as the confidence from our nation- our opportunities, life can indeed have deeper rea- al culture. Let that be the mes- be a box of chocolates. sons for confidence sage to America’s parents, to our Though associated with a fic- children, to our schools, to all tional bumpkin in Alabama, that and joy. Rise up like those who feel overwhelmed by outlook is actually consistent problems, who feel their patience with one of the most ancient and a lion for the service tried, their faith challenged, and essential elements of the Jewish their hope undermined. When- tradition. For centuries the of the Lord!” ever our vision may be clouded Shulchan Aruch, the precisely by the fog of pessimism, we detailed “Code of Jewish Law,” has regulated the should recall we have deeper reasons for confidence behavior of the religiously observant in every aspect and joy. Rise up like a lion for the service of the of their lives. The book begins with a single com- Lord! mandment, which we are supposed to keep in mind on each new day as we open our eyes from sleep: Do we have your correct address? “Rise up like a lion for the service of the Lord!” Indicate changes here. Or call: 1-800-437-2268

ߜ boxes for more information: IMPRIMIS: (1-10 copies $.75 each 25–$10 50–$15 100–$25) □ On-campus seminars of Hillsdale’s Center for Constructive Alternatives Qty. Author/Title Price □ Off-campus seminars of Hillsdale’s Shavano Institute for National Leadership □ Student Admissions □ Gift and Estate Planning or Hillsdale Hostel (1-800-334-8904) □ Freedom Library books and tapes

□ FreedomQuest Campaign Subtotal □ Dow Leadership Development Center Michigan residents, add 6% sales tax

Total □ Enclosed is my tax deductible contribution FREE SHIPPING! to Hillsdale College for: (Please make checks payable to Hillsdale College) $ ______Credit Card Donations/ Orders Welcome! Do you know students interested VISA / MC / Discover in admission to Hillsdale College? We’ll lend them a video at no □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ cost! To order “Hillsdale College Exp. mo/yr Video Visit,” call 1-800-255-0384. □□□□ (Orders only please–not an information line.) Signature ______

7 registered inU.S.PatentandTrade Office #1563325. Subscription free uponrequest. following creditlineisused:“Reprintedbypermissionfrom Programs division.Copyright©1995. Permissiontoreprintinwholeorpartisherebygranted,providedaversionofthe Curtis. Theopinionsexpressedin Executive Editor, RonaldL.Trowbridge; ManagingEditor, LissaRoche;Assistant,PatriciaA.DuBois.IllustrationsbyTom IMPRIMIS

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE (im-pri IMPRIMIS PAID Hillsdale College . -mis), takingitsnamefromtheLatinterm,“infirstplace,”ispublicationofHillsdaleCollege. VOLUME 24 • NUMBER 12

FORWARDING AND RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED ISSN 0277-8432. IMPRIMIS POSTMASTER: Send address changes to IMPRIMIS Hillsdale College Hillsdale, Michigan 49242 may be,butarenotnecessarily, theviewsofHillsdaleCollegeanditsExternal Circulation 625,000worldwide,

Do we have your correct address? Indicate changes here. Or call: 1-800-437-2268 IMPRIMIS

PRINTED MATTER , themonthlyjournalofHillsdaleCollege.” established 1972. IMPRIMIS D/95 trademark