“Schizophrenic Times!”

Media Alert!

October 2024

Blog #59

Sue Summers

MediaSavvyKids.org

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2, NIV)

“Schizophrenic Times!”

After World War II, Americans experienced many changes in our culture. Radio had been the most popular way we were informed and entertained in the 1930s and 1940s, and then, all across the country, television burst forth in the ‘50s.

“In the 1950s, television played a transformative role in American society, emerging as a dominant entertainment and cultural influence force.

This period, also known as the Golden Age of Television, gave rise to a host of iconic TV shows and personalities who left a permanent mark on the nation’s cultural fabric, forever changing the landscape of American entertainment.” (https://brilliantio.com/television-in-the-1950s)

Just as families had gathered around the radio, they gathered around the TV to see scenes of familiar American life played out on the screen, portraying cultural interactions based on the Judeo-Christian values which had undergirded most of the American morals. 

“During the 1950s, American religious commitment peaked. In 1957, over 95% of Americans associated with some religious tradition and close to 65% claimed membership in a particular group.” (The Religious History of America, Gaustad and Schmidt, p. 341)

In fact, television programming, radio, movies, family homes, communities, churches, schools, and even the courts during this time seemed to generally agree on what was right and wrong, and appropriate and inappropriate behavior. And that general agreement served as guard rails for our young people as they were finding their way into adulthood.

Of course, not everyone agreed – and some radical entertainment and political ideas certainly existed – but the period of the 1950s and early 1960s are remembered as a generally peaceful period in US history.

Then on June 25, 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court declared prayer in public schools unconstitutional (Engel v. Vitale). Correlation is not necessarily causation, but there is a noticeable alignment between this hinge point in America and a change in the values and mores shown in our entertainment media of the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Consider the pop music.

“1960s counterculture, a broad-ranging social movement in the United States, Canada, and western Europe, rejected conventional mores and traditional authorities and those members variously advocated peace, love, social justice, and revolution. The 1960s counterculture movement, which generally extended into the early 1970s, was an alternative approach to life that manifested itself in a variety of activities, lifestyles, and artistic expressions, including recreational drug use, communal living, political protests, casual sex, and folk and rock music.” (www.britannica.com/topic/1960s-counterculture)

“The post-war baby boom generation came of age in a time marked by civil rights movements, anti-establishment sentiment, and global unrest – all of which paved the way for groundbreaking new sounds that would forever change popular culture.” (https://brilliantio.com/why-did-music-change-in-the-1960s)

Then in 1981, along came MTV! Music videos moved the music and lyrics into a new dimension, adding visuals to popular music – sometimes to the shock of parents!

During this same time period, in 1980 (Stone v. Graham), a United States Supreme Court decision struck down a Kentucky law requiring that a copy of the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school classroom. So, most schools throughout the nation removed the Ten Commandments from classrooms.

In the late 1980s, cable TV became the main source of information and news, challenging the “king of the hill” position that had been held by mainstream TV channels. Suddenly, there were multiple alternatives!

Then the Internet arrived with seemingly unlimited options!

“Since its founding in 1989, the World Wide Web has touched the lives of billions of people around the world and fundamentally changed how we connect with others, the nature of our work, how we discover and share news and new ideas, how we entertain ourselves and how communities form and function.” (www.pewresearch.org/internet/2014/03/11/world-wide-web-timeline)

And with the introduction and spread of broadband over the past 20 years, life on planet Earth has fundamentally and radically changed forever! Consider your personal tech life in 2024: streaming channels, YouTube, social media, cell phones, Seri, Alexa, and Google, AI, ear buds, GPS, Apple watches, instant access to information, electric vehicles, VR (virtual reality), and so much more!

We’re living in a time where there is no foundational set of morals or values. Anything goes! And anything that exists can be instantly discovered – often by just using the Google search engine on a cell phone. There is no longer any reason to wonder. There’s no need for encyclopedias – or maybe even books!

An average teen mulls through hundreds – or perhaps thousands – of social media posts, videos, and images with mixed messages portraying varied values but without the protective guardrails of an attentive culture in general agreement on values and mores.

No wonder our teens are overwhelmed! Our children and teens are growing up in a cacophony of information, propaganda, images, viewpoints, rants, memes, and entertainment… sometimes on the same day! We live in schizophrenic times! It is critically important that those teens experience the shepherding toward discernment that comes with ongoing adult involvement!

So how can we help teens become media-savvy about the culture that surrounds them?

First and foremost, it is essential to manage and oversee your child’s media use, including the cell phone.

Second, teens need to know and use the foundational Grid of Truth in God’s Word.

Third, and equally important, conversations and on-going dialog about our culture’s trends and displayed values must be part of daily life at home, school, and church. Through discussion, adult Christians with a Biblical worldview can encourage the development of teens’ discernment, solidifying their morality, their individual faith, and their identity in Christ.

Here are some discussion starters:

• Ask, “Does it matter if you attend church?” Discuss this topic offering Scriptural support.

• Ask, “What percentage of your classmates would you guess have Christian beliefs? What difference might that make?”

• Share, “In 1962, the United States Supreme Court ruled that prayer should not be allowed in school. In 1980, a Supreme Court decision stated that the Ten Commandments did not have to be posted in every classroom, so most schools removed them. Do you think these two decisions may have impacted our culture, and if so, in what ways?”

• Share, “Our cell phones allow us instant opportunities to communicate with others, and also to gain information and a variety of viewpoints. Could this result in confusion?”

• Read this scripture and discuss it: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2, NIV)

• Ask, “How can we practice discernment built on the Grid of Truth – God’s Word – with our words and deeds?  Do you think your choices could be influential in showing Jesus to others?”

Note: Share this blog with your church’s youth pastor as a lesson for youth group gatherings.

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Sue Summers is a Christian media analyst, teacher, author, and speaker.

She is the Director of Media Alert!

Contact Info:

Blogs: MediaSavvyKids.org

Website: http://www.MediaAlert.org

Email: Sue@MediaAlert.org

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