Replies

But in doing so, critics ask, is MTV truly reflecting the desires of today's teenagers, or are they stoking a cultural infatuation with music and imagery that glorifies violence and sex as well as antisocial behavior and attitudes?

This is the same old liberal question, which came first, the chicken or the egg, is art imitating life, or vise-versa?

At the risk of sounding like a squishy moderate, both Okie and Objector have valid points.

While it is our obligation as parents to oversee what our own kids do, see, and buy, it's just not possible to follow a teenager around all day. How many of you actually know what your kids are doing at their friends house? You may have banned MTV at your own house; try to ban it at their friends, or your neighbors. The free market may be free, but it should have as much responsibility to not polluting our children's minds, as it has to not polluting the atmosphere.

And WE have a responsibility to hold them to it.
If we don't, then plan on living in Soddom & Gomorrah.

Today's child is a product of compulsary state education. As an experienced homeschooler of many years, I can confidently tell you that teenage angst does not exist in the homeschool population at anywhere near the same ratio as the public school.

On a car trip yesterday we were all talking about how MTV would be out of business if everyone was homeschooled - the desire for all this fad music and clothes is driven by the herd mentality. Check out any homeschool group - while they may like some things as a group, as far as clothes and music go, they are notoriously "uncool".