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Jewish World Review Jan. 23, 2001 / 28 Teves, 5761

David Brewster

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Making sense of it all

http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- THERE'S A DISCORD abroad in the land, a sharpened harshness of sight and sound that squints the eye, deafens the ear and numbs the spirit. Of course, the innate beauty of life and living is still here, but that quietness, that peace, seems too often pierced and shattered by the strobe of vulgarity and the dissonant screech of erotic passion gone mad.

[Writer's Note to Reader] Should you, dear reader, be thinking - 'Here we go, again, another diatribe on the evils of 21st century American culture. I'm out o' here.' - please, hold on. We're all trying to make sense of what's going on around us. That's all we're doing. So, we use phrases like 'erotic passion gone mad' and words such as 'vulgarity' to describe what may, for you, be sounds of music and reality of living. Get past it. Let's see if we can think together. You listen to me, and then, I'll listen to you (see address below).

We hear this screeching and see this vulgarity all around, on the streets, in our places of gathering and, most disturbing of all, in the very sanctuary of our being, the castle of our reverie, the last bastion of escape from the noise and hassle of survival, the place we call home. Indeed, this stepping beyond the margins of convention, this excess, if not born in the home, is surely allowed and thereby, nurtured there. But is the place of excess or the origin of excess really the issue of excess? Maybe. Maybe not. We shall see.

Some believe the only question, relevant to matters of excessive, aberrant behavior or pushing the envelope of what is socially accepted is, by definition, whether the behavior is acceptable in a civilized society. But since tolerance is basic to civilized society, one would be reluctant to place limits on any behavior that causes no physical or financial harm to another.

As stated from the beginning, we are discussing only conduct that offends the emotional, moral or spiritual sensitivity of another, irrelevant things like words (We all know words can't hurt you.) or pictures-pictures can't hurt you. Anyway, that's what we're talking about, just stuff that doesn't matter anyhow, rubbish or gems, depending on one's taste, that spew or flow from mouths, cathode ray tubes, movie screens, stereo speakers, toilet walls, gallery halls, bridges and subway cars, only the harmless products of depraved minds or creative ones. Who's to say, and what's the harm? And where's the problem?

In our rush toward utopian tolerance, we forget there is another aspect of civilized society, every bit as important as acceptance of another's behavior, and it is, simply put, civility, respect, consideration for another's feelings or just plain old politeness. Of course, we want to be fully civilized, so we attempt to tolerate deviance while at the same time expecting civility from the deviant. And there's the problem. Many who push the limits of social behavior offend deeply. Do we become less tolerant so as to be more genial, or do we allow rudeness to prevail for the sake of permissiveness?

This writer makes no pretence of neutrality regarding the matter at hand but does plead for debate (see address below). Why, in our attempt at being civilized, do we prohibit the citizenry from perpetrating grievous bodily or financial harm on another, but we don't do the same with regard to injuring the mind, spirit and yes, even the soul of another. Should a citizen of any society have the right to deliberately and relentlessly offend another's sensitivities and worst of all, do so for money? Well, my friends, in America, we do it all the time. We spend billions a year to watch and listen to what we call 'artists' bulldoze the embankment of civility into the sewer of baseness, and we call it entertainment. But where's the harm in a few four-letter words (actually millions of four letter words), a bit of titillating sexual innuendo or the occasional killing, maiming and raping? After all, it's all in fun, and we're all adults. We know the difference between fantasy and reality.

Indeed we do. Today's fantasy often becomes tomorrow's reality. Has the volume of sex and violence and rock & roll amplified in your lifetime? Hey children, hear that sound? Everybody knows who's goin' down.


JWR contributor David Brewster writes from his home near Burlington, Ind. Comment by clicking here.

Up

01/05/01: Winter's gift
12/15/00: Relinquish the Wind
11/23/00: Government by consent
11/21/00: For want of love

© 2001, David Brewster