It's refreshing

to read someone in the mainstream media make sense. For example, Leonard

Pitts, columnist for the Miami Herald, last year wrote a piece (August

17, 2000 AJC) in which he characterized pop culture as a "sewer."

He wrote: "As

a former full-time critic of pop music, I understand the apprehension

(of condemning the contemporary music scene). I also understand that something's

wrong when people are too fearful of history's judgment to voice honest

misgivings.

"Understand:

The issue is not freedom of speech. Pop culture has an absolute constitutional

right to swim in the toilet...but here's the question: What happens when

no one has the guts to draw the line anywhere?

"We're

finding the answer now and it's not pretty. We've become a people too

cool to take offense, too jaded for questions of decency, and so filled

with attitude that we disconnect from our own feelings, our own barometers

of right and wrong. We took the wrong lessons from Elvis' hips. And we're

getting the pop culture we deserve."

My generation's

barometers are fairly accurate. After all, we were brought up when certain

behavior was moral and certain behavior immoral. The "pill"

had not come along when we learned right from wrong. Additionally, many

of us older baby-boomers were raised either in Sunday School or went to

catechism classes preparing for first communion. We learned God's way

and the devil's way.

What's more,

most of us older boomers were raised on moral television. Even the masked

man was a good guy. Beaver and Opie, Fury and Rin Tin Tin taught us the

values that made America the greatest nation on earth.

We know right

from wrong. We know how short is too short. We know pants hanging halfway

off the butt are inappropriate. We know condoms present in our children's

pockets mean sheer immorality. We know there's no good illegal drugs.

We not only know these truths, we also deeply believe them.

But, we keep

on failing to respond to our own spiritual, value-minding barometric readings.

Why? Because just maybe we're not right on! That's the line sold us by

the world.

So, it takes

a secular journalist to call our attention to the fact that our kids are

listening to sewage symphonies, toilet tunes, and lewd lyrics. No question

about it. Pitts observed, "From the potty-mouthed tykes of 'South

Park' to the hateful gay-bashing of rapper Eminem to the lewd butt-worshipping

of the music video channel, it's become nearly impossible to absorb popular

culture without also absorbing slop that would embarrass a reasonably

respectable pig."

Now, parents

face Spring Break. It's the Spring ritual for hormonal-racing kids to

do what comes naturally as well as it comes naturally for dogs, hogs,

and cows. There is nothing redemptive about Spring Break, my barometer

tells me! Absolutely nothing. Except, of course, for the beer folks, drug

folks, and condom folks -- folks in business to bring down our kids to

animal level.

What's your

barometer say? Got the guts to tell your kids, "Not while you eat

at my table!" How about the guts to listen to your child's music

and say, "Not in my house and not in the car for which I provide

the payment and insurance." Go for what's right!

Rev. Dr. John Hatcher is pastor

of River's Edge

Community Church in Fayetteville.

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