Saturday, February 16, 2008
Who, me?
We Americans have been subjected to a lot of flack lately about our lack of family values and how poorly we stack up against our 'forefathers', who were so much better than we are. Well, I take umbrage with that assessment and want to say that MY forefathers were every bit as corrupt and bereft of some of these so called 'family values' as I ever was.
Just whose 'forefathers' or 'founding fathers,' if you will, are these critics talking about? More importantly, exactly what 'family values' are we supposed to be lacking in and who are the sitting judges in these matters? The so-called founding fathers in question were no paragons of virtue in the aggregate, many of them being slave owners, womanizers and general hell raisers, not to mention being partakers of strong beverages and dispensers of foul language.
Now I'm not saying that these guys were bad people, at least not by the standards of the day, but let's quit canonizing them and making unfair comparisons with todays citizens. What amounts to bankrupt 'family values' to some are standard procedure to others. Does anybody believe that if the good old boys of the past had access to internet porn and torn designer jeans, they wouldn't go willingly into that dark abyss?
All right, let's be fair here. We are certainly no shrinking violets when it comes to questionable behavior, but neither were the generations that proceeded us. So let's get on with trying to measure up to the pleas from the pulpit to do better and let the 'next' generation have their turn at bat.
George Morin
Auburn, Ga.
Just whose 'forefathers' or 'founding fathers,' if you will, are these critics talking about? More importantly, exactly what 'family values' are we supposed to be lacking in and who are the sitting judges in these matters? The so-called founding fathers in question were no paragons of virtue in the aggregate, many of them being slave owners, womanizers and general hell raisers, not to mention being partakers of strong beverages and dispensers of foul language.
Now I'm not saying that these guys were bad people, at least not by the standards of the day, but let's quit canonizing them and making unfair comparisons with todays citizens. What amounts to bankrupt 'family values' to some are standard procedure to others. Does anybody believe that if the good old boys of the past had access to internet porn and torn designer jeans, they wouldn't go willingly into that dark abyss?
All right, let's be fair here. We are certainly no shrinking violets when it comes to questionable behavior, but neither were the generations that proceeded us. So let's get on with trying to measure up to the pleas from the pulpit to do better and let the 'next' generation have their turn at bat.
George Morin
Auburn, Ga.
