By Raymond Rooney, guest writer*
July 2002 – “I am so sick and tired of you right wing extremists blaming the decline in our society’s standards on the media. If you don’t like what’s on TV, in the movies or on the radio, then don’t watch it or listen to it. It’s as simple as that.”
Wouldn’t it be grand if the solution to the intellectual, moral and spiritual free-fall America has been undergoing for decades were that simple? But it isn’t. To begin with, if I find something objectionable enough that I feel I have to turn it off or shield myself (or my family) from it, then it goes without saying that I believe the material is dangerous. It is not a matter of being merely offended. It is a matter of being hurt.
Our nation is writhing in agony due to the unchecked flow of gratuitous sex and violence from all forms of media. I have to live in this society with people who find depictions of gang rape entertaining and scenes of murder and mayhem enjoyable. And that means my silence puts me, my family and others at risk.
In the recently released movie Spider-Man, Peter Parker was cheated out of some money he’d won in a wrestling contest. As he was walking out of the promoter’s office, a robber walked in. Parker (Spider-Man) watched as the robber stole all of the promoter’s money at gunpoint. He did not lift a finger to stop the robbery. A few moments later that thief would car-jack his uncle’s car, murdering him in the process. Had Spider-Man intervened in the robbery, his uncle would not have been murdered. Thus, Spider-Man was born not when Parker was bitten by an experimental spider, but when he realized that his refusal to intervene in that which was bad had hurt someone else. Now he understood his moral obligation to use his power and ability for others.
To suggest that I should simply tune it out, turn it off or put it aside is analogous to suggesting that if I were walking on a hiker’s trail in the mountains and stumbled upon a spring-loaded bear trap I should simply walk away from it and count myself lucky that I did not step on it. Common sense says that I should either attempt to disable the trap or, at the very least, expose and mark it clearly so that other hikers don’t injure themselves.
What kind of person would I be if I made no attempt to disable the trap or at least warn others of the danger? Yet that is exactly what those who suggest I should just turn away from gratuitous violence and sex in the media are proposing I do.
Too many studies have shown a link between the wanton sex and violence in the media, and the violent and dehumanizing behavior in society to simply dismiss it. I owe it to my fellow citizen and neighbor to attempt to dismantle the system that legitimizes it or, at the very least, mark the trap and warn others to beware. To turn away from it would be the height of selfishness. It would be like saying, “I know that someone has poisoned the public water system, but I’ll let others find that out for themselves. I’ll just buy bottled water for my own protection.”
I find it interesting that many of those who advocate “turn if off,” are quite selective about what things to tune out. If it is sex and/or violence that offends, just turn off the TV. Why, then, is there any need for campaign finance reform? If you happen to be a Democrat and find a certain Republican ad campaign offensive, then why not just change the channel? If it is sex and violence that offend, just turn off the television. But if it is a political opinion that offends, stop the commercial.
Why not just tell everyone who is offended by Christian symbols at Christmas to look away from them? Or why not just tell any student who is offended by school prayer simply not to bow his head or listen while the prayer is being prayed?
It is my right and privilege as an American citizen not only to register complaints with and against those who fund sex and violence in all forms of media, but also to lobby lawmakers to put an end to media’s disregard for standards of decency. Although I disagree with those who successfully lobbied Congress to institute campaign finance reform, I support their right to do so. Apparently, the advocates of “just turn it off” not only want me to ignore the danger I believe is inherent in programs that dehumanize people. They also want me to abrogate my own rights as an American citizen.
There is one more angle – the Christian perspective. It truly amazes me that a substantial number of Christians fall readily into line with those who promote “just turn it off.” Some fall into line by helping to promote the fallacy while others simply follow their advice. By not watching or listening to offensive material, they never feel an ounce of remorse or conviction that they do nothing to stem the tide of raunchiness and filth overspreading the nation. Yet, that tide leads untold multitudes into bondage to pornography and perverted lifestyles.
Wasn’t Cain wrong when he facetiously responded to God’s inquiry about his brother’s whereabouts with “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Didn’t Jesus instruct us not to hide our light under a bushel? Isn’t the heart of Christianity to love your neighbor as yourself?
Do I love my neighbor if I watch him shoot up cocaine? Do I love my neighbor if I watch him drink himself into oblivion? Then how can I feel comfortable in my relationship with God if I sit quietly by, doing and saying nothing while my neighbors expose themselves and their children to forces that have the potential to destroy their marriage and ruin their children?
Jesus said, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). James said, “When lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:15). No Christian can, in good conscience, turn away and ignore the outpouring of filth flowing full bore from media outlets any more than he can turn away from the responsibility to stop wanton littering along city streets and highways.
And so, I have a message for all the “just turn it off” crowd. As long as people continue to put profits above the welfare of their fellow man, and as long as media outlets demonstrate no responsibility or accountability for their contribution to the moral and spiritual decline of the nation, I will continue to raise my voice in protest and support those organizations that are willing to combat the soulless media moguls who are selling out their fellow man and their country for a dollar.
It’s as simple as that. 
* Raymond Rooney is pastor of Verona (Mississippi) United Methodist Church
