Nine out of ten people surveyed believe that the decline in civility increases opportunities for violence. Eight out of ten believe that it divides our communities and destroys our moral values. As John Ong, Chairman of the BF Goodrich Company, observed in an Ohio State commencement address, we have seen an increasing glorification of the individual within our popular culture, even of individuals whose behavior is transcendently aberrant and idiosyncratic. It is hard to ignore the steady assault on civility by our popular culture. Insults on the Internet.
Talks shows that take hate speech to new heights.
Gansta rap and grunge. I do worry that many of our young people have come to rely on the media and popular culture as their major sources of information about the world. Today, too many youngsters can tell you about Air Jordan, but not Amman, Jordan. Of course, it is an automatic laugh line when I tell audiences that today's students come to campus knowing who Michelango, Raphael, and Donatello are as Ninja turtles, that is. And they know Homer .