It’s time to continue our Evolution of Technology series, this time remembering MTV. As usual, I co-write these columns with Professor David E. Weber. I can’t believe I’m even putting “MTV” and “Remembering” in the same sentence, but it’s now been long enough that MTV is part of our nostalgia plus the changes in MTV have been significant in addition to its impact on our culture and entertainment.
By Professor David E. Weber and Bruce Sallan
Where do our kids get their values? Who is paving the way to teach our kids the most valuable lessons in life? Are you comfortable with the values they learn in public school? How about on MTV, cable or other television? Are reality shows actually reality? Do you think modern music teaches them about love and romance? Maybe going to the movies is better and seeing Academy Award winning movies like “Slumdog Millionaire,” or “Departed” will teach them right from wrong? How about the Internet where they can see their friends post naked pictures of themselves or, if their parents haven’t been smart and restricted access, they can go to any porn site in the privacy of their own rooms. You get the point. The values out there are certainly questionable.
When I grew up, my parents had little concern about what I’d see on television, what I’d be taught in school when politics and values were little discussed, and they felt comfortable that they could inculcate me in their own values and religion. It’s a different world now.
