Editor:
Jasyn Jones accuses liberals of endorsing a sexually immoral culture. In his argument, he lists and describes in detail several pop culture entertainers and MTV broadcasts he finds tawdry and distasteful. Prior to reading his column, I had heard vague references to a few of these examples and was completely oblivious to the rest of them.
I do not subscribe to any cable television, and even if I did, I would have no interest in watching MTV. Like Jones, I find the attitudes embraced on MTV distasteful, but I am capable of making a personal choice that keeps such attitudes almost entirely out of my personal life.
Unfortunately, I cannot choose to avoid the unpleasant economic effects of George W. Bush’s tax policy. I should not complain too much, though, because there are so many people throughout the country who are financially worse off than I am and who will be hurt even more by Republican tax breaks for the rich at the expense of everyone else.
I also should be grateful that I can ignore televised news of the Iraq war as easily as I can ignore MTV music videos. I am sure that the people of Iraq and the families of American soldiers wish that they could simply turn off the negative effects of the conflict. Of course, conservatives believe that Bush’s foreign and domestic policies will ultimately make the world safer and more prosperous. I respect their right to that opinion, but I disagree.
Jones complains about liberals’ “no big deal” attitude toward sexual promiscuity in the media, and some people on the left do exaggerate when they claim that this type of entertainment has absolutely no effect on those of us who choose not to consume it. Those who choose to consume it are affected, and since we all share a society, even people like me are subtly affected in the long run.
However, there is nothing so subtle about death or hunger. Despite my traditional sexual values, I cannot in good conscience support a political party or ideology that battles a subtle problem while perpetuating (in my view) the obvious evils of poverty and war.
Spencer Kenneth WallJunior, English
