This is a series on the erosion of moral, cultural, and ethical boundaries in modern society:
Part 1: Moving the Ancient Boundaries
— Proverbs 22:28 —
There are no clear-cut guidelines or instruction manuals for corroding the culture from within. So, being of a civic frame of mind, it occurred to me that I might write one — or something akin to one, a Screwtape Letters for a screwed-up culture, if you will (with apologies to C.S. Lewis, of course). So here are some of the many ways which you might follow if you wish to move the ancient boundaries, to chip away at absolutes, principles, and tradition in order to create a new utopia grounded in narcissism and libertinism:
Find a Rebel
One need not be one of the beautiful people to be a successful rebel. The comedic genius of Lenny Bruce was immense — but entirely focused on the goal of normalizing profanity, pushing the boundaries of sexual language and profanity, and hatred of religion, especially Christianity. Of course, by pushing the limits society is prodded to respond — and by doing so creates a martyr. Repeatedly arrested for profanity and coarse language in public, Bruce was glorified by those who wanted no restriction on such speech and therefore bemoaned his “persecution” by authorities and a Puritanical culture. When he killed himself with alcohol and drugs, the fruition of a pointless life, he was enthroned as an idol by “free speech” proponents everywhere — and remains so even today.
Like the arts and media, music is another excellent medium in which to find a rebel: rock music in particular draws them like bugs to a light bulb. Combine musical talent with a message of sexual license, drugs, violence, or rebellion, and you have an excellent vehicle for pounding your message home through iPhone ear buds. And the rebel — musical or otherwise — need not suffer any real persecution or hardship to ennoble their righteous rebellion: Michael Stipe of R.E.M. can sing of America as under occupation or call for revolution while making millions, living in grand mansions, and flying on private jets. Some revolutionary, some “occupation,” this. Yet his musical talent, and that of others like him, drives the message home methodically through clever musical hooks, complex rhythms, power chords and witty lyrics.
The key attraction of the rebel is their embodiment of the idea that all authority is a restriction of human freedom. By tying a visually appealing lifestyle, physical beauty, or artistic talent with the “freedom” which comes from rejecting the restraints requisite for a civil and peaceful society, narcissism and individualism are thereby elevated above the self-sacrifice, responsibility, and the restraint which a healthy relational community requires.
Make Ample Use of Victims
First, you must find a case which best exemplifies the need to move the boundary. Norma McCorvey, a poor, single Texas woman who claimed to have been gang-raped (a claim she later repudiated), and who could not afford an illegal abortion, served as the catalyst for Roe v. Wade decision. Euthanasia proponents will always put forth the terminal cancer patient in intractable pain, or the end-stage ALS patient, presenting assisted suicide or euthanasia as the compassionate solution, driven home by showing heart-breaking pictures of their slow, agonizing demise. Parenteral notification laws for minors seeking abortions must be opposed because “not all teens come from perfect families,” and because they “put teens’ health and rights at risk” — thereby making the underage teen a victim if she is not allowed to abort her pregnancy without her parents’ knowledge. If you wish to blur the distinction between good and evil be sure to point out how the perpetrator of some horrible crime was abused as a child. How many times have we heard that the root cause of crime is poverty? Poor people should take great offense at such shallow and baseless accusations.
If you cannot find a suitable victim, then you must create one — or better yet, invent a whole class of victims. This is most easily done through the use of statistics or “facts” — which can be pure fabrication, becoming “truth” only by virtue of their repetition. Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a founder of the pro-choice N.A.R.A.L. organization, in his eye-opening book Aborting America (p.193), tells of the origin of the oft-cited figure of 5,000-10,000 annual abortion-related deaths prior to its legalization:
How many deaths were we talking about when abortion was illegal? In N.A.R.A.L., we generally emphasized the drama of the individual case, not the mass statistics, but when we spoke of the latter it was always “5,000 to 10,000 deaths a year.” I confess that I knew the figures were totally false … But in the “morality” of our revolution, it was a useful figure, widely accepted, so why go out of our way to correct it with honest statistics? … In the last year before the Blackmun era [Roe v. Wade] began, in 1972, the total [abortion-related fatalities] was only 39 deaths.
Ahh, the beauty of postmodernism: when there are no absolutes, “truth” can be molded like putty into any desirable shape or form, in order to serve the higher good of removing restrictions to desired behavior. Therefore, abortion must be legalized, not for its real utility in mitigating the consequences of licentious sexual activity, but rather to prevent the “cruel, unnecessary deaths of 10,000 women a year.” The tables have been turned: those who oppose abortion now become guilty of the slaughter of the innocents, while those who support it are protecting the true victims: 10,000 mythical murdered mothers, coat hangers clutched in their cold, dead hands.
