Several years ago, I was driving to visit my parents on a quiet Sunday afternoon. As I was riding along, something disturbing came upon me. I witnessed a man forcing a woman into a car. She was resisting vigorously.
Cell Phones were nonexistent in the dinosaur times of the nineteen-eighties, and I was uncertain how to proceed, knowing it would benefit no one to stop. I thought about finding a phone to call the police. However, lucky for me, there are often no coincidences. As I was mulling over my choices, I saw a police officer parked in a vacant parking lot. I stopped my automobile to tell him my concerns. He told me he would attend to the situation, and as we parted ways, I left relieved.
Did he arrive on time? I would like to think so.
Our Decaying Moral Compass
I hope never to forget the incident. Why is that, you might ask? I remind myself we must remain vigilant when we observe something suspicious or someone coming in harm’s way. Thirty years later, I see us losing our way, watching a decay of a moral compass unfold.
Some of you might balk and view my perspective as an exaggeration. Well, I invite you to consider the merits of my argument.
Several months ago, I wrote an article, Just Because Everyone Does It, Doesn’t Make It Right (below) I discussed the murder of Kitty Genovese, occurring in 1964 in New York. No one intervened despite hearing her cries, shocking a nation. For years, sociologists and others have discussed this problematic issue.
Those were the days. In these more recent times, we see a decrease in this alarm around such events, with people turning a blind eye.
In the same article, I wrote about young people ignoring a man’s pleas as he drowned before their eyes. The video of this tragedy made its way to Facebook. Although they are not responsible, you wonder about their moral compass? Was there peer pressure not to assist? Was there a discussion by their parents or mentors about helping others who are less fortunate? We will never know. May this situation embed in their minds forever as a reminder of the golden rule of treating others as you wish to be treated.
This last issue is becoming more common, one of many.
Two Horrific Acts
Loudoun County, Virginia, has received national attention because of parents’ unhappiness with the school curriculum.
Most disturbingly and unaware to many people, the school administration suppressed a report about a female adolescent being raped in the Girls’ room last summer, bowing to political correctness.
They moved the young perpetrator to another school, and the individual repeated this assault on another student more recently.
How much is this alarming the nation? I hear little outcry making its way to the national stage.
Another disgusting event happened in the last week. A woman boarded the wrong train in Philadelphia, and a man sat next to her, harassing her for 45 minutes. She struggled to restrain the non-gentleman, but to no avail. Soon, this noncitizen with many crimes, including sexual, ripped her clothes off and raped her. No one interrupted this vile act. Hypotheses abound about the apathy of the passengers. I will not delve into them, but the dominant force of political correctness seems to be the unspoken reason.
You hear very little about these recent crimes. Unlike the decades’ conversation about the Kitty Genovese phenomenon, these recent horrific acts will recede to the dustbins of “oh well,” as they fade from our minds. A complicit press that fuels political correctness shows little impetus in changing the way they report or not.
What are we becoming? Tribalistic attachments are contributing to divisiveness never seen in my lifetime. Are we forgoing our moral compass in the name of choosing who to help or what to highlight? Although I focus on the positive, on this matter, I am not optimistic.
What Are Your Thoughts?
I invite you to share your thoughts about this disturbing trend.
It is easy to say that our culture/society is to blame. But, are we not our culture, our society? We have collectively reared several generations of kids that take no resposibility and have interest only in what is good for them. Those generations of liberal kids are now judges, teachers, parents, and government officials. They are the people that watch a rape on a subway and do nothing. They are the liberals mandating that males should be able to use female bathrooms and locker rooms. They are the people that watch a kid drown and do nothing. Yes, perhaps I am being “tribal” by saying it is “them”, not me. I would like to think that I and most of my generation would step in to stop such events. Police officers tell me that when they arrest a repeat offender, the person is often back on the street before the officer is even off duty. In many such cases there is not even a bond required. The result is that a large portion of our population today is concerned about not offending someone with their speach, or infringing on their rights, or not being in step with their peers. They are not concerned with truth, logic, common sense, or what is morally right. How do we fix the mess? For starters we have to stop electing these radical fools to powerful position in govenment. We have to get involved in schools and what they are teaching from K through college. We have to tighten boarders and go back to enforcing laws. We all know how to fix the problems, so why are we not doing it?
Hi Ken,
Thank you for reading and providing a thoughtful and cogent response. I could not agree with you more. We have a generation of brain-washed individuals who know nothing about history. Even those of our generation were not taught some of the facts but far more than the generations of now. I was once in one tribe (not totally) and will remain in another that I believe is the “right one,” not perfect but better than the alternative. I feel for parents who see their children dividing everything into categories, claiming “triggers” and “microaggressions.” Now we have “right-handed” privilege. From K thru 12 to college education, politics are permeating everything. The media’s hyperpartisan bias is beyond detestable. As they said about the Soviets, the people knew the papers were deceptive. Sadly, many in the U.S. view certain publications and politicians as sacrosanct. I do not know the answer, but I am glad I am not young.
Spot on. Destruction of the social fabric from within by desensitizing youth and all but eliminating absolute values that reflect goodness and love is here. Ayn Rand and so many others foresaw this moment. We who see this must stand our ground, share our vision, and act to reverse the trend.
Thank you for reading and responding. I do not know the answer. I have attempted to respectfully discuss with individuals who follow this creed and have been shut down or, even indirectly, called names. I will no longer engage with so called tolerant people who tend to be the most intolerant of all. Look what happened at Dartmouth. Thank goodness those young people held their ground.
You can show them facts, and they change the subject. As someone who was once on the other side (not like this), I know how they think and understand their adhesion to these beliefs of so-called tolerance. Of what? Of everything even if it is morally wrong. Excuses abound. They see what they believe, and that is that. No one has ever asked my husband or I why we changed direction. What I want to ask, “Are you afraid it might be contagious?”