Paul StuligrossI asked her how she responded to his claim, that she was simply being “brainwashed,” and had no “skin in the game” as it were. She said she didn’t know what to say but was left a bit frustrated. So we discussed it, as a class, and I tried to give them some critical thinking tools to use when (not if) this happens again.
“The tail that wags the dog.” I wonder if most kids know what that means. It’s the idea that we let the media dictate what we believe. It’s the notion that we no longer think for ourselves. Rather, we follow the latest trend, the latest routine, the latest tweet. And it’s happening all over -- especially with our teens.
If you were to ask most police officers what frustrates them most, they might say "directing traffic." As an officer, I can’t tell you how many times I’d be at an accident scene -- three police cars, cones and flares across the road -- and inevitably someone would approach, point toward their destination and say, “Can I go that way? But that’s the way I go. That’s my routine … oh no, what now?”
We have routines. We follow norms. We’re human. We can all tend to have that “sheep” mentality from time to time. Self included. I wonder if we understand that those momentary lapses can be harmful. I wonder if our teens understand this danger. We cruise along through life and “buy into” the latest trends, television shows and movies. Then we listen to Hollywood’s version of what’s right and wrong -- and wonder why we’re so confused. So, who’s doing the brainwashing?
When did we start to believe George Clooney was a good moral compass? I wonder if that’s what's at the heart of this young man’s problem: he thinks we Catholics are being brainwashed, but he’s not. He recognizes that we are all influenced by our environments, but fails to realize he’s deceived by his. Tell you what, Mr. Clooney, how about you stick to acting and leave the morality to us.
What amazes me is how mesmerized we’ve become with Hollywood stars, ignoring how many of their lives are circling the drain, but discounting the champions of our own faith, pointing out their hypocrisies. Here’s a hint, then you tell me who’s doing the deceiving: the stars of our faith recognize their faults, Hollywood doesn’t.
There is a necessary connection between sin and God. Not that God expects us to walk on eggshells or cower in His presence. But when we become our own gods and disavow sin because the media tells us to, then why do we need Jesus? Can’t we just “earn” our way into heaven? Isn’t it funny that in a roundabout way, sin leads us to Christ -- or should I say, the need for redemption from it. Talk about a “happy fault.”
We didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to discuss this. But I know, in the end, it’ll come up again. And I hope these kids have the wherewithal to know the difference between teaching and proselytizing; between freedom and bondage; between true love and blind popularity. Maybe that’s what their parents are paying for by sending them to our schools. If so, it’s the least we can give them.
Lately, my 11-year-old has decided she is smarter than Mom and Dad. I keep waiting for her to realize she’s not. I think that may happen after she graduates from high school. But isn’t that what we sometimes do? Don’t we allow the media to be that proverbial tail that wags the dog? Do we ever start to believe we’re smart enough to make rules absent God? Human nature stinks sometimes. Other times, it’s great.
I learn so much more than I teach from kids in my classroom; and from my own kids.
Paul Stuligross teaches theology at Livonia Ladywood High School and is a former police officer.
