All Respect is gone

It would seem the best way to have your name mentioned in all the entertainment media sources these days is to have a major malfunction of clothing to occur while entertaining on a stage in front of viewers or to simulate a sex act. Few people are left who have not heard about the scandalous behavior of Miley Cyrus while performing for the video music awards sponsored by MTV. The lack of decency in young Cyrus’ behavior was topped by a routine including twerking. This newly discovered act of twisting a body while performing as if one is simulating the actions of sexual intercourse has become a popular way to have the performer’s name remembered. The video of the event has been shown to millions of people who supposedly fain disgust once the video is viewed. I admit, I did not see the original performance and only saw parts of the video when it was played on a news show the next morning. Though several people have insisted I need to watch the entire video, I have not and have no plans to watch it. Just the small part of what I saw of the performance was enough for me to assure that I would not be watching all of it. Several people have come forward to try and determine how this behavior has become such a sensation. Some people are looking to find fault or blame for the behavior and determine what could have gone wrong in a culture lusting after public display of the human body. We could blame parents. We could blame the culture. We could blame youth and inexperience making wrong choices and decisions. We could blame the entertainment culture currently sweeping the nation. We could write long and boring statements regarding how such actions could cause as much discussion as this one has brought out. The simple matter is that we are living in a culture that has lost respect. There is total loss of respect for oneself when a person will display their body in such a way as Miley Cyrus. There is evidence of the fullness of the cultural shift that has occurred when we see women and their body parts held up as objects to be lusted after rather than seeing a person that is due respect and is to be treated correctly. There is something about the rebellious nature of a generation drawn to belittling the female body that is put on display or is placed on exhibition such as took place in the performance by young Miss Cyrus. The excuse of only trying to reach an audience with shocking behavior does not fully explain why any person would feel they should perform in such a way as was seen on the stage of the video music awards. The question that arises is: “What can be done to reclaim respect in a culture that seems to have lost respect?” There is no easy answer to that question. There is no simple way to turn the tide of cultural misbehavior without taking on the entire issue of what is considered to be correct behavior. When a nation has turned, as this nation has, away from generally agreed to rules of personal conduct, one must come to understand this change did not happen overnight, and the correction to the path we are on will not happen quickly. To restore respect for right behavior and to elevate, once again, personal respect and value will take another cultural shift. The way of thinking that has found us in this condition did not happen quickly. To turn the culture back to restoring personal respect and seeing people for their real value and worth will take more than a generation. The change back to having respect for other people must begin with personal respect. When a person is respected they learn to respect others and to reward correct behavior rather than to indulge and reward misbehavior. When misbehavior is held up as the action to indulge and to allow, then the result will always be the type of scandalous behavior that was seen being carried out by Miley Cyrus. When misbehavior is the goal and the action that is rewarded, then we can expect that the misbehavior becomes the norm. We might have reached a point of no return to where we find that the new normal in behavior is to demonstrate total lack of personal and corporate respect. Ray Newman This column appeared first in The Barrow County News, Winder GA September 4, 2013