It seems that only a few years ago television brought Ozzie and Harriet Nelson into our homes each week. Then again, the current popularity of the MTV show, "The Osbournes," makes it seem like an eternity ago. Outside of similar sounding first names, there is nothing similar between the two principal characters. Neither is there anything similar between the two cultures they represent.
"Ozzie and Harriet" represented traditional America. The family had disagreements but never cursed or used foul language. The father was humorous but never irreverent. The wife was strong but always ladylike. The boys were mischievous but never sinful.
Families could watch an entire season of "Ozzie and Harriet" without ever having their morals attacked or their piety insulted. In fact, fundamental virtues such as honesty, morality, and integrity were integral themes of the show. The show was not the only thing pictured in black and white - so was right and wrong.
However, today's Ozzy knows no such decorum. The Osbournes are crude, vulgar, and profane. Four letter words flow from their mouths faster than water falls over Niagara. That they could even be allowed on television speaks to the debauchery of today's society. That they have become the biggest hit show in MTV's history (even President Bush is said to be "a big fan") means the culture has thoroughly collapsed.
One family therapist explained the show's success saying, "There's a domineering mother and a feeble father, something that's common to many families." She also said, "In some ways, they live a very normal life in this upper-middle-class environment, mixed with a really strange mentality and dysfunction." In other words, people like the Osbournes because they are mixed up and dysfunctional also. If that isn't a commentary on where we are as a culture, I don't know what is!
Then again, is everyone watching MTV? Are the Osbournes truly reflective of our culture? The change agents, who desire to turn America into a place Lucifer himself would enjoy visiting during winter vacations, say, "Yes." Of course, those same people would deny that the Nelsons ever reflected American society. (It's not clear how they can have it both ways.)
Obviously, millions of people in this country today have never heard of "Ozzie and Harriet" and, therefore, have never experienced life in traditional America. Furthermore, the Osbournes and MTV are helping to make sure they never will.
© Chuck Baldwin
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