Morally Accountable
What does the term moral even mean? Well, in its simplest term it means concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior. However, to put it in a different perspective that will shed light on an important aspect: concerned with or derived from the code of behavior that is considered right or acceptable in a particular society. You see, what is considered moral varies according to culture and nation, so that always has to be taken into consideration when thinking about it. When talking about America and its moral values, we have to focus on ethics. Ethics are the moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior. It is a vital aspect of every nation and culture. For America, it is an extremely complicated concept because America has so many cultures built into it. To help define the ethical values of America as a whole, a person would have to look at the constitution, bill of rights, and the laws of the land. Within these you find different ethical values that help shape the ethical foundation (therefore moral foundation, therefore accountability foundation) of the nation. However, these ethics don’t fully encompass the ethical values of the country, because to do that a person would have to look at each individual household in the country (which we are not going to do).
Stating this begs a point; ethics begins and ends with the household. Parents passing them down to their children. A parent teaches their child about religion, right and wrong, and culture. In this teaching a parent passes on ethical values that will follow the child for the rest of their lives.
Now, with this said a point is screaming to be made, religion. Ethics is a branch of philosophy, so from this very point it is obvious how steeped it is in religion. Religion plays a large role in shaping a person’s perspective and therefore moral correctness. Think of it as a type of lens that a person looks through at life, their culture, and this world. Gaining vital knowledge of the situation of which they find themselves living at that moment in time and how they morally judge it. This judgment will steer their ethical values in one direction or the other. So with this said, a person looks at the founding of America and its early years. The large majority of the immigrants to America at the time of the founding were Christian. With them came Christian ethical values. These ethics would play a vital role in the building of the ethical foundation of the country and its future. Of course, the founding fathers made sure there was a separation of church and state due to the corrupt religious-political climate that they were fleeing from. However, even they wouldn’t deny the overwhelmingly strong Christian ethical values that were built into the young countries foundation and future. Anyone who says different is ignoring the inherent rule of ethics that it is passed down from parent to children and the majority of America at the time was overwhelmingly Christian.
This brings us to yet another point, people are not just taught ethical values by their parents. A culture and school play their own respective parts. Of course, these influences don’t have as much power as a family influence, but the amount of power shouldn’t be underestimated. Many people change their minds on certain ethical values or switch their point of view slightly from being taught different values in school or by their respective culture. This isn’t a bad thing per-se, but complicates matters a great deal. It would be easier if we can take a consensus of households and their ethical values, then tally them up for a good view of where America is at and where to expect it to go. However, thanks to America’s education system being so focused on the well-rounded individual and public school system, this type of tally would be fragmentary at best. Which leaves us one more alternative, compare the agreed upon ethical values of one span of time and compare it to another. This system works just fine, but isn’t as information bearing as a current consensus of ethical values (even with the fragmentation); especially with the understanding of how susceptible America is, ethically wise, of migrants.
The ethics foundation of America, spanning through time, has changed dramatically. The “old-school” beliefs are being dropped on the way side for the progressive movements of the nation. The progressive movement, dating back to early 1900’s, brought a sweeping change to the nation. People had believed that the government, both federally and statewide, were ethically sound. Doing the people’s bidding and doing it well. However, muckrakers (or reform-minded American journalists who attacked established institutions and leaders as corrupt) stepped in and changed that whole point of view. People starting believing in the modernization of America, where science and technology were the solution to all their problems and hardships. To put it simply, the progressive movement included a favorable attitude toward urban-industrial society, the belief in mankind’s ability to improve the environment and conditions of life, the belief in an obligation to intervene in economic and social affairs of the country, and a belief in the ability of experts and in the government’s ability to intervene. These beliefs spread across the country and through this ethical values started to shift. America started to focus more on the urbanization and industrialization of its major cities and their surrounding areas. They changed their education system to make sure no kid was left behind and to ensure all kids got a proper education. The government started to step into the economic and social affairs of the country. Surely, it was a new era for the country and with it, came ethical (and therefore moral) changes. However, this didn’t come without its faults and the damage that it has caused may far outweigh its benefits. The founding fathers and first immigrants to America wouldn’t recognize the nation at it stands now. Not technologically wise, that is not the point and is obvious. They wouldn’t recognize the ethical foundation of America. Yes, the ethical changes would mean a change in the nation as a whole and to follow the rules of democracy, the nation would then have to change. That is also beside the point. America has set a course for itself based off the ethics and moral foundation of the country and this direction doesn’t look bright. Okay, how?
Ethics are important for any country. That is already established. However, ethics without morality is nothing. The shift in an ethical foundation of a nation means a shift in its moral values. Moral values are the backbone of a society and to shift them can make or break a nation. I don’t just mean economically, because the change can help economically speaking, but socially. There was a great ethical and therefore moral change with the ending of slavery in America and Women Suffrage. Those were great. However, the ethical change of allowing the government to intervene in every step of a person’s life, that can be brought into question. The ethical change of expecting for all kids to attend a public school and to shape a child into what the government sees fit, can also be brought into question. The ethical change of the forced separation of school and religion, public and religion, and self-conscience and religion. These can all be brought into question. However, the ethical foundation of America today has shifted to these views. Why? Because of a mentality change.
Morality is ruled by laws and the home. The difference between right and wrong. Mentally, Americans have shifted their mentality to believe that all these things mentioned before are okay. This is thanks, in no small way, to the mass media that we find today. Again, the progressive movement that believes technology is the answer to all things. Mass media is a poster child of this way of thinking. The hyper teaching of all of America is their specialty. The mass media is ruled by people who only care about themselves and their own moral compass. They force their own moral views into the homes of America and somehow the parents of these homes are not morally accountable enough to turn it off. Americans have lost the concept of moral accountability. Somehow, Americans believe that it is the government’s job to keep businesses and people in power morally accountable. That is not true. It is the people’s job to keep those types of people out of power and to keep them in check. Politicians have become famous for their lies. People who hold the “old-school” ethical values are being unduly persecuted for their beliefs. Parents who don’t home school or don’t choose a private school that they agree with are being forced to put their kids in a public school and upon doing so are losing their right to raise their child as they see fit. Why? The ethical foundation change. These things, however, are not unethical. So how is this damaging the country? Because of the precedence.
When a nation is okay with corrupt officials running the country. When a nation downgrades parents to nothing but money providers and takes it into their own hands to ensure kids are raised right. When a nation is okay with a group of people being persecuted for their own self-conscious and beliefs. That nation is on the road to being okay with many other things. It will be a nation for the elite and no one else. It will be a nation of nothing more than robots who would be happy to do the elitist wishes. To put it simply, it will be a nation of only elitists and followers. There will be no room for anyone else. A nation is supposed to be a place for all people to live equally. Where they can make their own decisions for their own well being without being wrongfully persecuted. This is why America was ever founded. To get away from a country exactly like that. However, America has set a precedence that is headed to exactly that. So would the founding fathers be happy with the current ethical foundation and direction of this country? Absolutely not. However, that is hearsay to say the least. So let us shift.
Moral values exist to keep a people in check. Once you start losing those, it is only a matter of time before the people are no longer in check. When a people are no longer in check, madness breaks out. The moral values of America used to be a lot broader and a lot more specific than what we find today. It was the people raised in a society with clear and broad moral values that built the great nation of America and who led it to the superpower status of which it is today. However, progressivism brought a shift. Moral values fell to the wayside for the independent thinker. Families moved into the hustle and bustle of America’s cities and the proper training of moral values also fell to the wayside. Kids started to be taught that they are their own person and didn’t have to think that much of what their parents said and taught, but of what their friends said, the media said, and what their schools said. Teenagers were being taught that 18 was just around the corner. Forget about your family and think about college, getting a degree, and making a lot of money. Upon graduating they were being taught to find a job, play a lot, and enjoy life. No need to worry about a family that is such a burden. All these things have corrupted the American society to a point of un-justification. All these things fight one thing. Just one. The moral values of the country. The older generations of America need to start taking the problems that exist and the fight against morality into their own hands. They need to take moral accountability. If they don’t, I am afraid that America will be lost for generations. One of the greatest dangers of any democracy is the madness of the majority, and the majority of America today is throwing moral values on the wayside for what they see is a simpler and better life, but what is in reality a killing blow. A society of followers who believe they are individually the best. Who can hide their real selves behind social buffers. Who can’t take care of themselves. Who rely on the government. Who don’t believe in the power of individual families. Who don’t respect the God given duty of parents raising their own children as they see fit. Who only care about money. Who only care about themselves. This society is no longer a democracy at all, but a hypocritical nation of people that is a bane.
