SEA OF FILTH

ANYONE CAN SEE AND SAY (LIKE PEGGY NOONAN) THAT OUR YOUTH ARE "SWIMMING IN A SEA OF FILTH," BUT ONLY A BRAVE PERSON CAN ADD THAT PARENTS ALLOW THEM TO GO INTO THE WATER. WHEN I HEARD MITT ROMNEY, A REPUBLICAN RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN '08, SAY THAT "HOLLYWOOD CREATES GREAT PRODUCTS," PEGGY’S SENTIMENT FLOATED BACK INTO MY MIND. NO, HOLLYWOOD DOES NOT CREATE GREAT PRODUCTS - ANYMORE. ITS CREATIONS, CHARACTERS, ACTORS AND ACTRESSES ARE AWASH IN WISHY WASHY MORALITY AND PROJECT A DOWNRIGHT LIBERTINE PROPAGANDA. ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN HYPOCRISY RULED THE WAVES, SOCIETY AND HOLLYWOOD MAINTAINED THE VENEER OF DECENCY IN SPITE OF THE SINS AND OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIORS OF GLAMOROUS AND POPULAR STARS. A VEIL OF CENSORSHIP AND A SENSE OF SHAME PROTECTED US. NOT TODAY. DIRTY FLOTSAM AND JETSAM SPARKLE AND SHINE AS THEY FLOAT ON THE WAVES OF THE MASS MEDIA. THIS TIDE OF NON-JUDGMENTALISM HAS BEEN RISING GRADUALLY SINCE THE 60'S. PARENTS FIRST WERE RESPONSIBLE. THEN CHILDREN FLOUNDERED, FOUNDERED AND DROWNED STRUGGLING TO STAY AFLOAT IN FILTHY WATERS.

THE LAST FILM SEEN BY MY FAMILY - CHEAP AT A LOCAL CINEMA - WAS GREMLINS. HOW WAS I TO KNOW THAT WHEN THE GREMLINS FIGURATIVELY LANDED ON CELLULOID, THEY LITERALLY LANDED IN AMERICA TO REEK HAVOC ON OUR SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG.