People don't believe it because of what they on television, in the movies and on the news.

I meant to say what they see. Sorry!

Good news just doesn't get much attention from a press that will have nothing to write about unless the sh-- hits the fan every day. You have to be one of those dateless wonders who reads policy journals and nonprofit newsletters to know about these positive trends. Another trend that I think is positive: More TV shows that feature families than 10 years ago (I'm guessing). Remember when "Friends" spawned a host of shows about childless singles enjoying their shallow lives? "Coupling" went nowhere in America, and aside from all the reality shows, Fox probably has more family-centric fare than any other network ("Simpsons," "Malcolm," "Arrested," "King," etc.).

"Why is that, do you suppose?"

Same reason why people think that the state of the economy is worsening.

Because it's NOT TRUE! And it's ALL BUSH'S FAULT!

I think that encapsulates one of the reasons for the general ignorance.

The other is just that people don't read as much as they use to.

So unless Dan, Tom or Peter say so, it never happened.

Unfortunately, D, T & P subscribe to the first sentiment.

I think you're right, Greg. I don't really watch a lot of serial programming, but I have noticed a lot more religious shows. "Touched by an Angel" was the first, but there are quite a few spiritually-related shows out there, "Joan of Arcadia" being possibly the best and most recent. Even last night on "Touching Evil" (I only watch USA) the main character, who isn't religous, read someone the riot act for giving her church the boot over a silly thing. And portrayed the priest as a wise and down-to-earth guy instead of a slick, cynical childsnatcher a la "Thorn Birds". I only get basic cable, but on it is Pax, the Mormon channel and the Catholic channel. Discovery and History channels are loaded with "historical" Bible archeology-type stuff, and during Christmas and Easter all the channels get in to the act. And, of course, we don't even need to mention The Passion.

Maybe this is why the separation-of-church-and-state activists are so rabid- are they losing the hearts and minds of the population?

I also think I've read data that the younger generation is, in many ways, more conservative than their elders. Have they learned from our mistakes?

What everyone else said. Most people's assessment of the rest of American culture is based on what they see on television and through other media. That makes the country look like an undifferentiated soap opera. But you know how people consistently say that the public school system is going to pot but that their neighborhood school is fine? I wonder whether most people are similarly convinced that their own communities are basically upright and it's just everywhere else that's overrun by sin.

BTW, Greg, I know that your assessment of Friends is a common one, and I often just didn't think it was all that funny. But (maybe being squarely in its target audience, I'm more likely to see it this way) one of the central jokes of the show was that all these people with screwed-up families wanted to marry and settle down but had no way of knowing how to do it. I don't know that the topic was addressed realistically, but it was a running theme.

I think it might actually be a part of our lack of civility and good manners...morally, we've actually got a pretty honest government (in spite of what some might believe, ours is relatively graft free...our pols are quite as directly for sale as most countries are, and our bureaucrats actually do make a stab at honestly administering their responsibilities); our people are pretty honest - our stores sell well-labelled goods and honor their warranties, our judges are nearly uniformly unpurchasable and a corrupted jury is exceptionally rare. Heck, even our organized crime gangs stick to some basic rules.

But we are exceptionally un-mannered, as a people, and this, I believe, leads many to think we're immoral. What Janet Jackson did wasn't so much immoral, as rude - we really didn't want to have her tit flashed at the Superbowl, thanks very much. We don't want potty-mouthed kids getting smart-assed with adults. We don't like loud, brash, pushy people demanding stuff they haven't earned.

Manners, thats what we need.

"Divorce is declining
Single motherhood is declining
Abortion is declining
Drug use is down
Alcoholism is down
Tobacco use is down
Violent crime is down
Nonviolent crime is down"

Could you give me your source on this? I'd love to be able to show this to my pastor the next time he talks about how America's morals are going down the tubes. :-)

"Divorce is declining
Single motherhood is declining
Abortion is declining
Drug use is down
Alcoholism is down
Tobacco use is down
Violent crime is down
Nonviolent crime is down"

I blame the homos.

Dean,

I recall seeing numbers on drug and tobacco use, and violent crime. Do you have sources for some of the others?

And before you pop a rivet, we aren't questioning you; like Blog Jones says, it's nice to have that kind of ammo to hand one's self. :)

Maybe you should put up a "useful links" page or something.

BTW, some of those numbers aren't related to a better or worse society, but demographics. For example, there are fewer 20-year olds than there were (say) 30 years ago, so it is not surprising that violent crime is down.

I don't pop rivets when people ask me for sources. I pop rivets when they cast aspersions at my character while doing so. ;-)

There are a number of sources on all of the above, but the best overall summation is probably The Progress Paradox: How Lifge Gets Better While People Feel Worse. He notes, in copious detail and with extensive references, how so much of what people believe is happening is just plain wrong.

It's similar to the way most people are convinced that the environment is deteriorating even as it has been steadily improving throughout the last 100 years.

I think it has more to do with the fact that, as the pro-immorality culture feels more threatened, they react with an even more vulgar and outrageous media response. The battles become even more frenzied as the leadership senses that they are losing (which I believe that they are).

Look to the culture indicators - TV, music, fashion - yes, fashion. I work in schools, and have noticed that the available fashions for young women are truly out there - skirts barely covering the feminine essentials, coupled with (what an image) a waistline that grazes the bikini line in front, and the crack in back. My own adolesence was in the late 60s, and I am absolutely speechless at the immodestly of the dress. And the stupidity of the parents who allow it.

Some of these girls are out-Hiltoning Paris Hilton, if you can picture that. And that would be my definition of way too much skin, when you make Paris Hilton look modest.

Parents, wake up - the way girls dress is how they will be treated. Look like a slut, you won't be seen as a potential rocket scientist.

Well, the stats may be looking better, but Britney Spears has been trending the other way, and we all know who gets more attention.

"I blame the homos."

Exactly. With more gays coming out these days, how can divorce increase when they weren't even allowed to marry until recently in Massachusetts.

Linda, you'll be very happy to know that the fashion moguls have decided that low rise pants, high-cut shorts and showing underwear is definitely out. Demure is in. It will take a bit to filter down to the masses, though.

I knew we'd hit bottom when Abercrombie came out with a line of little girls' undies that said "Eye Candy" and "Hottie" across the rear. Those were rapidly yanked, but I'll still never buy anything from them again.

The economist Levitt, like WSJ on-line, blames ... the Roe effect. Those abortions aborted, on average, folks who, through genes or environemnt, would have been MORE likely to do the bad stuff.
Including voting Democrat.

18 years after the Roe "Abortion amendment", there's fewer of "them" as young adults.
About 40 million fewer.

Violent crimes may be down, but if you look at the murder rate, which is one of the violent crimes, it is actually up according to this FBI report.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5051716/

When I was in college, I worked in guest relations at a large S. Cal. amusement park. Every day, at least a dozen people (sometimes many more) would lose their wallet, car keys, expensive Rolex, etc.

They would come to the lost and found in hysterics. I would tell them that there was a 99% chance that their item would be turned in by the end of the day. They would never believe me.

But by the end of the day, almost every item would be turned in by either another guest or a park employee. The people who lost the item would always be shocked that someone was honest enough to return a lost item -- especially in "evil" crime ridden So. California.

What I learned from this is that people are basically honest. They are just like you and me and will do whatever they can to return a lost wallet and other valuables. I also learned that people don't have much faith in their fellow man. They assume the worst in everyone.

It didn't matter what "type" of person found the item either. I often saw wallets turned in by teenagers and inner-city types who many people would assume would take the money and run.

Maybe things have changed in the 25 years since I worked there, but I am willing to bet that people still turn most of the lost items in to lost and found.