Whatever the human context an analyst may decipher, that context is not simple – if it is real and speaks to the needs of persons. We rightly concern ourselves with what is right for the individual (self), and for society (all other persons, among whom I am included). There are too many variables to permit simple responses. We are not helped in the long range of matters by those who oversimplify the human condition. Complexity plagues us and invites combinations of proposals and presuppositions for belief and actions, as well as conflicts with other beliefs and proposals in conflict with our preferences. The conflicts invite emotional responses that often have their own way, overpowering any considered treatment of the issues of life relating to policies, practices, changes, values, objectives, solutions, and the various subdivisions of those factors in building life for individuals and society. There is always some way to defend our views intellectually. Whatever the presuppositions a person or group of persons may hold, they can build a case for what they believe and do – if their conduct follows what they say they believe. There is common hypocrisy represented in the differences between claimed beliefs and conduct. For our discussion here we return to the media using the current accent in film and television to accent what may include a carnal culture of sexual dalliance, armed conflict, hatred, and the accents of negative human belief and conduct.
One analyst put the matter well in his article entitled: Sympathy for the Devil. The following are statements lifted from the article and its supporting references: “Breaking Bad’s” Walter White took TV drama to the dark side. How did he get so many viewers to follow him there? In a side bar the reviewer, Neil Justin, wrote: The seven deadly sins of Walter White. The antihero of Breaking Bad will never qualify for the priesthood due to these, um, minor indiscretions. Sl1 Sloth (White sleep-walks through his teaching assignment, distracted with regrets for the sale of his stock holdings.) Ev2 Envy (White permits his girl-friend to die from choking in the belief she is getting close to his business partner, Jesse) Gr3 Greed (White is so taken with the possibility of a dope deal worth more than a million dollars , he misses the birth of his daughter.) Lu4 Lust (White tries to make out with the assistant principal, and is suspended from his job, when he learns his wife has had an affair.) Pr5 Pride (White arranging the death of his wife’s friend, calls her and announces: I won.) Gl6 Gluttony (White goes on a reckless spending spree when his fortunes improve.) W7 Wrath (White shoots his on again/off again ally, Mike) At the end of the bar that takes a full column in the newspaper the final series of the program is noted to appear on Sunday evenings at 8:00 PM on the AMC stations. One is startled that such a program would appear at all, but on the Lord’s Day?
As another sidebar the writer gave a series of programs and decades for them he entitled: The De-Evolution of the TV Hero. The listing with the photos of the actors included: 1950s – Perry Mason getting the bad guys in the court rooms and never chasing after an ambulance. 1960s – James Kirk began to range somewhat and follow some ego trips. 1970s – Kojak goes after the bad guys, but is coy with “I love ya’ baby.” 1980s – J. R. Ewing was the guy you loved to hate – taken with greed and sin on the ranch. 1990s – Amanda Woodward showed that it was perilous to be late with the rent. 2000s – Tony Soprano woke up to the power of the gun and thugs, with negative attitudes toward everybody. In Breaking Bad, in 2013-14, the final year of the series, we learn how Mr. Chips, a beloved teacher, is turned into Scarface, a criminal. The issues related to the above in the education, psychology, perceptions, emotions, values, and other factors that form our lives are affected by the quality and packaging of thought and conduct that impress our senses. The nature of education as an inevitable thing that happens to us through experience can’t be avoided – not be denied if we understand what the context of human life is all about. It is impossible for me to be a devotee of any program without learning from it, either constructively or destructively. To argue that freedom of communication permits anything that communicates something, perhaps entertainment only even if the entertainment is not orderly for all persons, is an argument from simplicity that does not hold up in the human context. Context demands good taste, some idealism for meaning, and clarity about affirmative values. Under God freedom is for improvement. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020