2 of 2

What can we do? Start by monitoring what your kids watch on TV; you may end up tossing the TV into the trash. Extreme, yes, but better than giving the merchants of cool a free run at our kids. Second, insist on family time. I know one family, devout Christians, who have meals together no matter what teenage activity is sacrificed. Third, keep hammering away at those who market tawdry values to our kids. Remember what happened after Columbine? The WB TV network immediately yanked—temporarily, at least—an episode of a show that involved school violence.

There's nothing inevitable about our parallel teen culture. If merchants shape our kids' beliefs and values, it is because we let them. Unless we do more to keep them in our universe, the merchants of cool will sell our kids more than just hip clothing and hairstyles. They'll be marketing a vision that leads to savagery, promiscuity, and death.

Copyright © 2001 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Colson twice linked school violence and marketing to teens in his Breakpoint radio program, "A World of Their Own | Santee & The Autonomous Teen" (Mar. 14, 2001) and "Mooks & Midriffs | Bypassing Parental Authority" (Mar. 15, 2001). He likely got much of his information from staff member Roberto Rivera, who wrote a March 6 column, "Bullets and the Pursuit of Cool | The Santana shooting reveals the real cycle of violence in our culture," for Colson's Web site.

Megan Rosenfeld review of "Merchants of Cool" for The Washington Post was quoted on Colson's Breakpoint site as one of his sources.

Charles Colson's columns for Christianity Today are available at our site, including:

Slouching into Sloth | The XFL is but the latest sign of the coarsening of our culture. (Apr. 17, 2001)

Checks and (out of) Balance | Moral truth is in jeopardy when the courts enter the business of making law. (Feb. 27, 2001)

Pander Politics | Poll-driven elections turn voters into self-seeking consumers.(Jan. 3, 2001)

Neighborhood Outpost | Changing a culture takes more than politics. (Nov.8, 2000)

MAD No More | In this post-Cold War era, it's time to rethink our nation's defensive strategy. (Sept. 27, 2000)

Salad-Bar Christianity | Too many believers pick and choose their own truths. (Aug. 8, 2000)

A Healthy 'Cult' | A lively response by one unusual audience shows how God's power transforms culture. (June 12, 2000)

The Court's In Session | Are Christians ready to make their case? (April 25, 2000)

The Ugly Side of Tolerance | How to be offensive without really trying. (March 2, 2000)

Beating the Odds | Christians in two states defeat gambling by exposing its harmful effects on the poor. (Jan. 4, 2000)

Scout's Dishonor | The judge told the Scouts just what their oath meant—and didn't mean. (Nov. 15, 1999)

What Are We Doing Here? | (Oct. 4, 1999)

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

June 11 2001, Vol. 45, No. 8