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Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellow****p President Mark
Earley.<br><br>
By now, we have all seen the footage from the near-riot that broke out
at a recent game between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers in
the NBA.<br><br>
There have been plenty of attempts to figure out what conclusions, if
any, we should draw from what happened.<br><br>
Some s****tswriters, like Tony Kornheiser of the Wa****ngton Post, insist
that it was an isolated incident. Others, like Bryan Burwell of the St.
LouisPost-Dispatch, see what happened as a consequence of cultural
trends within the NBA, such as younger, less-mature players and the
NBA's uncritical embrace of hip-hop culture. <br><br>
While I tend to agree with Burwell, I think that there are other, more
widespread and troubling, cultural trends that contributed to what
happened on November 19. <br><br>
In our ministry here at Prison Fellow****p, we see the results every day
in the constant filling up of our prisons. One trend is the coarseness
and incivility that has permeated American culture. Friends of mine tell
me that they dread taking their kids to professional s****ting events.
<br><br>
The combination of profanity, drunkenness, and boorish behavior on the
part of fans makes us all uncomfortable and, worse, sets a bad example
for any child.<br><br>
Ten years ago unruly "fans" would have been asked to shut up or
leave=97now it's those who want to enjoy the game in peace who are faced
with that choice. And this problem isn't limited to professional s****ts.
<br><br>
A re****ter for USA Today wrote about a fight that broke out at a co-ed
slow-pitch softball game he attended. It's as if the entire country has,
as we say in Virginia, forgotten its manners. <br><br>
This coarseness and incivility is fueled by a belief that
self-expression is always good and inhibition of any kind is always bad.
The past few decades have seen the triumph of what author Rochelle
Gurstein called "the party of exposure."<br><br>
This "party" turned ideas such as manners, propriety, and decorum into
synonyms for repression. It convinced our culture that, as Robert Bork
ironically put it, "Let all be told, let all be shown, and we will be a
society of well-balanced individuals."<br><br>
Of course, no such thing happened. A culture that has renounced inner
restraints only has the cudgel of law to keep people from acting on
their own worst impulses. If shame isn't enough to keep you from making
a drunken spectacle of yourself, then the sight of a "rent-a-cop" isn't
going to stop you from throwing your beer on the court=97or charging
into the stands swinging, only to go on talk shows the next morning to
promote your new CD.
<br><br>What makes this even worse is that athletes are, in many
instances, the closest things kids have to heroes. The NBA and its
advertisers have used this admiration to make our kids the biggest
market for NBA-licensed apparel and expensive shoes and soft drinks.
<br><br>
Whether they want to admit it or not, these guys are role models, and
they failed miserably that night.<br><br>
While thankfully events like the "brawl at the Palace" are the exception
to the rule, the beliefs that helped make it possible are not. <br><br>
We see the results every day in prisons all across America. And while
expulsions, suspensions, and even criminal prosecutions are in order,
these won't change what most needs changing: a culture that has
forgotten its manners. Only a good dose of repentance before a holy God
is the necessary medicine for this cultural sickness.
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