Sorry, but I can't resist adding just one more cool thing I'd forgotten from Frederica Mathewes-Green (scroll down). I love how she is able to put a hopeful and realistic frame on the subtle observation that we're in the midst of a cultural dark ages. Speaking of the WWII generation's efforts to insulate their kids from adulthood, she observes that the internet and cable tv have made that impossible. The silver lining is that there's now less of a generation gap --everyone is watching and listening to the same stuff, but. . .
Less silvery is the fact that so much of this material is coarse and obscene, with even children's entertainment littered with potty jokes. There doesn't seem to be a way to stop this, but if it's any comfort to you, it was probably the same in the time of Chaucer. Once again, as through most of human history, we're not able to protect children's "innocence" about the facts of adult life. We'll have to figure out how to equip children to deal with these facts, as previous generations did. That will require parents to be more directive, more authoritative and "parental" than Boomers have ever felt comfortable being.
