Modern American culture should not trash tradition

Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the U.S. has been the undisputed leader of the world. Even with the recent economic downturn, America boasts the world’s highest GDP. America has won more than two times as many Nobel Prizes as any other country; each year since 2000, at least one economics prize was received by an American.

Despite these rosy factoids, the U.S. is travelling the road of decline. For economists, this is nothing new; the International Monetary Fund surmises that China’s economy could overtake America’s in just five short years. An inferior economy, however, will not invariably spell doom for the world’s leading nation. As long as the United States preserves cultural and ideological superiority, other countries will continue to look to America for help.

Unfortunately, our cultural integrity seems to be eroding as well.

The daily lifestyle of Americans presents startling insight. Statistics taken in 2007 by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development revealed that the average American household watched over eight hours of television per day, placing the United States in first place. Greece, our most threatening contender, competed with barely over four hours.

In terms of high school students, the average American teenager between 15 and 19 spends well over two hours a day viewing television; reading for leisure, on the other hand, claims less than eight minutes, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Evidently, the American education system leaves something to be desired. Politicians, attempting to increase funding for public schools, fail to recognize that national mediocrity in test scores actually stems from the loss of basic work ethic among students.

In a paper published in “The Boston Globe,” a rhetoric and history professor from Babson College noted, “My ‘C,’ ‘D’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have—despite language barriers—generally written solid papers and become valuable class participants.”

In their comments, other professors agreed that American students suffered from a lack of both self-discipline and motivation. American students today tend to place the responsibility of education on their teachers; unprepared to work hard, students expect instructors to feed them knowledge.

Americans seem to have lost, as a whole, the spirit of diligence. In a nation that has historically taken pride in its “Puritan” work ethic, students’ lack of determination to excel in academics reflects unfortunate changes in our society.

American culture, too, has taken a blow. Not a single American has won the Nobel Prize in the literature category since 1993. Instead of venerating authors, songwriters and artists who have gained experience and wisdom through decades of introspection and contemplation, Americans now embrace a new sort of individualism: extreme iconoclasm.

Modern society values pop culture icons who emphasize inborn talent and “just being who you are,” instead of hard work, dedication and artistic refinement. Many songs by popular artists, like Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” highlight the importance of self-love and self-acceptance.

Indeed, these qualities are important, but in excess they discourage American teenagers from scrutinizing their flaws. Similarly, individualism is not wrong, but with too much, society cannot preserve respectable, time-tested institutions and principles, such as the traditional work ethic.

In addition, this overblown and dangerous individualism undermines basic societal decency and respectability. A nation with stricter cultural standards would probably not have appreciated Lady Gaga’s meat dress. Societal pressure, though often viewed as oppressive and undesirable, does serve to remind citizens of society’s values.

China takes cultural integrity one step further by employing a Ministry of Culture, which recently banned six of Lady Gaga’s songs. Although such measures do promote tradition, they are a step too far; the government should not interfere with the people’s right to express themselves through art.

Nevertheless, America must address its gradual loss of principle and societal values. Pop culture reveals that American people endorse a dangerous level of self-satisfaction. With inadequate diligence, how will our work force compete in the future? Who will run the nation’s schools, businesses, law firms, and hospitals?

America does not need a Renaissance. It does not need to limit cultural progress. America only needs to stop believing that what is old is wrong; we must remember and retain the good qualities of times past. Today, as we create the tide of new culture, we must not throw away what we learned and built yesterday.