The Affects of the Media

In church the Youth Group is doing a month-long study on the effects of the media on our culture and therefore our faith. We're just not talking about the news media but movies, songs and entertainment in general. We've come a long way since the images of "Leave It To Beaver" and the "Andy Griffith Show"!

It's so hard to convince a generation of children, who don't have a clue what it is to live without all our electronic conveniences, that they don't need the media to survive. I was amazed that practically every child has their own cellular phone, iPod and access to the internet for their "MySpace" page. They rent their own movies and know all the radio stations by heart. They are a media-driven generation. They have no reason to doubt what the television says. And they have no motivation to turn the radio off and go smell the roses. They have been immersed in an unrealistic culture.

So, with this tarnished attitude I've been over-analyzing the local radio and television stations. Thanks to the wonder of the DVR, we skip past 99% of all commercials on the television. We don't listen to secular radio so I don't expect to hear anything immoral or unGodly on a contemporary Christian radio channel. But, to my amazement, I did hear something totally unrealistic and what I believe is financially immoral.

You've heard them too. They're everywhere and on every television channel as well. Advertisements for home loans, refinance packages, credit score readjustments, home-equity loans and even for a new car. The difference is they have the same tone, "Maybe your credit isn't perfect...", "We can help you repair your credit...", "Don't be caught in an ugly truck", "You deserve the house you thought you buy for another 7 years", etc..

Over and over the message is "You deserve what everyone else has, even though you don't have enough money (or credit) to get it." As a matter of fact, I think they're specifically targeting people with poor credit. You don't hear anything about the great car, only that you don't need to be seen in an ugly car. You don't hear anything about adjustable-rate-mortgages or sub-prime loans that lead to unrealistic budgets and foreclosure.

We're all being set up by investors to buy the things we can't afford and haven't earned and sometime don't need. And the result is disaster. Not only are we being brain-washed into a sense of entitlement but we're all being set up to ultimately fail at one of the biggest financial commitments we'll ever make...the purchase of a car or our home.

I've always thought I was good at screening our television and radio exposure to our children. But, the subtlety of advertisements had gone unnoticed. I don't want them growing up and thinking that their credit is meaningless because it can be "fixed" with a simple phone call. I don't want them assuming they'll never drive an older model vehicle. Reality is tough enough but it's worse when you're not prepared.

Remember to find your value in reality and the one truth, Jesus Christ. Don't be brainwashed by catchy phrases and media chatter that make you feel less than who you were created to be. Set goals for yourself and watch them come about in their time. Enjoy the peace and pride of living within your means. And turn that television off and go smell the roses!

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