Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

GARBAGE

Garbage in, garbage out, is the old saying now commonly applied to computerised databases – that what you get out at the other end depends on the quality of information put in.

It is the same with people. We are incredibly influenced by what we allow to enter our minds. As a teenager I used to like the 1980s poet/singer Leonard Cohen, and recently bought myself a CD to listen to him driving around in my car. But after a while his dark lyrics were beginning to get me down and affect my usually sunny personality! I now ration myself and make sure that I supplement my diet with plenty of uplifting music!

This week the media is full of yet another story of a brave man stabbed to death outside his house after tackling a gang of youths. Anti-social behaviour and violence by young people is a real menace. But consider for a moment what daily diet of cultural influences many young people receive today in this no-holds-barred world. Violent DVD games, cynical and trivial TV programmes, aggressive music, a never ending wave of rubbish filling their minds. The prevailing message is to get wasted and have a good time. Alcohol and drug addiction continue to soar. Garbage in. Is it any wonder that we are getting garbage out?

The Home Affairs Select Committee on which I sit recently looked at why young black men are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. Naturally there are complex causes, but several witnesses spoke about the destructive influence of rap music filling these minds with hateful lyrics. It is the same for all ethnicities and cultures; you will get out what you put in.

We are in danger of breeding a generation of whom a significant minority have no respect for anybody else, are cynical, hopeless and aggressive.

There have always been seditious influences in our society and sometimes governments ban them or regulate access to them. The major difference today is the Internet. Everything is within reach of today’s youngsters, without limit or censor and at an increasingly young age. This has never happened before in history. Who now can regulate what influences are brought to bear on this next generation?

As ever, the burden must fall on parents and schools, but their job is getting harder by the year the garbage piles up waiting to be downloaded at the click of a button. What do you think?

posted by Nigel on Tuesday, August 21, 2007