Immorality Among Many - Who Caused What?

It is very unfortunate that the so called musicians, movie actors and actresses that we accord them as stars are nothing but mere perpetuators of moral decadence and promoters of socially misfit activities. The situation is very alarming as the very media which are to condemn and correct these moral deficiencies are the very people who give standing ovation to these so called stars. These stars and the media have become inseparable and the media explicitly use their products to make their business booming knowing very well the consequences. What is particularly lamentable is how these stars have taken the advantages of the current platform to merchandized and perpetuate their morally degrading activities. The West of which we claim to copy and often blamed, at the same time, for our woes, probably would have regretted for not correcting their mistakes which has now become a millstone around their neck. This we know very well but despite this we have given no apparent attention to the thought of what the future hold for the unborn generation. Our movies and songs are becoming full of immoral showbiz and yet we prosecute rapists and other social defiant forgetting their activities are fueled by the inspiration they get from their mentors, the so called stars. We seem to be getting unconcerned and do not even make any slight attempt to question the course of our time.

Immoral lyrics and pornography which was abhorred in our society once, is now gaining firm root in our cultural dispensation. These two have formed the main basis for all immoral lifestyle among the youth. The question is who caused what? It indeed pathetic! The future results of these moral defaults are predictable as the moral attitudes of the youth stand questionable. What best are doing to arrest the situation before it becomes a plague?

The activities of these celebrities or stars carry so strong a force that they are penetrating the granite barriers of Christian righteousness. The Muslim counterpart cannot hold the front line as the youth see no wrong with embracing a new found life. The traditional norms and values simply have been relegated to the background since they do not hold water anymore in the midst of all these immoral lifestyles. Religious leaders are indeed groveling with the situation as anything displayed or sang by these celebrities or stars are carried into their domain for exhibition. The fear of losing the trust of their members has kept many of these leaders mute and unconcerned.

Necessity is virtually laid on all of us to make sure we do not hail any individual behaviour or lifestyle when it is accompanied with moral shortfalls. Religious leaders should stand on their grounds and wage a moral war vehemently against any moral defaulter who calls himself or herself a star or celebrity. This point to the fact that moral degrading behaviour among many is as a result of the negative influences the so called stars' movies and songs have on them. What have these people done that they should be celebrated? Let us be serious and face the realities of the situation and of our time before the unexpected hit and confront the future generation.

Isaac Ofori (BA Geography and Resource Development, Legon) Isaacofori2000@yahoo.com