Running head: THE MORAL DECLINE IN AMERICA

The Moral Decline in America

Deron Luttrell
Sullivan University
Composition II
November 5, 2015

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Abstract
Dealing with the issue of the moral decline in society is quite a dilemma. Addressing the issue is
even tougher with society beginning to see it as normal, even if it is unhealthy. Not divorcing,
premarital sex, and following the rules are all part of being moral by the standards of a Boy
Scout.
Keywords: Morality, Conduct, Boy Scouts, Patriotism, Divorce, Premarital Sex

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The Moral Decline in America

The lack of proper moral instruction has led to many problems in America. The
questions have been asked, Who are you to judge me, or, By whose morals, but someone
asking such questions may be reflecting upon the wrong questions. Stronger questions those
people should be asking is, What is morality and possibly, In what country do I live.
Dictionary.com defines moral as, of, relating to, or concerned with the principles or rules of
right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical (moral, def. 1). Some citizens
of America are given moral values to live by most of their lives and for the good of the
community are to instill them into others. These citizens are known as the Boy Scouts of
America. Boy Scouts take an oath, part of it being to keep their morality training and to help
other people,
"On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout
Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and
morally straight" (Boyles, 2005, para. 1).
American Boy Scouts are trained to help people figure out the American standards of morality
through the precepts taught to them such as bravery. Bravery is a law to scouts (as scouts are
called), and even if scared to say what a Boy Scout believes is right, it is part of ones duty.
Going through Boy Scout training, and observing some school programs, sometimes it appears to
be two opposite ends of a spectrum. Instead of moral education in schools, people talking
usually leads to sex education and youths. It is not surprising to see such turpitude in young
people taking place in society, and it can be demonstrated anywhere from MTV to people dirty
dancing in night clubs as the younger generation gets older.
As degeneracy spreads, many ills have come to the United States. Divorce rates are
soaring at 40-50 percent, and although it may seem socially acceptable, as morality is on the
decline so is the country. Children grow up with single parent families because people have sex
out of wedlock, or maybe even lose their parents to a sexually transmitted disease. The who
cares attitude is leading to many folks not paying attention to the judgement of the ones who are
to teach American morals. Lack of morality is an outstanding problem today because without
these guidelines society is on a steady decline.
Accordingly, divorce rates are very high in the United States. It is easier for couples to
get a divorce today than it has ever been, and the country is suffering for it. Family collapse is
the root cause of a host of social problems, including poverty, crime, drug abuse, and academic
underachievement (Rector, 1996, para. 4). Children sit at home yearning to see their mother or
father, yet instead of nurturing the child, the parents fight each other in courtroom battles.
Having no way out of the marriage, couples only option would be compromising rather than
divorcing because of no alternatives. According to Kazdin, 90 percent of people marry by age
50 about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States divorce. The divorce rate for
subsequent marriages is even higher (as cited by the American Psychological Association,
Marriage and divorce, 2015, para. 1). The American legal system is bogged down with divorce
lawyers and child support cases. Tax payers actually have to pay for a special judge to sit over
spousal separation proceedings, but in reality, that court shouldnt exist.
Many channels could be tapped into to cure the high divorce rate. Along with sex
education in schools (or instead of), courses could be designed focusing on how to find the right

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partner and how to make better life decisions. A course designed in such a manner is not
unthinkable. Many intelligent and content couples could collaborate to write a book for a class.
At the same time, stiff penalties could be enacted by legislature to deter married couples from
separating. People should be forced to live with their decisions, but todays society doesnt seem
to believe so. Instead of living with their own unfortunate decisions, other people have to pay
for them, such as their children or even taxpayers. Harsh penalties for men and women could be
enacted for extramarital affairs. A $2,000 fine would definitely make him or her think again
about cheating on his or her spouse. The thought of paying for an action may keep a tempted
spouses eye on its own partner rather than the one across the street or the one of his or her
neighbor. Many countries around the world such as the Middle East and in Africa give the death
penalty if a spouse cheats on his or her partner, so it isnt unthinkable, no matter how insensitive
or politically incorrect as it may seem. In those places, it is entirely politically correct.
Likewise, children being born out of wedlock is a moral problem. Two peoples night in
a bar may turn into a lifetime of misery for a child after two immoral drunken degenerates have a
one night stand. The drunkards have sex without respect for a being they might accidentally
create. Children born out of wedlock are seven times more likely to be poor than children born
to couples who are married (Rector, 1996, para. 4). It isnt the childrens fault, but it is how
their lives tend to turn out. People can bury their heads in the sand about it and make up terms
such as insensitive, yet insults will never change the facts. Unmarried parents often have
fewer resources, and their children display inferior outcomes compared to those raised by two
married parents. (Lue, & Heiland, 2012, page 17). The facts from 1996 to today never change.
The real insensitive ones are the people who have children without planning on it, or the ones
with planned pregnancies but cant take care of the children. People in todays world are too
scared to speak the truth because it may hurt someones feelings; however, being sensitive to
others feelings isnt always the best for them. Children born out of wedlock are more likely to
wind up on welfare burdening the tax payers, and the lack of the single parents resources put the
child in a crummy position.
Many ways exist to cure unwedded sexual activities, but they havent been enacted into
law. Im optimistic they will be. Some women have children to get more welfare, so one could
theorize cutting back on welfare programs may make those people think twice about having
children. Another way to cure premarital sex would be to have fewer abortion clinics with
stricter guidelines for abortions by restricting abortions to rape victims. If abortions were
restricted, people would surely take fewer risks in their sex lives. The lack of clinics would force
them into back alley abortions which can be more dangerous, and it would be out of public view
making it less popular or heard of. It is better if abortions are harder to get and not easier as a
whole. Women have been getting back alley abortions since the time Roman slaves were used as
prostitutes, maybe even before, but it definitely would remove a psychological safety net
residing in peoples minds. Then folks couldnt just wake up and say, Were going to abort this
baby in the safety and comfort of a doctors office because we made poor decisions. Most
people dont want to break the law, so if going to get a back alley abortion is illegal, they could
possibly go to jail. Not only is unwedded sex a burden to the court system, but it is a burden to
the medical community. Making premarital sex illegal, or akin to prostitution, would probably
be the best action for society as a whole. Forcing people produce a marriage license before
buying condoms would be a good way to prevent some people from having sex out of wedlock.
Maybe it would not stop all of them, but a lot of them. It is easy enough to infer anyone with a

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sexually transmitted disease did not set out to get one. Sexually transmitted infection rates
climbing is evidence of either condoms not working well or the educational system wasting tax
payer money with sexual education programs. From 2012 to 2013 syphilis numbers increased
by 10%, according to the CDC, even if gonorrhea levels stayed about the same, and chlamydia
levels fell by 1.5%, sexually transmitted disease rates are rising (CDC, 2013). Instructors
telling children it is okay to have sex with a condom is similar to handing a lit fire cracker to a
toddler and telling the child not to be scared. The child is going to hold onto the fire cracker
thinking all is well and watch it, but eventually it is going to explode in its face. Condoms break
or fall off sometimes, eventually it happens, and similarly children arent scared of fire crackers
until they explode.
Additionally, American citizens lacking morality are less prone to follow the rules, but
this in itself is self-explanatory because morality is good conduct. Good conduct is following the
guidelines put forth to follow. Most rules are based around peoples conduct, but immoral
people are always looking for loopholes even when none exist. It isnt hard to find someone who
stretches to truth to fit his or her own agenda rather than what was intended by the laws. A
correct description of someone trying to escape through loopholes would be to call the individual
immoral. When asked a question by an immoral person, morality instructors may ask
themselves, Why did you ask the question if you are not going to listen to the answer, quite
often. If one does not agree with the answer given, the person is typically going to perform an
ignorant action while trying to find a way around what he or she didnt want to hear.
Some cures for peoples abominable actions would be to enforce the code of conduct
already in place against such degenerates. Americans should be more proactive against the
slackers in society by having a greater presence in the community, but instead the loudest voice
being heard today is of the unruly. The typical person goes to work, does what is supposed to be
done, and goes home. Citizens shouldnt have to drive home through a mob rioting and littering
in the streets paid for by the working ones taxes while the people in the mob claim they cant
find jobs. I know people who join those mobs. The ones Im talking about do not look for a job
and seem to do all they can to keep from getting one. It may not be all of them are like that, but
they are all I have to judge by. Maybe the worst part about todays world is being criticized for
speaking against degenerate peoples behavior while the anarchists and the immoral try to get
away with their crimes. It feels as if roles are being reversed, barbarians are taking over, or a
child trying to tell a parent what to do. Their chants may die down eventually by looking at the
way people are voting. The American majority is getting angry, and it is showing in the election
polls!
In a word, morality is doing what is right by moral guidelines and having proper conduct.
As upsetting as it may be to individuals, Americans are tired of getting their voices stifled by
what is called political correctness even when it is not. Looking at schools, teachers seem to be
doing their own objectives while everyone else around him or her says a teacher isnt allowed to.
Political views have no place in the classroom, the same as at a church, unless the lesson being
taught by the teacher or preacher is history. Boy Scouts and soldiers alike are taught what law
calls True American patriotism which is mostly ethics, and these degenerates keep trying to
silence either one at any chance. One may say even in peer review, such as a person saying,
This doesnt go along with anything I stand for. I cant read this, as was said by a student
before about a paper of mine. Sometimes you will be asked to comment on a paper that is
antithetical to your point of view. It is important that your own position does not make you

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overly critical and similarly, papers that exactly reinforce your reproach should not receive a
less critical view (Del Mar. & Hoffmann, 2015). That was not good conduct or moral. People
protest at soldiers funerals, saying God hates soldiers, but the book they claim to be using says
God does not hate soldiers. God exonerates those who fought for him. Those same people even
get arrested shouting at congressional meetings displaying their lack of discipline and order. It
isnt even a shock anymore, but it is tiring to watch on CSPAN or the news. Laws do not give
individuals the right to be disorderly and immoral, no matter what people think, and quite often
they are arrested. The law gives people the right to petition, but when their petitions are struck
down, some scream and holler like little babies. The immoral scream about tolerance while
displaying none themselves, only looking through a tyrants eyes, and having no will to conform
to standards. Just because the guidelines being displayed are not their own personal will, it
doesnt mean theyre unjust, nor does it mean they do not have to follow the rules in this country.
Displaying poor conduct and not conforming to standards is immorality, and morality is on the
decline in America.

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References
Boyles, D. (2000). What Do You Mean By `Law'?. Men's Health, 15(5), 137.
Retrieved from EBSCOhost
CDC, (2013) National Data for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats13/std-trends-508.pdf
Del Mar. C., & Hoffmann, T. (2015, November 2). A guide to peer review randomized
controlled trials. BMC Medicine, 131-7. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Liu, S, & Heiland, F. (2012, January). Should we get married? The effect of parents marriage on
out-of-wedlock children. Economic Inquiry, p. 17-38. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Marriage and Divorce (2015), American Psychological Association.
http://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/
moral. (2015). Dictionary.com. Retrieved from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/moral?s=t
Rector, R. (1996). In welfare reform, governors miss the point. Policy Review, 77(30).
Retrieved from EBSCOhost.