Cultural struggle

To the editor:

I found myself saying “Amen” when I read Leonard Pitts’ opinion column in the April 4 Lawrence Journal-World. Mr. Pitts described his attempt to connect with his teen-age sons, not just to understand them, but to “fight for their lives.” He described his efforts to stand against the pop culture that Pitts views as an “act of betrayal” against teen-agers. He laments the pop culture that is “materialistic, misogynistic, pornographic, and violent.”

I applaud Mr. Pitts’ courage on two fronts. First, for calling pop culture what it is, and second, for not being afraid to fight for his sons to survive that culture. In several ways, I am very different than Mr. Pitts. He is a black man with teen-age boys, I am a white man with teen-age girls. But on at least two things we agree: 1. Pop culture is dangerous. 2. Our children are worth fighting for.

It is my prayer that fathers and mothers would join Mr. Pitts and take a stand against pop culture. This stand would start with a look at the example we are setting, and would move to an effort to instill values of decency, integrity, sexual purity, humility, etc., in the lives of our children. Our kids may not like us for it; but our job is to give them what they need, not what they want.

Nate Rovenstine,

Lawrence