The following contains 4 responses from Notre Dame undergraduates to the issues discussed in Notre Dame Professor of Sociology Christian Smith’s recent book LOST IN TRANSITION: THE DARK SIDE OF EMERGING ADULTHOOD (see the front page interview with Smith for more information).
Although I haven’t had the opportunity to read Christian Smith’s book, I think the premise is an interesting one and one that could have significant implications on the future of American society. There certainly seems to be a trend toward individualism in America, one that is reflected in the moral relativism Smith describes. I was raised by one Catholic parent and one largely agnostic parent, both of which I have always considered to have strong moral foundations. As such, I have long been grappling with questions about the source of morality.
My parents grew up in very different environments: my dad in center-city Philadelphia and my mom in Yokosuka, Japan. I have talked to them about the contrasting ways in which their respective cultures frame questions of ethics, including the difference between guilt and shame. Western cultures have historically based morality around individual guilt for committing wrongs, whereas in eastern cultures a reluctance to bring shame upon one’s family predominantly drove adherence to certain ethical standards. The guilt of western cultures is thought to be a function of Judeo-Christian influences, and despite our commitment to religious freedom it is undeniable that American society has drawn from such influences in deriving our notion of morality as a country.
Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe coined the phrase “Millenials” to describe the same generation of emerging American young adults that Smith researched, and in their investigation of this generation Strauss and Howe characterized the Millenials (among other things) as a group of people that broadly chose to associate themselves more closely with “spirituality” than “religion.”
Although I don’t think this is particularly true at Notre Dame, it agrees with my experience of modern young adults as a whole. I believe the trend of moving away from well-defined “religious” moral teachings is fundamentally tied up with the trend toward individualism, but even beyond their influence on each other the two phenomena combine to create a culture of moral relativism.
Without the traditional eestern reliance on Judeo-Christian religious teachings or the eastern reliance on commitment to communal beliefs and goals, there is seems to be little real foundation for morality for this generation. I agree with Smith that young adults of the Millenial generation tend to have a harder time assigning certain behaviors as “right” or “wrong,” and this could create substantial problems for American society in the future. Blurring the lines between cheating and honest effort could diminish the capacity for Americans to produce meaningful services, products, or intellectual property, and materialistic goals encourage a culture in which citizens cease to be concerned with supporting each other.
All of the problems that Smith highlighted seem to be rooted in an inability to determine definitively what is right or wrong and to act accordingly. All of these trends are potentially devastating for American society, and thus are well worth acknowledging and trying to address.
-Yuko Gruber, ‘14
Smith is spot on in his analysis in the increase of moral relativity across the contemporary United States, especially as it relates to sex. Young people in this country are not given clear moral guidelines for what is ethical and unethical when it comes to sex. Pornography is free and readily available across the internet, birth control is not only available but encouraged, and abortion remains legal to further condone regrettable sexual experiences. The Catholic Church has weighed in heavily on the issue in recent years but is immediately ignored as if it trying to force its religion on others. Young people are often told not to have sex until marriage, not for any moral reason, but because of the dangers of pregnancy and STDs. They are told not to, but if they do, to wear a condom. For reasons like these sex has become recreational and will remain so until people are given a tangible moral compass and not the relative values of “if it feels good, do it.”
-Sean Mullen, ‘12
I think that Smith does have a right to question young adults’ ability to reason easily or quickly, but saying that our moral landscape is fraught with these “isms” sounds a little harsh. What about our upbringing or our character education inhibits our ability to reason morally? Though I do agree that young adults experiencing economic and familial hardships can become confused with regard to moral reasoning, I do not agree that all young adults are confused because of moral relativism and individualism.
As a student at Notre Dame, I have not witnessed a prevalent sense of confused moral reasoning. Yes, students, myself included, are more likely to pursue academic and career choices based on individual goals, but we also continue to conduct ourselves with reason.
Concerning the other 4 problems, I do agree that American society focuses more on material success than sustained economic success, or success defined otherwise, but how is that different than success defined prior to the twenty-first century? Say we do have confused moral reasoning: This could affect our desire to engage in civic life, or to pursue nonsexual relationships. In fact, I have witnessed friends or friends of friends who have engaged in regrettable sexual experiences in the sense that teen pregnancy caused a lifestyle that is not ideal at such a young age. Christian Smith then could be right in pointing to these 5 problems, but to blame it on our moral landscape may be inaccurate.
-Lauren Vela, ‘12
This generation of young adults has earned no confidence in its ability to live moral
and responsible lives. This generation is, on the surface, filled with sheep-we give in to the enigma labeled “peer pressure.” Take a step deeper and we have all been conditioned to live the juvenile lives that our parents still wish that they lived. Now, the root of that is another issue entirely and discovering it gives no aid to our generation. All history lessons aside, the current and repetitive debauchery of we young adults is novel, unreasonable and unsustainable.
Among the many possible cures is the necessity of a moral standard. Whether or not everyone subscribes to the same ideals for their lifestyle, we are all going through this life together. Whether or not the world will notice when we’re gone, our legacy will live on. The root cause of the issue seems to be the lack of a moral standard-the idea that if someone is smart that they will act accordingly. The idea of free will evolved into the notion of freedom from responsibility and the dissolution of human dignity. The freedom that was given to the previous generation of young people was accepted and perverted, and we are the result of it.
-Oliver Chmell, ‘12
