Beware of the Fourth Estate

It will likely come as no surprise to those who know me, that, while I highly value the First Amendment, I have little appreciation for the modern media.

I have noted to students and others, that the loss of interest by the average person in reading and thinking about propositions, combined with a meteoric rise in entertainment-oriented visual stimulants, and modern media wedded to a materialist worldview, will soon lead to a thoughtless society--among other lamentable things.

I recommend for the consideration of those who read this post, the text of an address recently delivered by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, of the the Archdiocese of Denver. The address may be found here, and it is a perspective worthy of consideration by every thinking person, regardless of religious tradition, or the absence thereof. It is an insightful look at what should be common knowledge, but isn't. It is also a warning, of sorts, of the dangers of unregulated prejudice and bias, protected by the First Amendment.