Value Wars - Charlie Sheen Vs Byu: Who's "Winning?"
Review
I was wondering if whatever else was struck by the foreseen, paradox created by two of this month's top news stories. In one story we were torMented by - or treated to (depending upon one's viewpoint) - the barrage of news coverage on CharlieSheen's life of debauchery and grandiose self-delusion that was being played out on television in real time. And in a world where the public's appetite for Reality Tv consumption seems insatiable, CharlieSheen's saga played out publicly at a level that seemed to validate screenwriter Andrew Niccol's foreshadowing message in his movie, The Truman Show. The whole world absolutely was Watching.
The other story didn't quite reach the "epic" levels (to quote Charlie) of news coverage, but still tickled the fancy of human interest nonetheless. Brigham Young University basketball star Brandon Davies was suspended from the team for violating the school's code of conduct. Davies was a beginning player who contributed significantly to the amazing success that Byu was having on the court this year. Prior to his suspension, Byu was ranked third in the nation and headed into the Ncaa tournaMent as a top seed with high hopes. With Davies' absence, Byu had knowingly put themselves at a disadvanTAGe.
Charlie Sheen
As we all know by now, Byu's campus adheres to the Mormon values of its founder and owner, the Church of Latter Day Saints (Lds). Any trainee who attends Byu signs on to the accurate code of guide that - among other things - prohibits the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, and requires regular church attendance. In Davies' case, he violated the part of the code that requires him to "live a chaste and virtuous life" when he had sexual relations with his girlfriend.
Value Wars - Charlie Sheen Vs Byu: Who's "Winning?"
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The irony of having these two stories break during the same week was exciting to me. The clear common denominator between the stories is that they both centered colse to America's obsession with the topic of communal values. Sheen's story was newsworthy because of his ultimate violation of acceptable communal values. The Byu story was newsworthy because of its ultimate adherence to such values.
The communal seemed shocked (though happily entertained) by the magnitude of CharlieSheen's substance abuse and sexual escapades, which was made even more circus-like by his unabashed and grandiose defense of his past activities. In essence Sheen's message was that everyone, together with his employers at Cbs, should look past his personal foibles and let the marketplace success of Two And A Half Men supersede any other judgMents that might be made about his character - moral or otherwise. He is to be judged by one standard, so claims Sheen, and that acceptable is the prime-time ratings of his television show, regardless of any illicit and illegal activities off the set. And while Cbs has obviously balked at that proposition, some in the communal are signing on to it. Piers Morgan, the talk show successor to Larry King, himself told Sheen that it shouldn't matter what Sheen does off the set on his own time.
Byu takes a distinct approach. They tell their students and athletes upfront that they will be judged by more than just their on-court and in-class achievements. There is still debate ongoing about either Sheen's personal indiscretions should impact his professional career. It's a debate that has similarly affected professional athletes and politicians alike. But at Byu there's no such debate. It's what you sign up for, literally, when you accept admission to the university. Like it or not, the acceptable for personal behavior is clear cut.
Mormon Values - ultimate or Sensible?
Throughout their history the Mormons have taken their fAir share of abuse and criticism. In fact, their historical origins are rooted in persecution as their original founders and followers were chased across America in the early 1800's, from New York straight through Ohio to their ultimate hamlet destination of Utah. The local and federal governments deemed the Lds church as a threat. eventually their founder, Joseph Smith, was even executed. And since that time, Mormons and the Church of Latter Day Saints have at times been looked upon as religious zealots, whose accurate prohibitions against clear behaviors (deemed tolerable elsewhere in our society) were an indication of conservative extremism.
Personally, I have to admit that I shared some of that mental in my earliest perceptions of Mormonism. Initially it was pure naivete, but later I read a book called Under the Banner of Heaven written by John Krakauer, which portrayed the origin of Mormonism in a dubious light and told the story of a murderous crime committed within a fundamentalist Mormon sect that still practiced polygamy or plural marriage (which the Church of Lds disavowed in 1890). The book served to reinforce my skepticism and negative perception of Lds. And these are the perceptions and misconceptions that still corollary the Mormons.
Recently, however, I had the pleasure of spending primary time in Utah. Whenever one spends time in Utah it will unavoidably expose one to some of the best skiing on the planet, along with a habitancy comprised of 60% Mormons. From my caress there I walked away with an enTirely new and enlightened insight of the Mormon habitancy and their unique culture and value system. And I can't help but wonder to myself, maybe modern-day Mormonism has it more right than we give them prestige for. Consider these facts:
* The state of Utah rates first or second among all states when it comes to high school graduation and college attendance rates.
* Among all states, Utah has either the first, second or third lowest rate in the country across every major condition disease. Not surprisingly, it also has the lowest rate of smoking and alcohol abuse in the nation.
* Utah ranked top in the nation for charitable giving. Versus its national counterparts, Utah spends much more of its State budget on study and much less of its budget on welfare than all other states.
* The unwed birth rate in Utah is half the national average.
* Forbes named Utah the best state to do company in, and Utah consistently makes the top 10 lists for the most entrepreneurial states in the nation.
* agreeing to a new Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey, Utah reported the top levels of full, well being, apparently making them the "happiest state in the country."
Oh, and don't forget, Byu still managed to build a top 10 basketball agenda this year to boot, despite all the disincentives.
So while we laugh at and are shocked by CharlieSheen's exploits, but then also snicker and scoff at the Mormons' preoccupations with mandatory Missions and behavioral restrictions, we ought to ask ourselves a very foremost ask - courtesy of Mr. Sheen - who absolutely is winning in this war of values?
Value Wars - Charlie Sheen Vs Byu: Who's "Winning?"
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