Title of new recording:"Sex, Drugs, Money, Guns":(

Is anyone surprised that there was shooting at this recording's release party?

The older I get, the better I understand the decision of some of our more right-wing co-religionists to avoid almost all modern popular culture.  Are these the things that contemporary pop music and culture are about?  Seriously, what has happened to communal values?  With no apologies to the late Michael Jackson--a talented man, to be sure, but with some serious, um, quirks--when, and, for that matter, why, did it become acceptable for a person to grab his (or her) crotch in public at all, much less in performances attended by hundreds of people and on videos seen by millions?  Why on earth did Madonna go prancing around the stage in a bra and crucifix, thus showing public disrespect for her own religion?  Why did kd lang bother wearing a shirt, when it was unbuttoned so far down that her entire bra was visible?  When, and why, did twerking becoming acceptable behavior for a nationwide (and international?) telecast?  Compare the clothing worn by entertainers these days to the gown worn by the recently-deceased singer Eydie Gorme in the video linked here--it's so high-cut that she could have passed for Orthodox in some of the more "Modern" synagogues.

Entertainers certainly aren't the only ones.  What about the general public?  When, and why, did it become acceptable for woman to wear low-cut clothing to work (and even synagogue?) and for men to wear shorts so short, or pants slung so low, that their underwear shows?  What about guys who wear pants so tight . . . (words only--no visuals).  Once upon a time, one could spot a prostitute by the way she was dressed.  No more--nowadays, so many people wear what Robert Avrech has ever so delicately dubbed "slut-wear" that it's hard to tell the difference.  Sigh.  Been there, blogged that.  (I recommend that you click on the links, including the ones in the comments.)

And whatever happened to being neatly dressed?  As recently as when our grad-school-student son was a kid, no one would have been caught dead in public wearing torn clothing or clothing with holes in it.  I put plenty of iron-on patches on the knees of our son's pants (and often had to stitch them a bit anyway because they peeled off around the edges).  Nowadays, clothing manufacturers deliberately rip jeans, and wearers go around looking threadbare.  Why would anyone want to look like a literally poor slob?  When did poverty and/or a slovenly appearance become goals to aim for?

Sadly, I haven't even gotten to the "drugs, money, guns" part.  Haven't we had enough shootings, lately?  When did drugs and guns become something to sing about?  As for money,it's certainly nice to have, but it has its limitations.  The Beatles may have said it best:  "Money can't buy me love."

I just don't get it.