Of course, all of this is utterly predictable. MTV has a tremendous stake in the increased promiscuity of American teenagers -- that promiscuity allows them to purvey their pornography on the airwaves without fear of public backlash. If teenagers were abstinent, parents would surely rebel against MTV's poisonous filth. But by pushing slutty behavior, they inure parents to the inherent risks of degrading material. After all, if Johnny is already having sex, what does it matter whether he watches Britney kiss Madonna on MTV?
It is past time for parents to turn off MTV. Yet MTV continues to thrive. That continued success highlights our current cultural divide. Religious parents have already turned off MTV; secular parents allow their kids to watch it. There's only one problem: Unless religious parents enter into the public debate, they allow the public square to be dominated by filth. They allow the Russell Brands of the world to win. And while the media celebrates, traditional morality crumbles.