We know its considered uncool to sound an alarm about any aspect of pop culture these days. Rock, rap, and their even more extreme offspring--horrific movies, loathsome television shows, and pornography on the Internet--are now established as mainstream culture. The conventional liberal--and libertarian--wisdom is not only that there is nothing to be done about it but also that nothing should be done about it. No matter how vulgar or violent or corrupting our pop culture becomes, we are expected to take the debased products of the pop-culture industry in our stride and let them prosper without criticism or censure. We know that there will never be a Million Mom March in Washington to protest such stuff.

Never mind the debilitating effect of this pop culture on the kids who are its principal consumers and principal casualties. Adults like this stuff, too, so its OK. This includes allegedly adult artists--you know, the kind that exhibit their work ...

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