TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN MORALS.

Byline: Jim Urbanovich Local View

WHAT do the Los Angeles City Council's potential ban on strip club touching, Rick Neuheisel's firing at the University of Washington over charges of gambling, and the movement to rid the Internet of spam have in common?

All are the result of a frustrated and confused culture lashing out at its own profound amorality and hypocrisy.

So while we crack down on a coach betting on an NCAA pool among friends, adults transacting in mutually consensual adult practices, and Internet businesses trying to advertise, we turn on our televisions and attend films to be entertained by every gross immorality known to man.

The difference? Our television and film industries are transforming a culture of children and teens into sexually obsessed, objectifying, foul- mouthed, godless and confused adults.

And how do we react? We ban touching in strip clubs. Brilliant.

We get really upset over spam advertising pornographic Web sites.

While we are at it, perhaps we should bring back Prohibition and feel really good about our hypocritical selves.

Psychologically and socially, there is a befuddled logic to such irrational behavior - displacement.

In order to justify our very confused moral standards and, for example, stare in good conscience - like hedonistic voyeurs - at a ``reality'' show promoting every indulgence some of us try to teach our children to avoid, we overreact to other minor moral infractions - many with far less consequence - and we pound our moral drums.

The anger we take out on these issues is actually directed at ourselves and our own lack of moral willpower.

As we protect our children from Internet porn coming in through our homes' back door, we leave the front door of destructive influence wide open. We fear the pornographic image while we allow our children to dress like porno stars.

Perhaps if the culture came to its collective senses and allowed adults to engage in behaviors of their choice while concurrently educating and instilling our children with values and morality, those same children would not make the choices some angrily and hypocritically lash out against.

No one has forced a stripper to lap dance nor forced a patron to touch. No one forced Neuheisel to gamble. These are choices they made for themselves.

Do you find these activities offensive? Try exercising your own personal morality and teach your children well. And for God's sake, stop misplacing your own frustrations, due to your own hypocrisy, upon others.

I believe it was Dick Cavett who once made the humorous though insightful observation concerning television:

``It is the invention whereby we are entertained by the same people we would not allow in our house.''

Somehow I think a Britney Spears is far worse for our culture than a Rick Neuheisel. Though, thank goodness, the wonderful role model for our preadolescent girls may endorse sleazy sex, she has never bet on an NCAA office pool.