I for one, am tired of the word "relevant". The word itself is decidedly 125% overplayed and in heavy rotation amongst the "free thinkers" of our society. Generally, I find that the idea of "relevancy" is usually a scapegoat for mediocrity. While my most basic understanding of the concept of relevancy is simply making a message, idea, or concept pertinent to those you wish to receive it, our appropriation of the word "relevant" in this 21st century is absolute rubbish. In the name of "relevancy" our culture has allowed itself to devolve into purveyors of lackadaisical educational standards and situational ethics, with absolutely no moral throughline, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and idea like drunken ragdolls. In the name of relevancy, we have become, well, just like "them".

A perfect example of foolishly stepping into the cultural relevancy deep end was a couple of months ago, when a bit of a stir was created when a high school announced that their summer program's curriculum would be taking part of their text from the poetry of slain rapper "Tupac Shakur". Although I believe the school made an irresponsible decision in using the horrible role model and fountain of death that is Tupac, my analysis of the issue does determine there to be nothing wrong with incorporating aspects of popular culture, namely hip-hop into teaching. Many educational conservatives would probably disagree with me as I once recall hearing someone say, "We just need to get back to teaching like we used to", but I believe we need to reclaim true relevancy from those who've tainted its honor.

We can't much blame the word "relevant" itself, but rather a culture that is intent on watering down any semblance of truth we have left. Today, "relevancy" has meant lowered standards and embarrassing compromise. The music industry is the most perfect example of this. Today, a female vocalist with a recording contract is more likely to turn in her modest, body-covering clothes for a smaller, tighter, and more revealing ensemble as time goes on. This is all in an effort to stay "relative". The sad thing is that as it stands, the quest for relevancy has been somewhat looked down upon by many conservatives who continue to ride the horse of traditionalism as if it were Smarty Jones at the 2004 Kentucky Derby. And quite frankly, every now and then, I'm a bit tempted to permanently cement my own backside to that horse too. It's difficult in a culture where you almost feel like you have to go to the absolute counter extreme in everything because people are so lawless and "relative" any middle ground is completely overrun. Human nature generally leads us to end up on the opposite side of the philosophical spectrum just for the sake of being there--and being right (which we usually are).

It is a shame that only recently have political parties and private interest groups humbled themselves and begun to seek out support from members of my generation. Major consumer corporations caught wind of cultural relevancy long before the Bush/Kerry election, but now all of a sudden there's this push for Republicans to be "hip". I am appreciative of strides to get the younger generation voting, but part of me feels it's incredibly disingenuous.

Conceptually, the idea of "cultural relevance" is great. It acknowledges the fact that in many cases, a conversion process is necessary for a society that is constantly evolving. Deciding whether or not we want to be relevant isn't really the main question--it's how and when.

It's important to recognize that "relevancy" is completely amoral. It is neither good nor bad, but just method of transmitting information more effectively. I'm a firm believer in the purest form of cultural relevancy. We live in a world today where ideas and concepts can't always be presented at face value. I would like to apply this theory to my entire educational career. I'm no genius, but I can think of at least ten better ways to teach Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet or Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to the average high school freshman.

Traditionalism always needs checks and balances. The mistake we make is in thinking that traditionalism and relevancy can't exist in the same bubble. I say indeed they can! The beauty in traditional principles (the good ones at least) is that they are timeless, and can be applied to any generation. We cannot afford to overlook trends in this country. What are our children drawn to musically and why? What are the prevailing philosophies and ideologies in the music they're listening to? What is the television teaching them? What companies get the most of the younger generation's dollars? What's the number one issue they are facing? These are all important things to know if you wish to have any type of impact on the next generation.

Our approach at reaching out to the younger crowd (of which I am glad to be a part) is often arrogant and unresearched. People have not done their homework. Instead, they are quick to dismiss trends as passing fads, refuse to see the motivation behind certain demeaning behavior, and overlook powerful communicative aspects of the culture. This is dangerous business, and if this doesn't change, we will surely lose the culture war. In the Bible, the "Sons of Issachar" were deemed wise because they understood the "signs of the times". My question is, "When will we?"