Forget the fact that no New York City police were in Central Park when a group of about 24 tourists and residents was attacked by a mob of young men.

Thursday, June 15, 2000

Forget the fact that no New York City police were in Central Park when a group of about 24 tourists and residents was attacked by a mob of young men.

These thugs tore the clothes off some of the women and soaked the rest with water bottles.

Although this was not a stellar moment for the men in blue, the lack of police protection is not what should be making the rest of the country shake its collective head.

A police force – even one as large as New York City’s – cannot possibly cover every square inch of Central Park.

The shocker is simply that none of the passersby that day – and this was a well-populated area – thought such a scene worthy of a call to police. Equally as chilling: That not one of the young men involved in the attack had even a pang of conscience.

There is a new pathos in today’s world – a seeming unwillingness to stand up for what is right or to get involved when there is a possibility of personal harm.

Self-involvement and self-preservation – not honor – seem to be the creed of this new society.

Before the nation casts stones at the New York City police – and the force certainly has offered plenty of reasons for such a hailstorm of criticism – there is another place to look.

The coarsening of American society is becoming more than just a few rude people who don’t thank the kind person who held the door open or who push ahead in the supermarket line.

The blatant disregard some people seem to have for each other – and some groups’ complete lack of anything ressembling a sense of right and wrong when hedonism is involved – suggest that society – rural and urban – is not just disappointing anymore. It is dangerous.

If you want more evidence, look no further than television. Sex reigns; Jerry Springer is No. 1; and nobody seems shocked by anything they hear anymore – including vulgarities at 10 p.m. on a weekday night.

Morals – and consequences for their abandonment – are not luxuries anymore. The stakes are getting too high.