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4-22-98 On KABC radio AM 790, Dennis Prager began his show by telling a story. He was driving with his best friend Joseph Telushkin in Manhattan New York. He saw cars avoiding the middle lane. A man, one of the local drunks, lay there bleeding. And all the cars drove by. Prager stopped and carried the man to the sidewalk. Dennis was commenting on a news story where a man directs traffic away from an injured lady. Motorists swore at the man directing traffic. How do you drive away from an injured person? Prager thinks that as many folks would drive away from a wounded person as a wounded animal. DP says Americans lack empathy. A caller relayed this story: A limo driver was trying to change a tire in the snow. A man finally stopped to help. The customer in the limo asked the man what he could give him. Nothing said the man. The customer insisted. Man said he could send flowers to his wife. A few days later, flowers arrived with a note. The customer, Donald Trump, had paid off the couple's mortgage. Prager got the chills thinking about the story. Next caller said people worried about getting sued. That's why they would not move an injured person. DP: The legal system - lawyers, politicians, judges, jury - has hurt this country more than any other system. P did not even consider fear of lawsuit in his reasons for why folks acted the way they did. A man phoned to describe a heroic deed he did at one car accident. Caller said he probably would not have done the right thing except that his son was with him, and he wanted to set a good example. Caller voiced fear of set up if he came across a lonely site of an accident. Prager said he would call from his car phone. Other reasons for lack of helping those in need: · Americans have been taught to rely on government to take care of problems, instead of doing things themselves. I pay lots of taxes so that someone else will take care of things for me. · Americans' growing mistrust of strangers. Americans have increasing less sense of kinship. We have less in common. Community has been breaking down. Prager disagrees with telling children to not talk to strangers. · The notion of "shoulds" has declined. Prager grew up learning that he should do many things, and that he should not do many things. But now morality has been overcome by psychology, self actualization and health concerns. Prager stopped to help the drunk because Jewish Law had taught him that he had to do that.
Prager began his second hour asking for callers who were optimistic about the moral health of America. A female caller and Prager agreed that America is experiencing a spiritual renaissance. Most of Prager's show would be familiar to regular listeners - how to most effectively produce goodness. Dennis preferred relying on laws rather than relying on the heart. It is better to give because religious law requires you to give charity, than to give because you think it is right.
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