Opening a daylong summit meeting on family unity and fatherhood, Gov. Pete Wilson used an acclaimed Hollywood movie Tuesday to demonstrate the kind of positive role models needed to help youths avoid tragic lives.
In his first public speech since throat surgery more than two months ago, the California governor ventured into a national debate about the moral responsibility of popular culture by agreeing with Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole that excessive sex and violence in music and movies contribute to social decay.
But Wilson also differed with his chief Republican presidential rival's scathing attack on the industry earlier this month by highlighting a movie the governor considered a contribution to social understanding.
Wilson said the film "Boyz 'N the Hood," depicting a single father in South-Central Los Angeles who counsels his son against violent solutions, illustrates the message he hoped to convey Tuesday through his forum called "The Fathers Summit."
"Every kid deserves a father to play that role," Wilson said to an invited audience of about 300 activists at the Burbank Hilton Convention Center. "And that's why we are gathered here today, to talk not just about the costs when a father doesn't play that role, but what we must do to ensure that more men do play that role."
Wilson organized Tuesday's conference to draw attention to the nurturing role that fathers play in raising children and the government policies--especially regarding marriage, divorce and welfare--that he says sometimes discourage their involvement.
As for the governor's voice, it appears that full recovery is still weeks away. His voice was strained and broke frequently into high tones, and his remarks were kept brief. Wilson spoke for a total of 27 minutes--15 in the morning and 12 at the close of the session.
The governor's presidential campaign has floundered since the surgery to remove a callus on his vocal cords, and he has been set back by a string of controversies. As a result, he has been left out of the media attention that has gone to his Republican presidential opponents.
Wilson's comments Tuesday were timed to put his name back into the headlines, framing a crucial political debate about values and families around familiar box-office hits.
Like Dole's, Wilson's appeal is also targeted to influential conservative groups that have made popular culture and moral responsibility their top priorities ever since Vice President Dan Quayle raised the issue in connection with the "Murphy Brown" TV show during the 1992 presidential campaign.
