Op-Ed
The Wrong Role Models
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Southern Style
Southern Style
With the 2008 Presidential race heating up, the national media is already elevating some of the less famous candidates to national-celebrity status. For the next year and a half, CNN, Fox News et al will exploit information about these politicians’ backgrounds and scrutinize their every action, word and foible along the campaign trail. Many Americans will soon know more about Senator Clinton than they do about their own grandparents.
Meanwhile, the 2007 Major League Baseball season is on the horizon. This means that athletes, team projections and controversy will be restored to national headlines. More intriguing than John Smoltz’s quest for 200 wins will be the “Who Got Caught Using Steroids This Week?” sweepstakes. Millions of Americans will tune into the drama to follow their favorite athletes and teams throughout the year.
What do politics and sports have in common?
The answer is that for prolonged periods, individuals from both walks of life will dominate, and be championed by, the mainstream American media. Because of this publicity, they will become de facto role models in the developing minds of the nation’s youth. Teens, transfixed by these celebrities’ fame, wealth, power and talent will aspire to these coveted assets.
But are wealth, power and superior athletic ability really the traits a desirable role model should possess?
We should encourage youth to look deeper, for more important qualities — like honesty, integrity, respect and hard work — the very traits that yielded such material success for these celebrated individuals.
Callow children can seem bewildered as to where to seek guidance; because of this, many times they foolishly worship charlatans that the public and mainstream media glorify.
Upon further analysis, however, these figures seem hardly worthy of imitation.
Some of the more famous celebrity categories include …
Musicians and Movie Stars. From Britney Spears partying all night without appropriate wardrobe pieces to Paris Hilton’s blatant promiscuity, Hollywood has become nothing more than a decadent sewer. Unfortunately, because of their popularity and fame, these harlots have acquired a cult-like following that not only embraces their art, but that emulates their grotesque lifestyle and behaviors as well.
Politicians. It’s no secret that most politicians have a couple skeletons in the closet. The only reason one would desire any high office is because of the power and honor that it holds. One would hope that any elected official would use this influence to promote change for the better. Historical and contemporary officials, however, offer few such models.
If a teen has questions about honesty and transparency, look no further than Richard Nixon. If he or she desires relationship advice — it is, after all, Valentine’s Day — why not ask former President Clinton? And for a way to kick that drug problem, no better source to go to than presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
Athletes. This could be the most troubling category, as many of these individuals sport absurdly Herculean images (and salaries). Instead of promoting the core values that sports should incorporate — hard work, teamwork, healthy competitivenes and honesty — Bonds and company have replaced them with dishonesty, selfishness and utter self-worship. From steroids and gambling to illegal possession of firearms and demands for more lucrative contracts, sports idols preach values of decadence and chicanery rather than the virtues that supposedly got them where they are.
While one might argue — and I would agree — that role models should not be chosen from the above categories, the unfortunate truth is that children are faced with few, if any, alternatives. This over-reliance on grandiose public figures has in part resulted from the downfall of the two most enduring pillars of guidance and leadership: religion and family.
Religious influence has waned incredibly over the past decade. Due to its recent child-molestation scandals, for example, the Catholic Church has experienced a crisis with few parallels in recent history. Fewer Catholic schools are in business, and fewer parishes exist — all because of a lack of upstanding priests. Religious leaders are scarce, and children are thus forced away from a stable cornerstone in their lives.
The deteriorating role of the family is even more important when analyzing the decline of the role model. Irresponsible parents find themselves in the awkward situation of both parenting their children while “enjoying” their lives. A spike in divorce rates, teen pregnancies and substance abuse substantiates this trend. This, however, is not a novel problem for today’s generation. It is one that has existed for many previous anomic generations, and it has gotten worse over time.
Most of today’s parents didn’t have responsible guidance when they were growing up and turned instead to external, impersonal sources (such as television) when seeking direction. Now, as parents themselves, they don’t know how to show their children sound role models, much less be them.
The solution to this problem is surprisingly simple. Instead of glorifying notorious individuals who gained success through dubious means, the media should celebrate individuals who embody solid values and serve as good role models not only for children, but adults as well.
Let’s replace decadent actresses with brilliant educators, politicians with philanthropists, and athletes with entrepreneurs. If society were to change its agenda to glorify morality instead of bringing sexy back, the benefits would be immeasurable.
Carl Menzel is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be contacted at cdm38@cornell.edu. Southern Style appears alternate Wednesdays.