It is no secret that we live in a media-crazed society. We idolize people for insignificant talents. Often times they are not even talents that the person excels in. They just use these "talents" enough for us to familiarize ourselves with their faces. More often than not, these people don't even have any talents. They just show up at enough paparazzi-filled events and are awarded some sort of faux-celebrity.
What is the most absurd about these otherwise average members of society being treating like kings and queens, is that we award them this status and then expect them to be examples of perfect lifestyles.
These people are not role models!
Sure, I may be a fan of Rihanna's music, artistry, and imagry. But the fact that she can sing a song that can get stuck in your head long enough for you to buy a disc filled with 13 more does not make her eligible for the 'role model' status.
(And this is not a shot at Rihanna. She just happened to be the first media-drenched singer to pop into my head. But you can easily replace her name with anyone else in the industry.)
We hold celebrities up on a pedestal. We indemnify them in the face of legal woes yet then chastise them for not setting genteel examples for our children.
What qualifies a singer or athlete to be a role model? The fact that they can carry a tune; or throw a ball through a hoop? Because if that is all it takes, I can walk through any inner city and find about 30 'role models' in the first 30 minutes.
Passing off the 'role model' title to these celebrities is just a way for the rest of us to divert attention away from the fact that nobody is raising their own children with the right standards.
Do you remember when the example-setters in society were teachers, policemen, doctors, lawyers, etc? Not T.I., LeBron James, Taylor Swift, Lil' Wayne, etc.
Now don't get me wrong, there are some celebrities that are good examples of role models. But they work to earn that title. And even better than that... they don't do it for a 'title'. Real role models do what they do because it's the right, civilized thing to do.
Now that's a lead that I'd like to follow.
Live, love & learn!
-The King
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2 comments:
I love this post! this should be the excerpt to a book you should write, lol! Everything you said is very true and young men and women can learn a lot from you!
Thanks a lot. And I have done a lot of thinking about writing a book one day. :-)
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