If I show you this picture:
You know who this is, right? It’s Kim Kardashian. Even if you’ve never seen Keeping up with the Kardashians before, you know who this is. She’s famous right? One of the biggest names in the media. Well, what if I was to show you this guy.
Not many of you know this face do you? This is Elon Musk. He is the CEO and architect of Tesla Motors. Tesla is company that not only made the world’s first premium electric sedan, but has become the leader in technological innovation today.
Like Elon Musk, there are many other names and faces that people do not know. Instead of knowing the people who are truly making a difference and shaping our future, the youth of today is more interested in what Kim Kardashian is up to. If asked who is running in the 2016 election, most would answer Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. Why? Because they are the two with the most bad and entertaining press surrounding their campaigns.
As a student, I have witnessed first hand people’s obsessions with these celebrities who are famous for no reason, and how the media is affecting us. This is important because we are the next generation. In years to come, it will be us running this world. So, we need to take charge and focus on what really matters.
Our society is glamorizing people for doing, quite honestly, nothing. Or worse praising them for doing terrible things and blowing it off like it’s nothing. But the people who are truly role models aren’t as well known. Our view on what it takes to be famous has changed. And many celebrities who are actually making a difference, are not being recognized.
This idolization is having detrimental effects on teens. Renew Magazine says, “Today a child is more likely to listen to the comments of a celebrity rather than their parents.” How insane is that? With role models like the cast of Keeping up with the Kardashians, what kind of things will children be learning? How to disrespect their parents? When a child wants to be like Kim Kardashian, what does that mean? Because the reason she became famous was for her infamous sex tap.
So how, you ask, has our view on what it takes to be famous changed? Of course celebrities have always had the “star” treatment, but it’s different now. Author Jeff Goins writes on his blog, “If we are envious of the lives celebrities seem to have, why not reconsider what we think it means to be famous.” 21st century celebrities are much different than the ones from the past because our standards have lowered dramatically on why we celebrate people. We have changed how we define stardom, and need to change it back. But in order to do that, we need to take a look at the past.
Celebrities like Louis Armstrong, who influenced generations of musicians; Coco Chanel, French fashion designer who changed the way women dress; and JK Rowling, who invented an entire fictional world that sparked children and adults to want to read. These are celebrities worth celebrating. Isn’t that the whole reason the world celebrity came about? Because we came across these amazing individuals who needed to be celebrated?
Don’t get me wrong, there are many modern celebrities who are bettering society. Ones who are actually talented and trying to make a difference, but why are they not in the press as much? These people are more beneficial to society and future generations, so is it right that we treat them with the same respect and decency we do certain celebrities today?
The media initially spurred this corruption, giving us this era of bad role models. And for society that isn’t good. Dr. Gail Saltz says on NBC Today, “When there is media attention and excitement around the bad behavior of supposed role models, it desensitizes [teens] to the actual dangers and risks.” More and more today people are being praised for their bad behavior, and what’s worse, is society is trying to mimic it.
Let’s take a look at the "Jackass" films shall we. Stars like Steevo and Johnny Knoxville have a HUGE fan base. They do extreme stunts like being fish hooked and used as live shark bait, tight rope walking over a pool filled with alligators, and shocking themselves with stun guns. When these movies first came out people attempted to do these stunts themselves, striving to be like the men they admired. While they may be entertaining, should they really be praised for trying to mutilate their bodies?
On a lesser note, even celebrities like Ray Rice are idolized after doing terrible things. Society just forgives them like it was nothing, and makes jokes out of it. There were countless Halloween costumes last year of Ray Rice and his wife Janay. People are beginning to think there are no consequence to actions because like many others before him, the only consequences Ray Rice faced was suspension.
Honestly, these celebrities are affecting society by giving people terrible views of how life really is. Globalisation and the Media states, “Celebrities need to change the way they act and are viewed, as their actions have more of an effect on us than many people believe.” And since once day teens are going to shape our future society this could not be more vital.
In order to show society what people should be famous for, the news should focus on the good deeds and services people do, rather than gossip to get ratings. With that said, we need to make sure people recognize the people who are making a difference.
Young kids, and even we, need to be educated on the people who truly benefit society. It’s as simple as that. Simply learning and hearing about influential people in history and of today, can make a difference. It gives children people too look up to, good people.
Now I know this problem is not as serious as other ones in society, but all in all, the media and those who come from it will continue to affect our lives for generations to come. We need to figure just how much we want it to and in what ways. It’s a balance we need to find, to help the generations to help our society as a whole, because ultimately the future is in our hands. So, the biggest solution to this problem- is you.
I'm up for the challenge, are you?
