Role Models (2)

"He had virtually raised me from the dead. Everything I was that was creditable, he had made me, I felt that no matter what, I could not let him down" (Haley 303). 

Elijah Muhammad was the man Malcolm X looked up to. He put all his faith in him, and then all of a sudden Mr. Muhammad started to let him down, but Malcolm felt that it was his fault and he needed to do something about it. 

My role model is most definitely my mother. She is a successful business women, and yet has the time and strength to be able to come home and help raise a family. Its incredible! The drive that she has to never stop is astonishing to me. My mom is always there for advice, a laugh, a hug, and to wipe the tears. She wholeheartedly listens to my sob stories, and can most of the time have an explanation. I look up to her so much, and also look to her for guidance just like Malcolm did to Elijah Muhammad. If I can be half as good a mother as she is, I will be happy. 

If my mom ever let me down, I don't know what I would do. And letting me down doesn't mean forgetting to pack me a lunch, I mean truly making a mistake that could harm the close knit bond we have, and the bond that exists throughout my whole family. The disappointment I would feel is indescribable. This is why I can comprehend the let down that Malcolm was feeling. 

I feel that the term "role models" today is used incorrectly. Many young kids look to athletes and singers and celebrities as so called "role models". And yet they are using steroids, lip-syncing, going to jail, beating their girlfriends, drinking while driving, starving themselves, and truly setting a horrible example. Why do kids claim these people are their idols? Because they have the money, the fame, and the "life" everyone is dying to live in. But where will this desire get you if your morals are way off? In my mind they will not get you anywhere. 

After researching online, I found that many people agreed with me. One article in particular http://www.helium.com/items/358654-success-sleaze-celebrities-of-today-are-not-role-models-for-our-children stood  out to me. The author strongly states that these celebrities become the young members of the world's idols because they have the money ("Success & Sleaze:..."). It is horrible because the kids are lost, and once disappointed by celebrities they have no one to look up to. This especially occurs is cities, where kids are on the streets. 

Work Cited 

“Success & Sleaze: Celebrities Today are Not Role Models for Our Children.” Helium.  8 Mar. 2009 .