Horrible Role models

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Why do role models all need to be contemporary?

My parents taught me about historical figures, and I looked up to them.

Also, it's not true that role models in the past were so much better. Back in the 60/70s (our parents generation) people looked up to rock stars (y'know, drugs, drink, promiscuous sex, all that jazz) in the 40s it was of course war, in the 20s probably movie stars and athletes.

So really role models haven't changed a whole lot. There are still impressive and important musicicians, athletes, actors and writers who can be looked up to who are contemporary, or you can choose from pillars of the community.

Like for example JK Rowling inspired me to start writing. I'm now in the position of trying to publish my first novel. Bam, role model. Or a teacher at school who encouraged me to try drama, and I ended up acting through most of high school and university. Bam, role model. Or my parents, who I look up to and admire. Bam, role model.

Role models are everywhere if you just stop focusing on the negative.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

People like Katie Price, Kerry Katona, and Jade Goody. They seem like horrible parents and people shouldn't look up to them.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

The worst current ?role model? for children is Kim Kardashian, because, IIRC, she?s famous just for fucking some celebrity and her mother being a good manager. And now she and her equally scummy sisters have a fucking show on MTV. I watched it for, like, three minutes and just got so annoyed I switched the channel.

But in general, the worst kinds of ?role models? are the talentless crapsacks on reality TV, or pop stars that rely on gimmicks like sex appeal to sell their records, such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna. These are the people that I?m not afraid of calling whores.

Anyway, I personally never really had role models growing up, and now, as a 16-year-old, the people that come closest to being my role model(s) are my sister, the late Michael Jackson, and J.K. Rowling. I look up to my sister because she?s been helping me with the problems I?ve been having in my life, and she?s genuinely done well for herself. I look up to Michael Jackson because I?ve been a fan of his since I was a child (and fuck you guys who still make jokes about him being a child molester; innocent until proven guilty). And I look up to J.K. Rowling because I?ve been a fan of Harry Potter since I was a child, and she?s been a great inspiration in my writing.

 

[ClockworkPenguin]

Thing is, whilst clearly these people would make bad role models, is there much evidence that children actually look up to them? This is all sounding a bit like Daily Mail 'think of the children' hysteria.

 

[Kitsune Hunter]

Pretty much the usual suspects:
Jersey Shore cast
Katie Price
Any people from most reality shows
MTV

Every ************ that was in that abomination Jersey Shore.

There, ninja'd probably over half the posts here.

If you thought Jersey Shore was bad, just look Geordie Shore, they are worse than Jersey Shore, if that is even possible

 

[aba1]

I never really believed in the idea of role models. I mean it is one thing to say I would like to do that or I admire what a person did but it is another thing to try and be just like another person. Aspire to be yourself but better find your own goals and live the life you want you only get one.

 

[The Floating Nose]

Every ************ that was in that abomination Jersey Shore.

There, ninja'd probably over half the posts here.

Well that was a quick thread...ended it with a single post, you did!

Anyway, there have always been bad role models.

Spoiler: Older Escapists may remember this guy for example:

Spoiler: Older Escapists may remember this guy for example:

HAHAHAHAAAA !!! The Ultimate Warrior ! This guy was bat-shit insane...im pretty sure he still is.

To me bad role models are: Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Rhianna, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, the two little british girls from the Elen Degeneres show.

Good: John Cena, Hubert Reeves, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Henry Rollins, Orson Welles, Ed Wood (i know his movies are bad but he had a psassion for his work and he would always fight for his vision). That's a few that i can think of right now.

 

[krazykidd]

I'm just going to leave this here.


OT: children have terrible role models! Ecouraging superficiallity , materialism and promiscuity ... I was totally born in the wrong generation :-(

 

[Innegativeion]

Many keep saying Jersey Shore. Let's be fair an balanced here;







EVERY reality television show runneth over with terrible role models out the frikken Wazoo. And I don't use that colloquialism lightly. In fact, I don't think I've ever used "out the wazoo" in any conversation ever.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Everyone who isn't me.

I would be a lot easier to just state who is a good role model.

Spoiler: These guys?

These guys are great role models.

Men of learning, men who love to teach others about the amazing universe we live in.

Brian Cox?

He is a horrible role model. "I'm only famous due to my looks and not my talent in my field"

Dude can present his area of study in a cool and interesting way.

I call that a skill worth possessing, considering how many teachers with zero charisma or presence exist...

 

[CManator]

You're gonna need to elaborate.
Especially about what age you mean by `Children`.
Who you look up to when you are three is a lot different to who you look up to when you are fifteen.

Yeah, by the time I was 15 I realized that I probably wouldn't ever grow up to be Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Perhaps you didn't try hard enough?

I grew up idolizing Raphael, and while I'm neither a ninja nor a turtle i am indeed a sarcastic prick. I also idolized Link, and grew up to be a rather quiet person who is a bit of a doormat for women.

Errr..... I guesss that would be my OT answer as well -_-

 

[Salad Is Murder]

Some people I now tend to look up to 2Pac.
They go around spewing the "thug life" bullshit, acting all gangsta, failing to realize that this thug lifestyle was most likely the main reason he was killed.

For some reason I always thought this was kind of a double-edged prison shank sharpened on a cinder block in the prison yard. For some of these guys it was like "this was a terrible life and I'm so grateful I got out of it and had a way to express myself to people about it" I mean, it seemed like, maybe for Tupac at least, that they knew this was eventually going to kill them and they could never get far enough away to be safe. Listening to Ice-T talk about the 'old days' and he's like [paraphrased] "yeah, that sucked and I wasted years of my life and I'm grateful for the person it made me but I would never go back, it's no life for anyone."

That's worthy of respect, maybe not to look up to as a role model, but, you know, whatever. I do agree with you though, that there are a lot of people who all they're getting out of it is 'fuck bitches, get money' and whatever...but I don't think they're looking for role models anyways; people like that always think they've got it all figured out right up to the point where it fucks them and they have no idea where it went wrong.

 

[Lionsfan]

Meh...people on here are way too pessimistic about role-models. For every Kim Kardashian, there's someone else kids can look up too

 

[Salad Is Murder]

Meh...people on here are way too pessimistic about role-models. For every Kim Kardashian, there's someone else kids can look up too

Nah, most of us probably just think that popular culture is a freaking awful place to look for good role models. lol

 

[Terramax]

To be honest, I think some of the role models people have suggested so far are ridiculous also.

JRR Tolkein? Stephen Fry? I'm not saying they're bad people, but role models?

Honestly, I don't think anyone in the media is a good role model. Why would you aspire to be someone you've never met? You don't know them personally. What makes you think some of these people above aren't like the people in reality TV shows and celebrity magazines you criticise, when the video cameras are turned off?

 

[angry_flashlight]

Pretty much everyone involved with pop music, especially 'gangsta' rappers. "Reality" TV stars, for that matter, most people on TV in general. So, yeah ninja'd by the entire thread.

As for good role models, I present you my personal childhood role model:

 

[lemby117]

Some people I now tend to look up to 2Pac.
They go around spewing the "thug life" bullshit, acting all gangsta, failing to realize that this thug lifestyle was most likely the main reason he was killed.

I look up to Tupac because his music is often the opposite of that, alot of the lyrics are about how people suffer from drugs, guns, and gangsters and how we have to move away from it

 

[The_Waspman]

No-one has said footballers yet?

They get my vote. When I think about the fact that young people look at these overpaid wankers and consider them worthy of admiration it fills me with so much rage my vision goes red.