Role Models

I was looking at recent events, thinking about role models. I'm talking about the people you looked up to between the the ages of 5 and 10, when you are very easily influenced. Mine personally was the Lone Ranger. The TV series had been off the air since the 50's, but I was watching re-runs of the show in the 70's.

I remember one Christmas, my family was living in Montrose and they had Santa reading letters from children on the television, after the news. I sent in a letter requesting a Lone Ranger action figure. When the letter was read on the air, I knew that Santa would be asking the Lone Ranger for an action figure just for me. Because you know that Santa and the Lone Ranger "hang out" together.

The Lone Ranger was always the good guy. He never killed anybody on his show, his sidekick was always there to help in a tight spot, and even Silver was a faithful steed.

But let's come back to today's role models. Do we even have any? Let's go to sports first: Mark McGuire hit a bunch of home runs....while on steroids. Barry Bonds....the same. Tiger woods great golfer.....terrible husband.

OK, so maybe we need to go to our current crop of pop culture celebrities: Brittany Spears from Micky Mouse Club to rehab. Chris Brown from singer to felony battery. Paris Hilton from ??? to spoiled rich kid (or was she always just a spoiled rich kid?).

Maybe cartoons can produce a role model? We have South Park character, Cartman, defiantly not a role model. Simpson's characters....nope. The talking underwater sponge....really?

My point is we seem to be lacking in quality role models lately. What happened to the wholesome people that brought us things like:Maybe every generation has a group of "bad apples" and I am just being over-sensitive. In the 70's we had our share of role model failures: Richard Nixon, Pete Rose, and most child stars from that time.

Maybe we should just make a standard, and if you pass the standard you can have the "role model" title thrust upon you. Like in baseball if you can break Roger Maris's single season home run record, without the use of "performance enhancing drugs", you get the job. In Hollywood you would have to have a whole year without getting divorced, arrested or have naked pictures of yourself in any venue.

It just seems lately as if every cultural role model, makes too many mistakes, bad judgements, and in general, is human. Maybe if we just need to turn the job over to: "A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty "Hi-yo, Silver!", The Lone Ranger!