I read a very interesting article today in the Wall Street Journal which basically places blame on Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood for creating the narcissistic attitude seen in a lot of young adults today. For quite some time now, I've expressed concern to others that a big problem with today's youth is that they are never held accountable for any of their actions and expect everything to be given to them. The horrid My Super Sweet 16 is a perfect example of this.
Now I hate to blame Mr. Rodgers for creating this culture, as I grew up on him and found his show to be very beneficial in my formative years. But the author makes some good points about how Rodgers' mantra that everyone is "special" has instilled this mindframe in the youth of America.
You can read the article for yourself here and then share your thoughts on the matter with me.
1 comment:
The argument has to hinge to some degree on the actual number of youth who both watched and engaged the content on a deep enough level to be so affected by Rogers. Perhaps it does contribute, but do you really think the girls on My Sweet 16 ever watched the show. I doubt it. If that's the case, then you have to make the argument that their older siblings (around 30 years old) became Rogers' missionaries of the "You're special" religion of self-worship. That would be difficult to prove. It's interesting to ponder and probably completes the author's requisite three paragraphs for his pay check, but in the end, I'm left more with a sense that this guy made the connection over beers one afternoon instead of researching a little bit to see if the point is plausible.
Word!
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