In the early days of television authority figures were shown in a positive manner. Parental figures like Ward Clever in Leave it to Beaver, or Robert Young in Father Knows Best, always had a wise word for any situation. Parents were portrayed as respected authority figures, even “The Fonz” on Happy Days had respect for Mr. Cunningham, and was quick to enforce respect for others.
This portrayal of respect was reflected in the home life in the fifties and sixties as well. I clearly remember making sure my toys where put away and I was bathed and dressed appropriately before my father returned home from work.
I grew up with clearly defined rules that governed my behavior when dealing with adults. To me, the rules were obvious and, in turn, demonstrated that I had respect for those I was speaking to. Simple rules like “Never address an adult by their first name” or “Always hold the door open for a lady” are common courtesies that to this day are engrained in me to the point that I find it difficult to address any authority figure by their first name, even when they instruct me to do so.
But something happened along the way. Television started to make authority figures the brunt of jokes. Kelsy Grammer as Frasier is portrayed as a respected psychologist, yet is continually ridiculed and continues to make a fool of himself; even Ray Ramano in Everyone Loves Raymond, is the brunt of nearly every joke.
It gets even worse. Shows such as the Simpson’s mock every authority figure possible, and disguise their disrespect for authority figures as harmless cartoons. But the message these shows send are far from harmless.
If authority figure bashing on television isn’t enough, there is still Gangsta Rap for today’s impressionable minds to absorb, as they glorify prostitution, rape, and encourage the killing of police officers.
If you still have not had your fill of showing your disrespect for authority, you can play any number of video games where you can experience a high speed chase as you show your disrespect for the police, or use your arsenal of virtual weapons to kill as many authority figures as possible, not to mention the extra points for committing other various acts of violence.
I find it amazing and tragic to see how society has de-evolved to the level that it has. There is hope, but it will take some drastic measures. We can turn our society around and set it on a course of prosperity once again, but we all have to do our part.
When you examine the games, music and videos that our society has created for entertainment, it’s not that unusual that real life events are mimicking our entertainment.
In the fifties, children watched westerns like Wild Bill Hickok, or Roy Rogers and Dale Evans for entertainment, and then went outside to emulate these heroes. In the sixties there was Zorro, Spiderman, and Batman and Robin, and again children emulated these superheroes in their play.
It isn’t unusual that today’s children who play violent video games, listen to music which glorifies rape and murder, and watch television shows that demonstrate a total lack of respect for authority figures, will emulate these action in their real life, just as children have done in the past.
Parents must take responsibility for their children’s actions and take back control of the household from over indulged children that have rarely heard the word “NO”. Parents must place limits on the amount of television and video games children play, and understand that children do not have the cognitive abilities to differentiate fantasy from reality, especially when they have been immersed in a world of violence from television and video games.
A great place to start is by monitoring and limiting the amount of time children spend on-line “socializing” with their friends. I’m sorry but chatting on-line with a friend from school, or worse an unknown child predator, is not socializing and is not a skill that will build confidence and self-respect.
If you want your children to be successful in school, in work and in life, you need to understand the habits that contribute to that success. Self-respect and self-discipline are the keys to that success, and they can not simply be turned on when required. In fact the longer you take to develop these skills in your children the longer and harder it will be for them to develop them.
There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but to live a quality life filled with success requires a solid foundation based on respect.
