My wife loves Ellen Degeneres. She DVR’s the show and watches it after work. Ellen had Will Smith on her show sometime this week and he said something that made me have much more respect for him (not that I didn’t before) and it was profoundly true.
He was talking about how he’s trying to get his kids reading as often as possible by telling them that everything has been written. There is no new problem that you will face that someone else hasn’t already experienced and written about. Basically he was saying to go read a damn book (my words not his) when you can’t figure something out.
I am an avid reader and often find myself frustrated by the fact that we live in a force fed generation of bad TV watchers. Why do I care?
Because no one is held accountable for the mindless dribble that is rotting the brains of lazy Americans. Not the news, or the press, or the major media companies. What possible life lessons do you learn from the cut reels of American Idol? Not to be stupid in front of a camera? You should know that already!
I fear most because I have children. They are young and impressionable and I don’t see enough role models for them. No longer do we hold the morally good on a pedestal. Instead we watch them from below waiting, nay hoping, for them to fall. Then we reward the talentless or the disgustingly shameful to be famous for fifteen minutes at a time. Why?
I don’t want my children to look up to Paris Hilton. I don’t want them to play with Bratz.
As a parent I will do my absolute best to teach them culture, art, and self worth. Unfortunately I think they will be the only ones in their schools with morals, standards, and a basic knowledge of what’s right and wrong.
Who’s fault is all of this? It’s the lazy parents. I see them everywhere. Instead of disciplining their children they allow their children to walk all over them. Do these clueless parents really think it will get easier further down the road? It’s no wonder television shows like Nanny911 are a Godsend to these people. All they had to do was read a damn book and practice some discipline. Discipline on their children and on themselves.
Sheesh, and I was just going to write a little about the book I was reading.
