Wednesday, June 6, 2007

role models

i came across two contrasting stories today. they had to do with role models. unfortunately, one was a role model that the young people of today might try to emulate and the other is one from days gone by.

last friday, a coach for the minor league mississippi braves went crazy after an ump made a call that he didn't like. since the game was being televised, the footage was downloaded to the ever popular youtube. if you really want to watch it, you can follow this link.

the coach's tirade went on for over two minutes. he just went on and on. in my opinion, the only thing he accomplished was looking like a child throwing a temper tantrum. the sad thing is that hundreds (if not thousands) of young people have watched this video. i read that once it was uploaded to youtube, it quickly became one of the most watched video during that that time. and sadly, kids who watch it thinks it cool and funny. so what does this teach the younger generations?

the other thing i came across was a write-up about mr. rogers. whether you watched mr. rogers or not, whether you liked him or not, you'd have to admit he was one-of-a-kind. the tribute is titled, 15 reasons mr. rogers was the best neighbor ever and the 15 reasons were ones that i had never heard before.

if you read the post you'll understand what i mean when i say this is the kind of role model we want for the youth of today. he was disciplined, he was kind, he cared about others, and the list goes on. one of the most interesting things i found was that he got into tv because he actually hated tv. that's what you call; being part of the change and not part of the problem.

he said that the first time he turned on a tv, he saw people angrily throwing pies in each other's faces. he vowed to use the medium for a better purpose. he sure did. and now we're back to watching things such as a grown man kicking dirt and yelling at an authority figure, stealing a base, using a rosen bag as a hand grenade, and the list goes sadly on.

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link of the day:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/top25-disappear.htm

2 comments:

Susan said...

You've said it well. That clip of the coach even made it on to our local evening news show!!

Anonymous said...

Well said and well needed. Thanks.