Danielle N. Calhoun

MICHAEL VICK

My home team, the Eagles, recently picked Michael Vick to be on their team. And I must say, as a parent, I think that any team that allows someone who is supposed to be a role model that used to bet on dog fights is out for trouble.

When I was growing up, role models were almost never in trouble, but in this day and age, it seems a lot have been under the microscope.

I know I was not born in the days of The Lone Ranger or Roy Rogers, but why can’t we have role models that children can look up to that don’t have their life plastered all over the news and other media sources?

Officer Friendly was my imaginary friend. Yes, I know, in this day and age, kids imaginary friends still exist, but it seems to me that as soon as a child is even suspected of having an imaginary friend, it is immediately assumed they have a problem, or are facing problems at home or in school.

Bullies are no exception. In the old days, you were allowed to fight back, but now, you have to seek help from an adult who in most cases blames you before blaming the bully.

I want to live back in the days where life was indeed like a box of chocolates, instead of one where the candy has gone stale, and the ice cream man can’t even play their tunes.

When will we learn that nature vs. nurture is just an example of how far society has gone to rely on science to figure things out?

Why can’t we be our own scientists? I remember days I used to pick up a worm and dissect it myself, without the threat or thought of germs or anything else that could creep into my skin. I remember times where I thought being cool meant being the class clown or even the nerd, or heaven forbid the hot kid in school.

Now the only thing that makes you cool is doing drugs or doing stupid at home stunts fashioned after the “Do not try this at home” shows. YouTube is a waste of space, and so is MySpace: Nothing but immature fools and pedophiles. Not to mention people who can’t spell worth beans.

We are the victims of the mindless generation. No longer do we seek advice from reliable sources, we more often than not use advice from someone who doesn’t know his elbow from an oboe!

Practice what you preach, people, teach what you should teach and reach for the sky instead of standing in the welfare line.

Don’t cry to me that you can’t get a job and need to feed your habits, you need to grow up and feed the family you made when you laid your girl/man down for a fling that you realize now, is no longer a cool thing.

Become humane, not just human, don’t use, don’t abuse and don’t allow others to shoot you down…… literally.

I’m done for now……

Submitted for the July 2009 IWVPA Club Theme Project, “Role Model”