The Loss of Positive Male Role Models and Educational Priorities in the U.S.

During the 1950s, the scientist was the hero of our movies, saving us from space aliens and mutant insects. Why have our collective goals shifted away from educated men as role models?

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There was a time, several decades ago, when society held education as a high priority. So what happened? Today, we are plagued by school cutbacks and America overall dropping down a long list of the top world education systems. Where does this place our boys and young men in our culture?

I’m in my mid-thirties, and from what I have seen of today’s youth, things haven’t changed that much from the time that I was in school. In my school days, Michael Jordan was who everybody wanted to be. Sports were the number one priority because it was viewed that only through sports could a man receive respect, money and popularity. Not to mention women. Nerds were frowned upon. Some of this culture has changed over the years with a rise in popularity of nerd culture through the Big Bang Theory and comic books ruling our movie theaters. That said, the masculine cult of the sports hero is still a large part of our culture passed down from generation to the generation. One half of our species is being raised to become arm chair quarterbacks that will never reach the status they strive for and who worship the less than 1% that achieve the ultimate desired goal.

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So what happened? Why did our collective goals shift? During the 1950s, the scientist was the hero of our movies, saving us from space aliens and mutant insects. They were the heroes of our culture, not the gun toting action heroes we later looked up to in the 80s. The 50s and even the 60s saw a time where education and technology leaped our country forward to dominate the rest of the world. Our education was towards the top of the charts. We traveled into space and built the first computers.

Then our focus changed. In the 1980’s there was the threat of nuclear war. Our culture was obsessed with spending and instant gratification. What was the point of spending years on science and technology when you could be nuked tomorrow? Then the Cold War was over. The nation was in debt and a whole generation was living in the moment. When the economy did turn around we refocused on pop stars and sports. Multi-million dollar deals were at the top of everyone’s wish list. The 90s ended with a surplus of cash and the economy doing better than ever, yet our youth was concentrating on money and fame above everything else. If your face wasn’t on Sports Illustrated you weren’t important; you were nothing. This hasn’t changed. Reality television stars teach us that being an asshole on MTV will have women flocking to you and you can get paid for it. Sports heroes are freed from their sexual assault and rape charges, not held accountable for their actions and are rewarded with millions in future contracts. These are the heroes of our youth. And why shouldn’t they be?

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In my home state of Michigan, the governor cut education funding by tens of millions closing schools and programs across the board. We focus on building new schools instead of how our kids are being taught in the classroom. We once had classic educations and a focus on the Renaissance man. Instead of the balance between sports and education, knowledge has been tossed aside for what will bring in more money. When 99% of our male population doesn’t reach the goal of star athlete, they are left with nothing to fall back on. Our culture is to blame. The focus of money equaling happiness is pulling the smartest people in our country to Wall Street instead of universities and science labs. Parents teach their children to place money first over knowledge and happiness, repeating a cycle of misery and indentured servitude. My parents did this and it wasn’t until my thirties I realized how mentally ill our society really was. I cringe when abstinence only sex education takes priority over science and math programs. I’m depressed when every study for the past twenty years shows that high school students are not ready for college when they graduate. We throw money at our problems as if it will solve everything and haven’t learned that it is us who need to change. We treat millionaires and sports stars as a moral authority, someone to look up to when we ignore the minds of Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking and Einstein. I’ve never heard of a Super Bowl or World Series that changed the world. Currently, Wall Street bankers are dropping left and right from suicide, sports figures are being charged with all kinds of crimes. While the signs are our there as to what needs to change, our society continues on the same path of self destruction with the insane notion that more of the same will somehow turn out a different result later on. If you want to help future generations of young men in our society give them someone to really look up to. Teach them what is truly important in this world. Make it a priority to put their education first. _______ Image credit: lehman_11/flickr

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