Far too many people have looked at Obama's beer party on the lawn as no big deal. It's a guy thing. It's what they do. Who cares? Parents should, and here's why.
Young people look at Obama as a celebrity and their hero. Many feel connected to him because he's of mixed race. That connection naturally leads to feeling like he's one of them. (2) He created his celebrity image by hanging out with celebrities like Oprah and singers who supported his campaign through music videos. (2) Young women swoon over him. (1)
Using the image he created, Obama focused on getting the youth involved in his campaign. He lured them in using just one word, one word that sparks the fire in nearly every youth, and that word is "change." He offered them a chance to be part of something big, "something new and counter-revolutionary." (1) He offered them a chance to create a new world, a world that he would lead them in to.
What Obama ignored with his irresponsible behaviour is that "with great power, comes great responsibility." (Uncle Ben to Peter Parker) The youth of this country are bending over backwards to put Obama's ideas into action. That kind of devotion means they will copy whatever Obama does - that includes having little beer parties to settle disputes and talk things over. We copy those we admire. Because Obama has set himself up as a celebrity figure and today's youth "worship celebrities like gods" (2), you can count on there being youth trying to emulate him. And you can count on there being consequences for their choice.
Obama's beer party was careless and wreckless. He knows the image he's created. He did it on purpose. He knows the youth of this country will copy him. What parents need to know are these sobering statistics: 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S. is by youth ages 12 -20. (3) Alcohol is the number one drug among youth. "Alcohol related accidents are a leading cause of teen deaths." (4)
Obama owes the parents of this country a huge apology for the irreparable damage he has done to their kids.
"With great power, comes great responsibility." It's something Obama may never learn .
Bibliography
- Van Petten, Vanessa. "Why Young People Like Obama." <http://www.radicalparenting.com/2008/02/17/why-young-people-like-obama> Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- Mama, Retro. "Young People Love Barack Obama." <http://hubpages.com/hub/Young-People-Love-Barack-Obama> Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- "Alcohol and Public Health - Underage Drinking." <http://www.cdc.gov/Alcohol/quickstats/underage_drinking.htm>
- "Teen Drinking: Talking to your teen about alcohol." <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/teen-drinking/MY00521> Retrieved August 1, 2009.
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2 comments:
More responsibility is needed for sure.
I think adults forget how easily influenced they were when they were young. I think they forget how easily they still are and do what their heroes do. Think Oprah. Oprah reads a book - suddenly it turns into a best seller because all her fans start reading it too.
It's even more so with obama youth.
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