RSSWhen I Grow Up…
It’s career day in grade school. A handful of business professionals patiently wait their turn to speak to a room of snotty-nose kids about their fascinating careers. All the professionals contemplate the correct words to intrigue the children about the professions that they are involved in.
The big question is asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Timmy, in an animated way sitting on the front row raises his hand and says he wants to be a professional baseball player. His favorite baseball player is A- Rod, and he has been noticing the big uproar in the media about him and really digs it. Katie, who’s a little shy and sits towards the back of the class says, “ I want to be a recording artist like Brittany Spears.” She has cool hair…The Instructor says, “Okay, we have time for just one more and it better be a good one”. Daniel, who has been raising his hands patiently the entire class without being called on, jumps up and makes it a point to have the class hear his answers. “I want to be a rapper like Snoop Dogg,” he says. Very quietly in the back of the classroom a few children, who weren’t able to share their answers, quietly whisper among themselves: “I want to be a doctor, “ I want to be a lawyer” I want to be an Astronaut ”…
One thing I notice about young people is the similarities of the professions they desire to be when they grow up. More importantly, I’ve noticed the professions are ones that are familiar to them and that they receive education about. This education usually comes from familiar sources, the media, a family member, or a close friend.
Growing up in a neighborhood that was dominated by working class families and minorities, I experienced how certain careers are glorified and placed on a pedestal higher than others. No matter where you go in this country, these environments praise and sanctify the professions of music artist and professional athletics to our youth.
When I was a kid, I only had aspirations of being in the NFL. To me and kids everywhere, that 1% chance of making to the NFL, was our meal ticket out of the hood! Outside my immediate family, no one gave me praise for getting A’s in class. But they damn sure screamed at the top of their lungs when I scored a touchdown, or gave me high 5’s when they read my name in the newspaper.
The Media also contributes greatly to our perception of professional athletes and music artists. In my early life they glorified Michael Jordan for his contract of 90 million dollars. What athletic kid in the hood wouldn’t want to make that much money for something that they do for fun anyway? Today athletes like Alex Rodriquez, David Beckham, and Lebaron James are glorified in the media. I think that the media holds our society hostage by exulting these athletes and the large amounts of money that they earn.
In fact, I think that it is done on purpose. While we are busy talking about the athletes or rappers salary, it distracts us from who is really making the big money—the owners of the professional teams and the CEO’s of music labels. You never hear anyone say you can be William H. Gates III or Warren Edward Buffet or Oprah Winfrey, a big time philanthropist like Bono, TROUBL. In fact, if you asked any kid to point out and identify a picture of Warren Buffet most would not be able to. But if you asked them to do the same with Michael Jordan, A-Rod, or 50 cent they would in a heartbeat. These are the icons of our youth, the youth that make up our future.
The truth of the matter is we have to learn to think outside of the box, and to teach the youth not be limited to what society says they can be. Yes, Michael Jordan retired with over 40 Million dollars in endorsements. That year, he made more than twice as much as all U.S. past presidents for all of their terms combined. Amazing isn’t it. But what’s even more amazing is that if Jordan saves 100% of his income for the next 450 years, he’ll still have less than Bill Gates has today.
There is only one more thing that is more amazing than that! If you earn all of the money that these people make in their lifetimes and do nothing to create, or if you don’t learn to have your own mind and think outside the box that society has put us in, than all of it means nothing.
So if you ask me today “What do I want to be when I grow up? I Want to be TROUBL!…
4 Comments, Comment or Ping
deathmust b ez
I feel what you are saying my friend. Your right why can’t you be a Professional Athlete and Real Estate Mogul as well. Why do we have to settle for being teachers, When we can be principals? Why do we settle to be principals? “When we can own schools!.” I also agree with you when you mentioned how society brainwashes us to think that we ar oe limited to only doing certain things in life. Shit, don’t get me wrong. I love and condone individuals chasing their dreams. Now lets broaden our horizons and step out the norm in which society expects of us. Let’s learn to Dream on a larger scale…
[Reply]
divine favor
I never looked at it that way. I am grade school teacher. I understand the importance of education. I stress that upon those around me, especially to my 16 year old daughter. I try to guide her future career decisions to gear toward education and pressure her to be a teacher as well.
I think that I am so hung up on the fact that I think that as educators we are biggest difference makers in the world, and are the most unappreciated working professionals on the face of the planet.
Mr. or Mrs. Troublsome I understand your points. I guess I just think that, because I’m not really a big sports fan and push my students to focus on their academics instead, that I’m a remnant to the rest of world. In reality I’m doing the same thing that society has done to me.
[Reply]
BAREFOOTSOUL
Spectacular piece Troublsome!!!!! *you got me over here smiling*
I absolutely love the notion of thinking outside of the box, and teaching our youths not to be limited by societies’ standards. How can we start that wave of change? Can we start our own career day expo with great minds from all different occupations to excite the youth on a universal level instead of what’s “HIP” or “IN” or “TRENDY” today…….the status quo?
Just like when kids of every ethnic group play in the sandbox together, they have no clue that they are different and so they judge and form opinions of each other solely on their own merit. But when you have a kid stuck and isolated in the same old place for too long, they recognize these differences and actually do one of two things: embrace change or run for the hills. We have to get our youth involved in NEW activities that will give them unlimited possibilities in the future. With over 9 billion people on the planet I highly doubt that we need another A- Rod, Brittany Spears, Snoop Dogg, Alex Rodriquez, David Beckham, Lebaron James, William H. Gates III or Warren Edward Buffet or Oprah Winfrey. Those people are all great in their own right and if youth truly want to look up to any of them that’s fine, but we must also hone in on their own INDIVIDUAL creativity. We need to teach them to embrace and exhibit the qualities that make them DIFFERENT from everyone else and make them stand out above the rest. We need to help them develop their own memorable and unmistakable persona. I teach my boys to celebrate themselves!!! Just like me - I know that I’m different because I don’t see anyone else who is like me AND I LOVE IT!!!!!!! Being one of a kind is better than being one of a hundred people who all look and act the same!!!!!
And like you said Troublsome: ……..”………if you earn all of the money that these people make in their lifetimes and do nothing to create, or if you don’t learn to have your own mind and think outside the box that society has put us in, than all of it means nothing……”
You and Jesus must have had an AHA!!!! moment:
“what good is it if a man gain the whole world and lose his soul in the process”
THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!
[Reply]
Chilerkle
Well I have decided to be an animator as a sixth grader after seeing the creator of Rocko’s Modern Life show me his job of drawing which I loved to do since I was a little girl.
I didn’t want to be a sports star or a singer because none of that stuff interested me.
If I were to become a successful animation director and an owner of a studio I would gladly allow talented young people to work as my paid apprentices and also offer them references should they decide to work elsewhere.
[Reply]
Reply to “When I Grow Up…”
SEE ALSO
♦ TROUBLMan - So-Called Heroes
December 3, 2007
♦ D.Yerevanian - To Home Plate
February 22, 2008
♦ TROUBLMan - We Live This
November 30, 2007
♦ Boosy - TROUBL in Spain
March 18, 2008
♦ Terry - Class Notes
December 10, 2007