Children look to adults for answers they cannot answer themselves.
Sometimes adults do not realize when children are watching, but children are always learning.
A classroom setting is not necessary to gain knowledge.
One early Thursday evening, I was driving home from class listening to the radio. Tallahassee’s hip- hop radio station was advertising for an annual back to school event. School supplies would be given away for disadvantaged children in the Leon County area. One lucky kid would win a Gucci book bag just in time for the first day of school.
How chic! I admit that I anticipated school shopping the week before school started. My outfit for the first day of school was the most valued, and very well the most fly thing I picked out; but where do we limit hype?
Last week President Obama spoke to a Virginia high school about education. He told the students he expects them to take responsibility for their own education. President Obama even rejected the idea of getting gaudy rich without any hard work.
“You get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.”
The Gucci book bag is similar to the images children see on T.V., a pseudonym of real life. The bag is temporary just like the cars in the music videos and the half naked women careen on them.
What most do not know about reality television and music videos, is that 95 percent of the materialistic items are courtesy of the producer, record label, or network.
The radio station influenced the children listeners in the wrong direction. The Gucci bag giveaway conveyed the mundane idea that returning to school with a prized Gucci book bag was more important than an educational item that would advance their education.
The winner of the book bag will not think about all of the educational supplies they could have received in lieu of the bag. The student instantly thinks about the attention and praise they will receive from their classmates.
Honestly, I cannot blame the kid. Parents and the radio station should have made more responsible choices on the child’s behalf. The parents should have recognized the rash idea and not entered their children in the contest.
The radio station could have given away a computer, graphing calculators or a musical instrument.
These items are sometimes too expensive for families, but winning one of these tools would give the student the opportunity to expand their learning experience at home.
I don’t think the station was making a cogent decision, choosing to give away the Gucci book bag. The radio station more so wanted to excite the kids and bring in a large turnout. Tsk, Tsk! Radio station. You all have to remember the media heavily influences humans, youth especially.
We are all listening. Be responsible.