Imbeciles at play

Athletes using steroids ...who cares???

Why are Congress, State authorities and the media so obsessed with these ridiculous issues? Surely there has never been a time in the history of America where its lawmakers had so little real work to do that they needed to conduct congressional hearings (spending millions of dollars) on whether professional athletes used chemicals to improve their performance?? Duh!

I'm the first to acknowledge that athletes are role models, and children are easily influenced and will follow in the steps of their idols. BUT - if that's true, why would you publicize the fact that some of the best, most successful and most admired athletes did something bad? Is it not reasonable to assume that a child will look at A-Rod or Barry Bonds or Jose Canseco or whomever and say - hmmm... these guys became mega-super-duper-stars, made TONS of money, drove amazing cars, had all those beautiful women throwing themselves at them, etc., etc., and what's the one thing I remember about how they got there? Steroids!

So what will that child do???

Yep, you guessed it. A quick search yielded these (1, 2, 3) articles on steroid use among teens, and in the last article, correlating it directly to Barry Bonds' usage of steroids through BALCO.

By showcasing and publicizing these athletes, by Congress sticking it's nose in the problem, and by Attorneys General in various states getting involved (because of course there are no other crimes and criminals in their states), all we've done is glorified the effect of steroids, and provided children who are always looking for a quick fix an easy way out.

This is emblematic of our society. It's hard to find a day when the media doesn't exalt bad behavior, or some idiot (witness the media following Joe the Plumber during his trip to Israel) making a fool of themselves. The media will tell you that that drives viewership or readership, and that's why they do it.

Isn't or shouldn't our media adhere to a higher standard? Why is it that in this country more people exalt bad behavior than good? In fact, the only consistent acknowledgment of good behavior in this country is directed at soldiers, fire fighters and police officers. Can you think of the last time you saw someone other than these (doubtless very deserving) communities be recognized in the mainstream?

Have you for example seen Nobel Laureates or even Space Shuttle crews get this kind of recognition? Has anyone (other than Obama during the campaign) been lauded for being smart in your memory? Is it any wonder that our children wish to blend in at school (never be exceptional), and seek the quick, easy path to success (sports, music, selling drugs), versus going to school, getting an education and getting a great job?

Look at the ethic of most of the children in the countries referenced in this entry (from India, China and Africa). I went to school in Tanzania for the first few years of my life. In our school (as with most schools in the "third" world), every child aspired to sit at the front of the class. Why? Because that's where the smartest children sat, and that's where we all wanted to be. When I got to North America, being smart was not just uncool, it would get you beaten up!

Instead of opening investigations and hearings on the use of steroids in baseball, Congress should keep its eye on the ball, and recognize and applaud the great things that smart and successful people do in this country, and show our children the very direct correlation between education and economic success.