Were your ‘role models’ or ‘heroes’ the same sex and ethnic origin as you?
By Fleur
@Fleura (35160)
United Kingdom
October 27, 2015 5:28am CST
In recent years, especially with the increase in single-parent families and the rise of ‘multiculturalism’ there has been more attention on trying to provide children and adolescents with appropriate role models, and the recommendation seems to be that everyone needs someone of the same sex and ethnic background as themselves to look up to and to inspire them.
I just wondered how many MyLotters followed this ideal when they were growing up?
I know the people I admired when I was growing up were of both sexes and I never even gave a thought to their ethnic background, in fact in many cases I didn’t know it. Did you idolise someone and then later decide that that you would have to drop that person because they were of the ‘wrong’ sex or ethnicity?
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2015.
9 people like this
10 responses
@WorDazza (15826)
• Manchester, England
27 Oct 15
My heroes included Fats Domino, Pele and Marie Curie (I was a strange child!!). So as a white male then the answer to your question is no, not all of them!
While, on the face of it this does look like a classic case of creating an issue where non exists I can sort of see where it is coming from. If a child sees someone from a similar background as themselves, be that ethnic, gender, socio-economic or whatever, doing well in life then it can help to make them think "well they're just like me and they did it so why can't I?"
4 people like this
@Fleura (35160)
• United Kingdom
27 Oct 15
I wonder whether television and other visual media make the problem worse? When most of our information came from books then unless they had pictures or the person's ethnic background was made a specific point you could read the story and it could apply to anyone.
2 people like this
@mrtoffee (1522)
•
27 Oct 15
They were both sexes for me to and I never even thought about their backgrounds or the cultures they came from. I think the current problem is everyone is being forced to approach things in certain way and not being left to work it out for themselves. Role models should be people who inspire us to be the best we can be, it really does not matter if they are male, female, straight, gay or where they originate from, if they inspire us than that is what they are there for.
3 people like this
@Rollo1 (16676)
• Boston, Massachusetts
27 Oct 15
This is a difficult question to answer, because I think my role models were in my own family, but influences from movies and TV obviously. I really think that I admired the people in the old movies that seemed so classy and so good at snappy patter, I loved musicals and those who could sing and dance and I listened to all sorts of music, whether the artists were male, female or whatever background. We had people from a lot of different backgrounds in my church and coming to my house on a regular basis. I never once thought about things like black or white, etc., until I got older and "All in the Family" came on TV and told me there was such a thing as prejudice. Otherwise, I might never have known.
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
27 Oct 15
my first role model was a leper - Thomas Covenant, the hero of Stephen Donaldson's Illearth books. He was the same gender and race as me but seriously mixed up and ill.
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@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
27 Oct 15
@Fleura yes, that the ones - still among my favourite books ever
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@Fleura (35160)
• United Kingdom
29 Oct 15
@MALUSE Sorry for the confusion, it doesn't really mean anything, it's just that we (in the UK) sometimes say that someone looked 'as white as a sheet' (for example if they are ill or have had a shock, and as @destry says in the comment above) but of course sheets are no longer necessarily white, they can be practically any colour.
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@the_thinker (340)
• India
29 Oct 15
I do not believe in idolizing anyone. By role model, I mean those great personalities from whom we can learn various great things. Idolizing promotes blind belief and that is not recommended.
Anyways, coming to your question? The gender of my role model is same as mine but ethnic origin is different. My role model is Charlie Chaplin.
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