NEW THINGS

I was watching a show yesterday or should I say early this morning called My Sweet 16 on MTV. It is about kids who celebrate their 16th birthday with a big bash. Needless to say, I was amazed at how our young people are more concerned with who has the most or the best as opposed to their plans for the future. I am not knocking having a good time and going into your new found age with a good time, but one of the shows focused on two friends who went to the same school and had their 16th birthdays coming up right behind each other. The first girl made it a necessity to outdo the other girl by having a grand party and an even grander gift from her parents. She got a Lexus for her 16th B-Day. Well when the other friend did her birthday party her parents go Fat Joe and DJ Khaled to do the music for her party. Plus she got a Mercedes from her parents. You should have seen the face on the first girl. If looks could kill everyone would have been dead including me and my daughter who were looking at it after the fact.

Another point is that I was talking to my friend and she was saying how some of the young people she knew wanted to go to school, but forgo the traditional schools like FIU or Miami Dade or even UM. They wanted to go to the Technical schools which promise a faster way to get the degree you want. She tried to explain to them that it would be best to go the traditional route as the other schools are mainly private and costs a lot of money. This means that the schooling will be covered by loans. And if you can get a degree in 6 months, that usually takes two years then I need to sell you the fountain of youth because you are being bamboozled. Something is not right. The point I am trying to make is that it appears to her and myself that the kids just want to show off and let everyone see how fast they got what they wanted. This world is really changing because the focus is not on building up character and hard-work, but get rich quick schemes and show and tell.

And to not get off the subject completely, have you noticed those makeover shows like on Maury Povich. Have you noticed that they only focus on the outside and very rarely say what is going on in their minds or their life. It is a case of Show and Sell. Show myself and what I have in the physical to sell you something that will not give you a good understanding of who I am and what I have to offer. Anyhoo, I was just wondering what your feelings are on the SHow and Sell and off of the building of a great character? Surabi