A recent survey conducted by the British-American Tobacco funded Stiftung für Zukunftsfragen asked 14 - 29 year olds, who they would name as a role model/idol (Vorbild):
Mother Teresa (24%), Martin Luther King (20%), Mahatma Gandhi (15%), Anne Frank (14%), Hans and Sophie Scholl (11%) and Graf von Stauffenberg (7%).
Yes, they're all dead.
Doesn't really surprise me, though. I, too, would have a hard time to come up with a lively answer for that question, especially among "public figures". If pressed, I at the moment would feel least uncomfortable with Michele Obama (seriously).
What does surprise me, though, is that no athlete or popstar pops up in this top 6 list. Maybe (hopefully) my/the next generation did* finally understand that stars aren't role models**. Yet most people probably might still have "famous" people in mind when talking about role models/idols. Unfortunately, I'd say, since in my opinion, family members and everyday heroes are the best role models - maybe the only role models one should have, if one doesn't want to reject the concept "role model" entirely.
I found this survey in a post on Mädchenmannschaft, which describes hard time the participants in a recent discussion had to find a female role model. One interesting example that cought my eye was that somebody mentioned Lena Odental - but the participant wouldn't specify whether he meant the Tatort character or the actress portraying her, Ulrike Folkerts.
Maybe today's idols are dead - or fictional.
*Or the survey is just flawed. The list is way too conventional - and neat.
** Rockstars are either "just like us... or dicks"
Doesn't really surprise me, though. I, too, would have a hard time to come up with a lively answer for that question, especially among "public figures". If pressed, I at the moment would feel least uncomfortable with Michele Obama (seriously).
What does surprise me, though, is that no athlete or popstar pops up in this top 6 list. Maybe (hopefully) my/the next generation did* finally understand that stars aren't role models**. Yet most people probably might still have "famous" people in mind when talking about role models/idols. Unfortunately, I'd say, since in my opinion, family members and everyday heroes are the best role models - maybe the only role models one should have, if one doesn't want to reject the concept "role model" entirely.
I found this survey in a post on Mädchenmannschaft, which describes hard time the participants in a recent discussion had to find a female role model. One interesting example that cought my eye was that somebody mentioned Lena Odental - but the participant wouldn't specify whether he meant the Tatort character or the actress portraying her, Ulrike Folkerts.
Maybe today's idols are dead - or fictional.
*Or the survey is just flawed. The list is way too conventional - and neat.
** Rockstars are either "just like us... or dicks"
Volle Zustimmung.
ReplyDeleteUmph, dass aber Graf von Stauffenberg dort auftaucht, ist dann schon - Achtung schlechter Wortwitz - starker Tobak. Aber wahrscheinlich ist sowieso der Stauffenberg gemeint, den Tom Cruise darstellte. Also doch wieder ein Star?!
Die Abwesenheit von Popkulturikonen im engeren Sinne ist, auch wenn die Umfrage sicher durch jüngere Kinofilme über die letzten drei beeinflusst ist, tatsächlich auffällig... jetzt müsste man bei der Umfrage mal ins Kleingedruckte schauen, bevor man anfängt über Poprezeption damals und heute zu spekulieren.
ReplyDeleteUnd noch ein spontaner Gedanke: Die genannten Vorbilder sind ja nicht nur tot, sondern haben sich auch alle in anderen Staaten/Gesellschaften gewirkt als der unsrigen -- das macht es womöglich zusätzlich leichter, sie als Vorbilder zu nennen?