Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus of Education, The University of British Columbia
[permission granted to reproduce if authorship acknowledged]
Our expectation that presidents and prime ministers are models of socially-acceptable behaviour was upended with the election of Donald Trump. As a public figure, his misanthropic, misogynistic, and prejudicial behaviour appears to make such behaviour by others seem acceptable.
Donald Trump is by no means the first public figure whose behaviour has caused significant concern. A highly visible sandwich chain terminated its spokesperson (who lost 200 lbs eating its sandwiches) when he was arrested and convicted of possession and distribution of child pornography and other offenses. A soft drink company severed its relationship with a prominent rapper when the rapper’s lyrics made an offensive and violent reference to a civil rights icon who was the victim of violence.
Role models for children and youth have been on my mind off and on for twenty years or more. The partnering of school jurisdictions and professional sports teams seems like a good way to capitalize on the celebrity-status of athletes to promote something like reading until an athlete on the partnered sports team physically or sexually assaults someone.
So, it isn’t just the Bully-in-Chief that has me thinking about role models. In fact, this blog was prompted by a bon mot on a mug someone gave me: “It’s never too late to turn your life around, so why start now?”
The witticism made me think about the things I should do or should have done to improve my health but didn’t. I quit smoking at age 38. I never should have started in the first place but had many self-defeating reasons for continuing. For many of us the cheeky caption on the mug is a reminder that we should lose weight, exercise, and do countless other things that we postpone.
But the quip also prompted me to think about role models in the context of education. What came to mind were the efforts made in school to educate about substance abuse and programs for children and youth to persuade them not to become involved in gangs. Many such efforts make use of role models, people who abused substances and no longer do, and former gang members.
I am not certain what children and youth think when confronted with such models, but I fear that they may say “s/he abused drugs or alcohol or was a gang member and later changed her life. I can do that (abuse substances or join a gang) and change my life later, too.”
I have been searching the literature and contacting researchers in a variety of fields to find evidence that will either allay or confirm my fears. I’d like to report that I’ve found the answer, but, so far, I have not. Several of the experts who have responded to my inquiries have said “good question, to which I do not have an answer.”
The frequency with which we consciously present children and youth with role models with the intention of influencing their behaviour should prompt us to seek such evidence of its impact. In the meantime, we should proceed cautiously.