Where Are The Real Men?

Gone are those days when a whole lot of men saw education as the path to success. Back in the day, a good foundation in education was the bedrock of a laudable career, entrepreneurship and other great accomplishments.

For many young men of nowadays however, it’s “a different ball game”. And contrary to media impressions, this problem cuts across racial lines. All around different communities, neighborhoods, cities and States are too many young men turning their backs on education. Their only aspiration is to get rich…and quick!

In their bids to get rich quick though, these young fellows are “putting the cart before the horse”. They drop out of schools with impunity. And by schools, we are talking about mere 7th or 8th grade. Forget a high school diploma…and don’t even think of a college education.

But where have all the values gone?

Ask about ambition and all you’ll hear is the desire to sing, act in movies or be sports personalities. Well…these are not bad aspirations…except that there is still a need for a solid foundation in education. Those who venture into any of these lucrative fields without a foundation in education often end up financially and morally bankrupt after being used by some exploitative individuals and institutions. Ask Mike Tyson.  

And by the way, for every sports or show-biz personality, there are millions who merely dream or aspire to be one. And there is this salient question; if everyone chose to be in show-biz or sports arena, who then would be the medical doctors, lawyers, engineers and teachers?

Ironically, while more and more young men are dropping out of schools, a large number of young women are graduating, not only from high schools but also from colleges. And as these women embark on various enviable careers, the men are either loitering at home (usually, mommy’s homes) or lurking around street corners on some “wild goose chase”.

Unfortunately, it’s from a pool of such men, consisting largely of barely literate, lazy hustlers that highly educated, professional women are expected to date and even marry. This therefore explains the rationale behind the decisions of many women to remain single instead of getting stuck in mismatched relationships. They would more likely do this than having to contend with men of poor intellect, emotional imbalance and inferiority complex.

But under this circumstance, what fate awaits the future generations? Even when he has bundles of cash to throw around, what sort of a role model does a poorly-educated guy expects to play in the lives of his kids when he can barely spell, read or hold his own in certain environments that call for intellectually-stimulating conversations?