Opinion Articles

So now Elton John himself thinks that the voting done on American Idol is racist. Obviously he hasn't spent on minute around today youth. If you think the vote is racist, you don't get it either.

Follow up:

My high school class voted a junior girl who was pregnant, 8 months pregnant, and a skater boy (we only had 3-4 in our school) with the tattoos, the ear, eye, nose, tongue, nipple and the wherever else piercing for our high school home coming queen and king. Dressed in maternity cloths and cloths that were barely more than rags, our king and queen entered the football stadium sitting on corvettes like the royalty they were.

Parents, faculty, neighboring school's parents and faculty and especially grandparents and rich people thought it was appalling. 99% of the people our age thought it was funny and awesome because we were bucking tradition. Who cares? We didn't.

Why? Because we thought, and in many ways we were definitely correct, we could cause an uproar, show people that we didn't care about stupid traditions that really didn't mean anything and we wanted parents to know that their opinion didn't count this time, it was our vote and our decision and they had to accept it whether they liked it or not.

So how is this different from American Idol? It isn't. The exact same principles are at play here. I think School Of Rock said it best, 'Stick it to the man.' and that's exactly what's happening with American Idol. Kids are mocking it for the mockery that it is.

Look at William Hung; do you think that we like his music? Heck no. If we liked to listen to his music we would have our friends belt out their best impressions of current artists, record it, slap it on a CD and it would cost well under fifty cents if you don't count having to sit through your friend's singing. William is popular because it is the unexpected thing to do. It is a way of mocking American Idol. We don't need their show, we don't need Simon, Paula and some Jackson telling us what is good and what isn't, who cares what they think. If we want someone to be popular we will decide. UNTIL THEN, we will mock their little show by voting off talent and voting in the people we want, like it or not.

William Hung, go man go and do not fall like Hammer or Jackson, invest that money and become a successful engineer. (I think he was an engineer...right?) I, like others, are proud of you.

Kids today are cynical, they are rebellious (aren't all kids?, weren't you?) they couldn't care less about authority and they definitely like to make adults question what they are doing. Most kids do hold it in but when there is a forum of no consequences like American Idol provides, like Internet Chat rooms, like email hidden from their parents and others that would judge them, they start to show their true colors.

So, sit back and try to make sense of it all. Spend time getting on the band wagon of racism, go ahead. Like crop circles, school shootings, drug use, alcohol use, kids not doing their homework and kids generally being a nuisance, there is no rhyme or reason to what is happening here. They are voting the way they want to vote because they want to do all the things that every generation has done whether it was Elvis' dancing, the Beetle's hair, or Eminem's filthy lyrics, if you are an adult and you think it should be one way, they are going to do the opposite.

At this point the article is going to start trailing but I do have a few key comparisons. I have spoken with many, many kids that have had counseling and have "problems" and need "special help" and yadda-yadda. Below is a list of what they say when they aren't under rule of a teacher, a parent, or someone else.

"Yeah, my parents really make me mad when they try to make me clean my room so I throw a tantrum and cost them an arm and a leg for the psychologist. Last month I cost them $500! They won't spend it on me any other way anyway!"

"I hate doing homework so I don't do it. I still pass and I don't have to do the work!"

When telling one relative that they should have a beneficiary on their account, even if they are young, because you never know if you are going to be alive tomorrow this relative said,

"I want to give money to the local zoo, that will piss my mom off because she always wants my money."

When telling this relative that maybe that isn't a way to get back at her mom because we are talking about death here...

"She'll miss my money more than me."

I kid you not. That's the conversation and I have witnesses. I also coach at the high school level and I have heard these type of situations happening in school either through teachers or my own experience.

I hope you are making money at analyzing why kids are voting the way they are voting...if you aren't you are as sad as me writing this article; telling the truth and the way it is knowing no one will listen.