Television Mentors and Role Models

We’re always talking about the importance of television as a way of shaping people’s beliefs and morals, and I’m certainly a big believer in that concept. Sometimes (in the past, more so) these influences were for the better, and sometimes they are for the worst. So today I thought it would just be fun to talk about (perhaps admit) which characters on television were role models and heroes for us. Who did you want to be like? Whose thinking did you try to adopt? Even if yours weren’t ones you would advocate today or be proud of, it’s still important to recognize honestly who has influenced us in the past so we can be aware of how they might tend to continue influencing us in the future.

Post-show Thoughts:
When you start doing this, it becomes immediately obvious how useless and counterproductive the vast majority of today's television role models are compared with those of yesteryear. Particularly sad is the complete loss of the Western genre and all the fantastic masculine role models which sprang from it. Men, in particular, who are searching for their identity need strong images and icons to set their expectations both for themselves and that other people will have of them. Simply compare the likely results of a society whose male icons are Ward Cleaver, the Lone Ranger, Mike Brady, and the Rifleman compared with a society whose male icons are Homer Simpson, Jerry Seinfeld, Joey Tribiani, and Ted Bundy. If only the networks had chosen to run these high-quality shows from the old days when the writers went on strike, we would possibly have all begun to realize just what we're missing these days.

Bill asked an insightful question about how it could be that a society steeped in such strong male heroes could have so failed in parenting either as the Boomers or as the Boomers' parents. My explanation is two-fold. First, a society defined by images, even excellent ones, will always be inferior to one shaped by words. Second, the Boomers (or their parents) failed to control the quality of media content as it shifted from these strong, useful images to the modern ones. But I'm open to other thoughts if you have them. Post below.

Some of my own television mentors and role models:
Perry Mason, Hawkeye—M.A.S.H., Mr. Roarke—Fantasy Island, Hannibal—A-Team, MacGyver, Captain America, Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, Starsky and Hutch, ChiPs, Bill Cosby—Cosby Show, Thomas Magnum—Magnum PI, Steve Majors—Six Million Dollar Man, Simon Templar—The Saint, James West—Wild Wild West, Charlie Chan, Tarzan, Quincy, Kirk, Spock, Bones—Star Trek, Picard, Ryker—STNG, Cisco Kid, Zorro

Callers' Examples:
Rifleman, Gunsmoke, Paladin--Have Gun Will Travel, Grizzly Adams, Marion Cunningham--Happy Days, Mike Brady--Brady Bunch, Andy Taylor--Andy Griffith Show, Ward Cleaver--Leave it to Beaver, Clint Eastwood, Dragnet, Father Knows Best.