Fiend responsible for young adults’ narcissism and entitlement identified
posted at 10:12 am on July 6, 2007 by Allahpundit
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The devil comes with a smile, my friends. And lots and lots of puppets.
Don Chance, a finance professor at Louisiana State University, says it dawned on him last spring. The semester was ending, and as usual, students were making a pilgrimage to his office, asking for the extra points needed to lift their grades to A’s.
“They felt so entitled,” he recalls, “and it just hit me. We can blame Mr. Rogers.”
Fred Rogers, the late TV icon, told several generations of children that they were “special” just for being whoever they were. He meant well, and he was a sterling role model in many ways. But what often got lost in his self-esteem-building patter was the idea that being special comes from working hard and having high expectations for yourself…
Prof. Chance teaches many Asian-born students, and says they accept whatever grade they’re given; they see B’s and C’s as an indication that they must work harder, and that their elders assessed them accurately. They didn’t grow up with Mr. Rogers or anyone else telling them they were born special.
By contrast, American students often view lower grades as a reason to “hit you up for an A because they came to class and feel they worked hard,” says Prof. Chance. He wishes more parents would offer kids this perspective: “The world owes you nothing. You have to work and compete. If you want to be special, you’ll have to prove it.”
He likes you just the way you are. The bastard.
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I think the problem stems from the fact that many instructors do give them the extra points. Therefore, you can’t hold it against the kid for trying.
Blake on July 6, 2007 at 10:15 AM
Right on professor!
rplat on July 6, 2007 at 10:19 AM
Let the man rest in peace. Does Prof. Chance have scientific stats to support his premise? Did every student asking him for extra credit grow up watching Mr. Rogers?
Granted, college kids today are part of the “it isn’t your fault, you’re a product of bad society, bad parenting, global warming, etc…” culture. But Mr. Rogers? Next they’ll say watching Big Bird leads to homosexuality.
jediwebdude on July 6, 2007 at 10:19 AM
NO, we can blame over-indulgent parents who believe that they should be best friends with their kids, instead of being their parents. Witness helicopter parents.
This is just pure liberal garbage to suggest that Mr. Rogers turned a whole generation of kids selfish. Every kids’ show does the same thing.
Jezla on July 6, 2007 at 10:21 AM
Can’t we blame the education movement that decided self esteem was more important than grades? Didn’t that have more to do with it than Mr. Rogers?
The man was around for 20 years or so. He gave me a concept of play clothes and outside clothes.
Esthier on July 6, 2007 at 10:29 AM
It’s the public educational system that teaches the kids if they gripe enough they’ll get the hand out. I work both sides of that fence and the blatant ignorance of the concept of ‘it still has to be good‘ escapes them.
TinMan13 on July 6, 2007 at 10:35 AM
Mr. Rogers was one of the people that taught me English. And also that men in cardigans would never do it for me.
Karol on July 6, 2007 at 10:35 AM
He’s right. Suck it up, buttercup. Mom lied – you’re not special.
Thomas the Wraith on July 6, 2007 at 10:35 AM
Mr. Rogers? It’s a children’s show for cryin’ out loud. I watched Mr. Rogers when I was younger, and I didn’t turn out a narcissist.
Mr. Rogers also taught humility and responsibility in his own small ways (the fish feeding, for example.)
No, the problem is teachers who just pass students ahead because they don’t want to deal with it and parents who didn’t drop the “you’re special and talented” shpeal after say 2nd grade.
BKennedy on July 6, 2007 at 10:36 AM
Wanna bet Professor Chance is not a high scorer on those “rate my professor” websites?
I can just imagine all the “lil darlins” at a party school like LSU goofing off all semester and then hitting up the faculty for extra points because they managed to show up for class most of the time. It’s a mentality that drives me crazy. Thank goodness for items like this that indicates there is still pockets of sanity within academia.
highhopes on July 6, 2007 at 10:45 AM
It’s Friday….school is out…
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3255754608010292411&q=get+over+it&total=37904&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=6
Limerick on July 6, 2007 at 10:46 AM
Outside my office back in academia (engineering), I had a picture of the Tacoma Straights Bridge in a state of resonance (destroying itself) with the following phrase below it…
!!! NO PARTIAL CREDIT !!!
Did it stop the whining and sniveling for grades? Nope, but going over the assessment (teacher talk for tests, HW, assignments etc) with a fine tooth comb helped with reinforcing the material. The effort involved by the student and re-grading the work either UP or DOWN worked wonders…Bwaaahhaaaaa!!!
No Partial Credit,
GoingThere on July 6, 2007 at 10:46 AM
Any takers on a bet that Professor Chance is going to have a hard time of it at the Tenured Only Club?
Pilgrim on July 6, 2007 at 10:46 AM
Once,when my son was 5….I heard a great crash come from his tiny bedroom. When i arrived,in a state of high alert, prepared to administer CPR @ the very least, all of his little friends were huddled in a cornor looking @ my son in shock. The dresser had been pulled down & the TV which sat on top of it was on the floor on top of my son.
When I asked him how,in the name of heaven THIS! had happened, he told me he was SICK! of Mr.Rogers,so he pulled out the bottom drawer & stepped up to slap him in the face.
lobosan5 on July 6, 2007 at 10:55 AM
I tend to see the Mr. Rodgers “You’re special” stuff as more of a symptom than a cause.
The whole self-esteem thing is kind of complex. I remember hearing about the studies that came out in the 60s and 70s that kids with high self-esteem tended to perform better. The teachers figured that if they could raise kids’ self-esteem, the kids would do better. It was a nice idea, and it truly came from wanting to help, I think, but it reversed cause and effect. The kids with good self-esteem didn’t do better because they had good self-esteem; they had good self-esteem because they did better.
Unfortunately, the self-esteem thing also dovetailed with the socialist/multiculturalist idea that everyone should do equally well, so it gave us stupid ideas like “creative spelling”.
I’ve known a lot of teachers (much of my family has worked in education), and I know that most of them truly want their kids to do well and develop. Most of them are also earnest liberals who are pretty quick to buy into any theory that tells them that they help their kids by being nice to them and reducing the level of competitiveness in their classrooms (after all, no kid should be a “loser”, right?)
Farmer_Joe on July 6, 2007 at 10:56 AM
Absent parenting is the root cause. I have an acquaintance that babysits his 5 yo girl with snacks and television. She is a female Eric Cartman. “I don’t want my little girl to grow up being called the “Fat Chick” in high school” he says. However, he takes no steps whatsoever in reversing the bad habits that bad parenting has instilled in his daughter.
Don’t blame Mr. Rogers, he is not your child’s parent.
Swinehound on July 6, 2007 at 10:58 AM
jediwwebdude on July 6, 2007 at 10:19 AM
…….But Mr. Rogers? Next they’ll say watching Big Bird leads to homosexuality.
That would be the teletubbies.
captivated_dem on July 6, 2007 at 10:58 AM
I never really got into Mr. Rogers, I was a Captain Kangaroo kinda girl, but still, to blame an icon like Mr. Rogers for the entitlement attitude children possess today is sheer stupidity. Mr. Rogers was a half hour long t.v. show, parents (or perhaps inane, rediculous television programming) had the kiddies attention for the other 23 hours and 30 minutes of the day. Perhaps the professor should have looked in that direction first.
Pulchritudinous Patriot on July 6, 2007 at 10:58 AM
Mr. Rogers was a good guy.
p40tiger on July 6, 2007 at 10:59 AM
Oh. Right.
It’s not M-TV.
It’s not Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.
It’s not the coarsening and pornification of our culture.
It’s not an entire generation raised on instant gratification.
No. Uh-huh. If we’re going to blame the media …
… then it’s Mr. Rogers’ fault.
Jesus wept. Anybody know when exactly the world went crazy?
Professor Blather on July 6, 2007 at 11:00 AM
I look at the whole “you are special” thing in a completely different way. What Mr. Rogers was trying to do was not build up children’s self esteem, but empower them to be productive, positive members of society. Each and every one of us is special in our own way.
William Teach on July 6, 2007 at 11:01 AM
Yeah, some of it has to do with Mr. Rodgers, but he wasn’t the one that suggested that 1+1 didn’t have to equal 2. It isn’t the attitude of speciality so much as the attitude inculcated that creativeness was immune to questions of quality. That’s derivative of the Freedom of Speech frame of mind that has been contentious in schools since the 60’s and kind of merged with being Mr. Rodgers *special* story.
Teachers are special, too, ’specially when they are making sure there are enough special people to fill all the B, C, D, E, and F groups as well as the A. But even that has gone too far in too many instances with the standardized curve method of grading, wherein with 20 students in a class only 2 will be given A’s, no matter how high the third student’s marks were in class.
Dusty on July 6, 2007 at 11:01 AM
Don’t care for what I see as just another criticism of Americans—no different from slandering American workers, parents, employers and on and on. Sure, we are not perfect but neither is anyone else. I’ll bet that for every American kid asking for partial credit there is another who is not. But…that kid goes unheralded. This is a good country with good people for the most part. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!!!!!!!
jeanie on July 6, 2007 at 11:06 AM
I’m way too old for Mr. Rogers, but I have to say the guy always freaked me out!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on July 6, 2007 at 11:08 AM
Where’s Eddie Murphy when we need him?
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on July 6, 2007 at 11:09 AM
You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everything else. We are the all singing all dancing crap of the world.
In Tyler We Trust
BohicaTwentyTwo on July 6, 2007 at 11:16 AM
Meh. Fred had em a few hours a week for a couple of years when they were little.
Parents had them as adolescents and teenagers. And the ultimate responsibility to prepare them for life.
daveintexas on July 6, 2007 at 11:19 AM
Teachers are not the sort of people who figure out things like this – or anything else – for themselves. Teachers are the biggest followers in the world. It didn’t start with teachers; they had to get it from somewhere.
I don’t know who the first preacher of this idiotic new “self-esteem” cult was, but I suppose it’s about as fair to blame it on Mr. Rogers as on anyone in the media. Just look at anyone on TV today – from Oprah Winfrey to Big Bird – and you’ll hear the subjectivists’ chorus: “You don’t have to think; you just have to FEEL. And your feelings are infinitely important because they are unique.”
And seriously, who do you think influences the average moonbat more? His English teacher – or his TV?
logis on July 6, 2007 at 11:21 AM
I blame that creep Santa Clause… always asking kids, “What do you want for Christmas?” Never breathed a word of “what are you going to buy your parents with your own money?”
Lehosh on July 6, 2007 at 11:27 AM
It not Mr. Rogers who’s at fault. It’s that meow meow kitty meow meow.
KelliD on July 6, 2007 at 11:29 AM
The Professor needs to tell the kids what he really felt instead of making Mr Rodgers take the fall. I can’t belive half of the BS these professors pander to make a simple point. No one needs to be pampered (unless your name is John Edwards) LOL had to point that out
bones47 on July 6, 2007 at 11:31 AM
I grew up with Mr. Rogers, (being a year or two to old for Sesame Street when it came out) and never expected to get something for nothing. I think part of it is though is a lot of my friends (who married right out of high school or college and had their families completed by 28) gave into everything their kids wanted or cried for. They didn’t watch Mr. Rogers (because they thought he was slow) but instead watched Sesame Street. They also wanted to be their best friends (which is fine when your kid is an adult but not while growing up) from age 2. Now they’re reaping what they’ve sowed and are scratching their heads as to what happened & why their kids are so “terribly narcissistic”. They’re trying to do a better job with their younger kids and tell me how not to raise my 4 & 3 year old. Yes, all kids are special in their own way but that doesn’t mean they should not work to the best of their ability and should not expect people to give them what they want all the time. I read in the paper that large corporations were having a fit about the number of new, young hires they have who cry when things don’t go the way they think, have their parents call into see what they can do to help make it better.
Anyway, sorry for the ramble but I just can’t blame the late Fred Rogers for this. I think it’s Sesame Street! ;)
Happy TGIF all!
Catie96706 on July 6, 2007 at 11:31 AM
logis on July 6, 2007 at 11:21 AM
I blame the dude who letting them drink his bong water…
doriangrey on July 6, 2007 at 11:34 AM
And it’s liberalism that teaches without their help you couldn’t do anything at all.
frreal on July 6, 2007 at 11:35 AM
“You don’t have to think; you just have to FEEL. And your feelings are infinitely important because they are unique.”
And you know what? They aren’t. Your feelings are pretty much identical to those of countless other cosseted suburbanite brats just like yourself.
Lehuster on July 6, 2007 at 11:36 AM
Always remember: http://despair.com/individuality.html
William Teach on July 6, 2007 at 11:37 AM
Ok, I had to laugh out loud at this one. I certainly don’t blame Mr. Rogers. I blame parents who refuse to allow their kids to be disappointed once in a while.
My husband is a professor and his policy is “THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT!” He has kids come to him basically whining about their grades, and he tells them to suck it up and work harder. I truly think that most of them actually respect him for it. He does have a “hottie” rating on RateMyProfessor LOL. :)
acleaver on July 6, 2007 at 11:37 AM
Seriously. Such a site exists? And you can rate your prof a “hottie?”
I think I’m going to go live in a shack in the woods with the unabomber now.
Professor Blather on July 6, 2007 at 12:04 PM
There really isn’t a hair’s width of difference between what any two Americans fundamentally believe. The difference between “conservatism” and “liberalism” is only a difference in how you look at the world.
Conservatives are afraid to BE wrong; while liberals are afraid to FEEL wrong. The first requires a hard-nosed look at something called “reality,” and your place in it. The second only requires agreement with a “perceived consensus” (i.e., the predominant media position.)
logis on July 6, 2007 at 12:04 PM
…and this just in…
Cookie Monster blamed for childhood obesity – PBS to retool character as “Celery Monster”… maybe those Veggie Tales extremists were on to something after all… back to you Jane…
kjspeedial on July 6, 2007 at 12:25 PM
I don’t see Mr. Rogers as a cause but I do see the persona as a symptom of the Dr Spock era, which was/is an over reaction to the harsh MO of child rearing that came before in the spare the rod spoil the child era.
Essentially parents didn’t want to raise their children in the strict Victorian style as they were and the result I think is to far the other direction.
Add to that the anti establishment generation of the 60s and it’s not to hard to see how kids got to where they are today.
Speakup on July 6, 2007 at 12:26 PM
Those who cannot do, teach. Sorry teachers, but that is especially true of college professors.
bmac on July 6, 2007 at 12:30 PM
I use to work with children in hospitals. While kids like all the colors and excitement kids shows provide, when they just want to kick back and relax, when they know they are tired and just want to relax, they always seemed to prefer shows with men talking quietly. This could be Business Reports, or Washington Week in Review. This was back when only men appeared on those shows and everyone wore suits. I’m not kidding. I would switch the channel to Sesame Street and they would switch it back.
Blake on July 6, 2007 at 12:34 PM
My rearing philosophy: Free Range Children.
Mark E. on July 6, 2007 at 12:38 PM
I beg to differ on the “Blame Mr. Rodgers” thing. I watched and I’ve no sense of entitlement whatsoever. It’s not Mr. R…it’s society in general telling people that they are special because they are “different”.
No sense in using Mr. R as a scapegoat.
OT: Speaking of scapegoats…did anyone see the DIRTY JOBS episode where it was finally explained where that idiom comes from? Fainting goats. Bred to fall down, thus serving as distraction for predators from the rest of the herd animals. The fainter is the “scapegoat”. God, I love Mike Rowe and DIRTY JOBS.
Useless tidbit of the day for you all.
tickleddragon on July 6, 2007 at 12:41 PM
How ludicrous to blame Mr. Rogers ( he was too gay for my liking) but he isn’t the problem.
“If you want to
beSTAY special, you’ll have to prove it…” ” The world owes you nothing. You have to work and compete.” This is true.There is nothing wrong with telling kids they’re special. Parents must instill a work ethic, and honor, and morals for a child to STAY special.
Where to put the blame? Easy.
Its the liberal ENTITLEMENTS , the ‘no kid left behind’ pushing failing kids thru the grades without merit crap. The illegals dumbing down the schools. Taking God out of the classroom, hence no respect for others in the liberal ME ME ME society. The Simpsons with zero respect and many other cartoons these days, it goes on and on and it has nothing to do with some guy on TV saying you’re special. That is a good message, but it’s only a start.
Blame Mr. Rogers- What a crock. Some Mr. Rogers viewers apparently watch his reruns while smoking dope, still today. Then they write about it.
shooter on July 6, 2007 at 12:46 PM
This seems like an appropriate place to note the passing of King Friday:
http://www.teevee.org/tvcc/world/king_friday_ruler_of_makebelie.html
Dudley Smith on July 6, 2007 at 12:49 PM
Oh, and the irony of trying to place blame elsewhere…
priceless.
shooter on July 6, 2007 at 12:52 PM
I’m not sure if its all due to Fred Rogers or not,
but that is one professor with his head on straight and his mind thinking clearly.
And…oh.. how the PC, “non-judgmental” leftist edunuts in academe must have their knickers in a knot right about now!!!
Love it.
Always Right on July 6, 2007 at 12:56 PM
Baby Allapundit circa 1975 watching Mr. Rogers:
I’m special and therefore, I’m entitled to an iPhone.
No, I’m special and therefore, I need an iPhone.
What’s an iPhone?
Blake on July 6, 2007 at 1:06 PM
Mr. Rogers meet Stewart Gilligan Griffin.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cKv0lA5DMxw
Sammy316 on July 6, 2007 at 2:37 PM
Am I the only one who laughed out loud at the “His Majesty the Fetus” remark?
I think that remark is in contradiction to the extreme lack of value that is placed on the life of the fetus by liberals.
bookwurm322 on July 6, 2007 at 5:18 PM
Honestly, I don’t think it has much to do with Mr. Rogers at all.
As a former college student and a current grad student, I believe the entitlement can be boiled down to three factors; 1) Permissive parents, 2) Public schools that emphasize ‘relative truth,’ low standards and self-esteem building in order to level the playing field, and 3) Expecting/demanding the ‘goods’ for the ’services’ you have paid for. Number three is especially pervasive because students and their parents feel that they are somehow entitled to an “A” because they have paid money for the class. They see higher education as an economic transaction – “I pay a lot of money for school and I ‘deserve’ to get good grades.”
It may piss some folks off, but I strongly believe (for the most part) that college has become another extension of the joke that public high school is. I say this as someone who got her BA at one of the Ivies. Too many people go to college who simply do not deserve to be there – they can’t cut it intellectually, college is just one big party and it’s viewed as a layover until you join the “real world.” The glut of unqualified people has dumbed down the curriculum and lowered the prestige of having a Bachelor’s Degree. Consequently, teachers and college administrators are under tremendous pressure to make sure that everyone passes. The last thing you want as a college admin is a bunch of angry parents who are threatening to sue because their “unique snowflake” son or daughter didn’t get an “A.”
Medea on July 6, 2007 at 5:59 PM
Well, I don’t need to read the other posts… I completely agree with the first reply so I’m gonna make a sandwich instead.
Jones Zemkophill on July 6, 2007 at 6:55 PM
Well, he was on PBS.
Schools and parents have to take part of the blame too.
Back in the 80’s I remember the lyrics to Frere Jacque (sp?) being changed to
I am special
I am special
Look at me
Look at me
I know that reads like something off Rosie’s blog, but…
PowWow on July 6, 2007 at 7:36 PM
Well, better than blaming the Three Stooges.
Who taught plumbing, hairdressing, housepainting and being spies while demonstration the basic injustice of the world, cruelty of superiors (Mo), and how to make machine guin noises on a bald head with a rapidly-wiggled stiff derby brim.
The Holy Trinity of Lunacy. (With Shemp rotating as the Paraclete.)
profitsbeard on July 6, 2007 at 8:07 PM
ROTFLOL!! Waggish is better than witty sometimes. This is one of those times!
jaime on July 6, 2007 at 8:54 PM
Blaming the wrong Rogers. The culprit is Dr. Carl Rogers whose Humanistic Theory preached unconditional positive regard. Self-esteem should be challenged rather than artificially enhanced. We need more apathy than empathy.
DAT60A3 on July 6, 2007 at 8:54 PM
I must confess that I come from a deprived background which did not feature Mr. Rogers. I learned most of the basics of life from Road Runner cartoons. Wile E. Coyote was my role model. From him I learned that whatever you want to accomplish in life, you must first order the necessary materials from the Acme Company, usually rockets and anvils. I also learned that no matter how much of a supergenius you are, your well-laid plots will fail completely. Often you will fall off a high cliff. Only the RoadRunner will succeed and his only goal is to make you fail.
Tantor on July 7, 2007 at 3:58 PM
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