Nowadays, young people admire stars though they often do not set a good example. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

In modern society, youngsters often look up to well-known entertainers and athletes. Many people believe that these celebrities are not good role models for young individuals. Thus, they are concerned about the influence of such admiration. From my perspective, whether that idolisation is beneficial or detrimental depends merely on the young generation’s attitudes.

On the one hand, youngsters’ adoration towards celebrities can bring about several positive effects to themselves. First of all, individuals who are selective will filter out all the negative characteristics and only opt for good traits in famous figures to emulate. This consciousness ensures that adolescents will not blindly reduplicate improper actions from celebrities. For example, even though singer Michael Jackson was involved in several allegations, his talent, perseverance and work ethic still inspire many youngsters around the world. Secondly, teenagers can also take valuable lessons from their idols’ mistakes. Since celebrities’ actions are often publicized, adolescents have the opportunities to observe various examples of misconducts and learn from them. For instance, upon hearing the doping accusation of Louis Armstrong, many of the biker’s fans realize that there is no shortcut which leads to success and honesty should be of paramount importance.

On the second hand, idolizing entertainers and sportsmen may result in adverse effects. To begin with, since most adolescents are malleable, bad examples from celebrities can develop moral issues in them. Many teenagers who look up to Hollywood figures such as Paris Hilton believe that they should pursue a glamorous, material life with parties and nightclubs. Other celebrities like Kim Kardashian present a wrong message to the young generation, suggesting that using scandals and PR stunts are the most effective methods to gain attention and be successful. Furthermore, there are considered to be better role models for the young to hold in high regards, such as activists or philanthropists. However, the popularity of celebrities may sway teenagers’ interest away from these individuals. To be more specific, many teenagers do not care much about politics and other social issues since their attention is solely devoted to entertaining figures.

All things considered, I believe that the adoration which youngsters dedicate to media and sports stars have both strengths and weaknesses. While this admiration allows youngsters to emulate celebrities’ good traits and draw a lesson from their mishaps, it also develops moral issues in them and takes the spotlight away from the more deserving role models.

在现代社会中，年轻人往往仰慕知名的艺人和运动员，很多人认为这些名人并不是年轻人的好榜样。很多人认为，这些名人并不是年轻人的好榜样。因此，他们担心这种崇拜的影响。在我看来，这种偶像化是有益还是有害，只取决于年轻一代的态度。

一方面，年轻人对名人的崇拜可以给自己带来几方面的积极影响。首先，有选择性的个体会过滤掉所有的负面特征，只选择名人身上的优点进行模仿。这种意识保证了青少年不会盲目地重复名人的不当行为。例如，尽管歌手迈克尔-杰克逊涉及多项指控，但他的才华、毅力和职业道德仍然激励着全世界许多青少年。其次，青少年也可以从偶像的错误中吸取宝贵的教训。由于名人的行为经常被公开，青少年有机会观察各种不当行为的例子，并从中吸取教训。例如，当听到路易斯-阿姆斯特朗被控服用兴奋剂后，很多自行车迷都意识到，成功没有捷径，诚实才是最重要的。

另一方面，崇拜艺人和运动员可能会带来不良影响。首先，由于大多数青少年可塑性强，名人的坏榜样会使他们产生道德问题。许多仰慕帕丽斯-希尔顿等好莱坞人物的青少年认为，他们应该追求迷人的物质生活，参加派对和夜总会。金-卡戴珊等其他名人则向年轻一代呈现了一个错误的信息，认为利用丑闻和公关噱头是获得关注和成功的最有效方法。此外，还有一些被认为是更好的榜样，让年轻人高看一眼，比如活动家或慈善家。然而，名人的流行可能会动摇青少年对这些人的兴趣。更具体地说，很多青少年对政治和其他社会问题并不太关心，因为他们的注意力只放在娱乐性的人物身上。

综上所述，笔者认为，青少年对媒体和体育明星的崇拜既有优点，也有缺点。这种崇拜虽然可以让青少年模仿名人的优点，从他们的失误中吸取教训，但也会使他们产生道德问题，并把焦点从更值得学习的榜样身上移开。