From the picture given above, we can observe
that there are two young men using different ways to
show admiration towards their role model. By writing “Beckham”
on his face, the man on the left picture expresses his intense
enthusiasm for Beckham. Meanwhile, to make himself resemble his idol, the
man on the right picture spends 300 RMB making a Beckham’s hairstyle.
The cartoon aims at informing us of the phenomenon that many adolescents
admire their role models in an excessive and blind way. Quite a few reasons
can account for this: for one thing, with the mass media spreading the positive
image of superstars, young people can hardly resist the charm of them. They regard
superstars as their examples and desire to be people like them. For another,
youngsters’ craze for superstars can also be attributed to the influence of the force
of“group dynamics” :when members of their social networks show great enthusiasm for
some idols, young people are so easily influenced by their friends or classmates and
then imitate the behavior they see. This could be a subtle form of peer pressure.
We cannot draw an absolute conclusion whether idol-worship is good or bad. Simply
imitating role model’s dresses or behaviors, youngsters may lose themselves and it
will definitely interfere with their personal life or studies. However，when
learning idols’ diligence, spirit and ambitions, young people can transform
their worship towards idols into the passion for life, the stimulus to success
and the driving force of struggling. Hence, whether idol worship is positive or
negative is up to youngsters themselves.