Perhaps even worse role models for boys are hip-hop stars, who demonstrate all the manly virtues of drug dealers and prison inmates. In the rap industry, it’s a badge of honor to have served time in jail. Rapper Akon opens every song by declaring himself a “convict,” followed by the sound of a cell door slamming shut. (He was also recently investigated for performing lewd acts on a 15-year-old girl onstage.) Rappers “Snoop Dogg” and the aptly named “C-Murder” have both been charged with murder. Rap lyrics normalize violence, including the abuse of women (or, in ghetto patois, “bitches”) as the privilege of successful men. Needless to say, rampant drug use is practically a requirement for hip-hop stardom.
By far the biggest consumers of both industries are young men, many of whom take cues about success from their stars. Boys without fathers are especially susceptible to pernicious influences, in the entertainment industry and elsewhere: they are two and a half times more likely to wind up in jail than boys from intact homes. Unfortunately, the lawless lifestyle of celebrities doesn’t much benefit boys who emulate it.
To be sure, these stars lead glamorous lives. They have the things a lot of normal men want: beautiful women, big houses, fancy cars, talent, and fame. But some of them are monsters behind closed doors, strung out on cocaine or steroids, and violent toward women, children, and other men. And they’re the only examples of masculinity some boys can find.
The real disaster is that many boys don’t have fathers around to teach them that manhood could entail anything positive, such as providing for a family. It’s tragic that Chris Benoit was able to murder his wife and child. It’s also tragic that many American boys considered him a real man.