The Real Risk of American Idol

So last Friday night my wife and I went with another couple to their daughter's school talent show. The show was for students from the elementary school who wanted to showcase their talent...and they did. The show was full of kids singing and dancing to the newest pop songs, everything from Bruno Mars to Katy Perry to a medley of songs featuring "I Like Big Butts" and "I'm Too Sexy." Yeah, that's right, 4th and 5th graders singing along to "I'm Too Sexy." It made my stomach turn. To be honest though, my friend's daughter dance routine to "Firework" by Katy Perry was actually kind of cute.

The real problem to me was not that these kids were singing solos and dancing to these songs (although it made me think about the so called "positive influence" teachers have on students). The real problem was that when all was said and done, we were creating a generation of kids who believed they were truly amazing at everything they ever did. All of these kids, whether they were horrible or not (believe, most of them were pretty bad) were told over and over again how awesome they were. Time and time again, a girl would get done with a solo in which not a single note was on key, and everyone would tell her how great of a singer she was. It's sad to say, but she'll probably grow up thinking she's the best singer in the world, and then get herself completely embarrassed on American Idol.

I'm not against talent shows. In fact I think they are great. But the real strength of a talent show like this one is to teach kids the importance of taking risks, which all of them no doubt did. They got up, put it all on the line, and took huge risks. We need to honor them for that, not telling them lies about how great of singers they are. These kids need to know that when they take risks like this, there's a good chance of failure, but that's okay. The point is to keep putting themselves out there, to keep jumping into the ring. The point is not that they are the next Katy Perry or Bruno Mars.

That's what American Idol is doing. It's raising a generation of kids who, supported by their parents, aren't very good at singing, but all want to be in the spotlight. So they'll throw all their effort into something they're not really good at, all the while ignoring their real strengths. It's sad, but true. I wish we could honor kids for the risks they took rather than perpetuating a lie. At least, that's my hope.