The obsession with celebrity culture in Britain driven by shows such as The X Factor has resulted in a society that idolises all the wrong people, the work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has said.
In an interview reflecting on the summer riots, he complained that the celebrity culture in Britain meant children took their role models from The X Factor and Premier League football.
He said that more needed to be made of people who had become successful out of serious hard work.
He backed claims that some of the looting during the riots was fuelled by the materialistic consumerism hat has developed in the UK.
It comes as Mr Duncan Smith, who chairs the social justice cabinet committee and is a key figure in shaping the coalition's response to the riots, is due to call for major investment next week from the private sector to help prevent social breakdown.
In an interview with The Guardian, he said: If you look at the footballers, you look at our celebrity culture, we seem to be saying, 'This is the way you want to be'.
We seem to be a society that celebrates all the wrong people.
Kids are meant to believe that their stepping stone to massive money is The X Factor.
Full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...-with-celebrity-fuelled-the-summer-riots.html
Question: Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
In an interview reflecting on the summer riots, he complained that the celebrity culture in Britain meant children took their role models from The X Factor and Premier League football.
He said that more needed to be made of people who had become successful out of serious hard work.
He backed claims that some of the looting during the riots was fuelled by the materialistic consumerism hat has developed in the UK.
It comes as Mr Duncan Smith, who chairs the social justice cabinet committee and is a key figure in shaping the coalition's response to the riots, is due to call for major investment next week from the private sector to help prevent social breakdown.
In an interview with The Guardian, he said: If you look at the footballers, you look at our celebrity culture, we seem to be saying, 'This is the way you want to be'.
We seem to be a society that celebrates all the wrong people.
Kids are meant to believe that their stepping stone to massive money is The X Factor.
Full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...-with-celebrity-fuelled-the-summer-riots.html
Question: Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
