Ted Nugent is the Real "Everybody"

When Ted Nugent first became popular, I didn't like him. More accurately, I didn't care for his style of music-- it was rude, crude, and noisy. Although I bought one of his albums, it hardly ranked amongst my favorites. But since many of today's youth also enjoy "rude, crude, and noisy" music, perhaps giving this guy more attention-- and the credit he deserves-- would be in their best interest.

Although I personally didn't pay much attention to Ted Nugent over the years, other than noticing that he was one of the musicians whose popularity held on, continued, and was equally embraced by each new age group that came up, his current "claim to fame" leads me to believe he should be even more in the spotlight than he already is. Let's say Ted Nugent is the real "Everybody."

For anyone who is not familiar with the 'everybody' concept, the fact is people in general and young people specifically have, for quite a long time, been given the wrong message. More to the point, the message people frequently receive is from those who are simply louder, more persistent, and more noticeable than the rest of us.

On one side there have been the young stars. Going back to the mid-eighties, and continuing on to present day, young stars have been less in the spotlight for their particular accomplishments, as the focus has primarily been on their personal lives-- and it's rarely been anything positive. In the mid-eighties, celebrities in the music and film industry started coming forward about their drug problems, alcohol problems, stints in "rehab," eating disorders, and so forth. If there were any who had gone through their lives without such problems, they were not heard from at all. All anyone needs to do is turn on the news to see that this trend is still consistent. And on the other side there is the segment of the American population which has had similar "lifestyles"-- without the "fame and fortune," of course.

What message does this give to youth? Many are buying into the notion that that really has been "everybody's" lifestyle-- that lawlessness, addictions, and other negative behavior is some kind of "rite of passage" which "everybody" does, which "everybody" has done.

One might not realize the full impact, and implications, of this, unless one has been affected by it. Not only do both celebrities and their non-famous counterparts who have negatively influenced young people into believing there is nothing wrong with such behavior because "everybody" has done those things, it leaves the Average American Citizen who has led a relatively clean life at quite a disadvantage, because it is viewed with suspicion.

The fact of the matter is that most people in my age group did not do those things, most did not have those problems. Most did not engage in lawless or reckless behavior, promiscuity, drug use, etc.; it had no part in our lives. Unfortunately we are up against those who are louder and more noticeable, insisting that "everybody" did.

Recently, an article appeared by Ted Nugent; it has been distributed in some widely-popular newspapers and magazines. Not only does he come forward as "normal," he takes quite a stand against the self-proclaimed "everybodys" who have been wreaking havoc on youth and society. Being as straightforward and outspoken in his assessment of this problem as he has been with his music, he is straight to the point in pointing the finger at what used to be considered "the fringe element"-- those who refused to adhere to acceptable standards and values, taking a "do whatever you choose" view and approach to life, taking not only themselves down but running into the ground anyone who got in their way, and providing a really lousy influence to the younger generation.

Whether today's young stars or their middle-aged non-famous counterparts who "chose" such a lifestyle at a young age and never grew up, they are not and never were in the majority. They only prefer that people think that is the case-- taking the heat off of their own lousy behavior and negative lifestyles by quite-erroneously claiming that "everybody" has messed with drugs, "everybody" has had altercations with the law, "everybody" has done this, that, and countless other things that in fact most people did not do.

While Ted Nugent is quite outspoken with his opinion on such people and such lifestyles in general, he put a lot of focus into the influence that they have created-- life can take quite a nose-dive when the fringe-element has a stronger influence than the rest of us.

But as this long-popular "rude, crude, noisy dude" takes the spotlight with his lifetime of being 'clean and sober' and essentially the same kind of normal decent life that most in my generation have always had, perhaps everyone would do well to consider Ted Nugent the real "spokesperson" for "everybody"-- his longtime fame aside, he is just as normal as the rest of us.