Christopher Ames pinpoints the appeal of American Idol. Our narcissistic culture has has created a hunger for meaning. We all know that there is a larger world beyond ourselves, yet consumer culture constantly reassures us that we matter more than anything else and that our freedom (freedom to satisfy our desires) is important. I am reminded of the Frank Herbert quotation: “Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.”
Chron of Higher ed.: Schooled by ‘American Idol’:
What lessons about popular attitudes toward grading and evaluation emerge from American Idol’s auditions? First, a belief in genuine standards: We may at times disagree about whether a performance is good or bad, but extreme examples remind us that those differences in taste exist within that shared context of what counts as “in tune,” an agreement about what ultimately is a credible performance. In fact, in one episode Cowell challenged an angry, spurned contestant to go into a local shopping mall and find three people who would testify that he sang well (the contestant didn’t succeed). It was as if a disgruntled student had shown his graded paper to a random assortment of his peers, only to find them endorsing his teacher’s assessment.
Second, the show reveals a respect for expertise. Along with the estimable pop credentials of the regular judges, celebrity guest judges demonstrate how skill and training inform good evaluation. A similar respect for professorial authority characterizes the academic landscape. Amid all the attacks on higher education today, America remains a culture that puts great stock in expert opinions.
Third, the auditions reveal that individuals are often not good judges of their own ability. Again and again, the judges mirror audience incredulity at poor performers who think they are great. The simple reality that professors encounter all the time emerges with clarity: People aren’t objective about themselves. But more than that, most people are not astutely self-critical or even open to constructive appraisal. Learning how to learn from coaching and criticism can be a challenge — and, ultimately, the most successful contestants (like successful students) do just that and improve notably in the course of the season or semester. We call it education.