A person’s worth nowadays seems to be judged according to social status and material possessions. Old-fashioned values, such as honor, kindness and trust, no longer seem important. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

A person’s worth nowadays seems to The rich and the famous command greater respect in the modern society. In fact, values such as kindness, generosity and honesty are becoming irrelevant. Therefore, I agree with the argument that worldly riches and social standing have become the new measures of a person’s worth. One of the reasons for this development is that the media encourages young people to follow the wrong role models. Also it has become difficult for ethical people to succeed in this immoral world. Youngsters these days choose the wrong people as their idols. They are misguided by the notion that a person should be wealthy and famous to be successful. They read about models, singers and actors having millions of followers on social media and want to be like them. They do not care whether the person they admire has character or integrity. They are blinded by the hype surrounding these people. Since they are always gazing at the ‘stars’, they do not get an opportunity to learn from the real heroes. Not surprisingly, a study conducted by a well-known university in 2016 revealed that 75% of girls aged between 14 and 18 years would rather be like Khloe Kardashian than Madam Curie or Mother Teresa. However, this does not mean that people with principles have gone extinct. They are still around but they cannot find their way to a position of power or success. More often than not we observe that the offices of power are held by rich and influential people who are morally corrupt. Youngsters who follow them on social media and elsewhere get the impression that the honest cannot succeed in this world. Consequently, they give up on their ideology and choose to tread the easy path that would take them to success. In conclusion, values have certainly become irrelevant in the twenty-first century. This could be due to various factors such as the influence of the media which constantly raves about the rich and the famous. Another factor that contributes to the demise of age-old values is the fact that honest and ethical people are struggling to succeed in this materialistic world.