In honor of the release of the highly anticipated Bond film "Spectre," I wanted to examine the integrity of the character of Britain’s most famous secret agent. Is James Bond a good role model for young men to look up to?
I, for one, am a massive James Bond fan. I own all of the movies and have read several of the Ian Fleming novels. I remember growing up, seeing James Bond on the screen, and thinking “Man, this guy is so cool. I want to be like him when I grow up!” But was that a good thought for me to have? Every time a Bond movie comes out, I ask myself that question. He may look good in a tuxedo, but there are definitely some qualities that don’t look good, no matter how fancily you dress them.
One of the flaws of James Bond is that even though he is serving on HER majesty’s secret service, he most certainly doesn’t think too highly of women. 007 is probably the most well-known fictional womanizer of all time. Many men in our society today probably consider that to be one of the reasons that make James Bond great, and this is a problem. Sleeping around with countless women is not really a lifestyle people should be striving for. It’s just incredibly unrealistic. There is no possible way a man could sleep with that many women all the time. Now, maybe I only think this because my level of attractiveness is considered “strictly average.” If I had the physique of Daniel Craig, I could probably bump myself up to “slightly above average,” but I still don’t see how he has the time to both fight the bad guys and seduce the ladies.
A quality of Bond that everyone wants in a role model is his persistence and versatility. He is a highly skilled and very determined individual. Not just anyone can wield an exploding pen! Anybody can watch the movies and witness this quality firsthand. Even when a potential lead to the head of an evil organization is killed, Bond takes his vacation days to track down a new one. I don’t know about you, but if I were using vacation days, I would spend that time lounging by a pool, reading books that have been on my 'to-read' list. James Bond is probably the most reliable secret agent in the world, and even when his methods sometimes seem unorthodox, he always finishes the job, even if that means blowing up a building or two.
Something else that every man probably wants to learn from James Bond is his lifestyle. I don’t know a single man in the world who hasn’t had the fantasy of walking up to a bar in a tuxedo and saying the iconic line, “Vodka martini. Shaken, not stirred.” Everyone wants to look like James Bond;,where they are perpetually oozing class and sophistication out of their body all day long. However, while you may want to live the Bond lifestyle, let’s be honest, it probably isn’t the safest of lifestyles. Just think, if a man really had that many vodka martinis in his life, his liver would look like camouflage! Not to mention all the times you’re getting shot at…
But the best quality of James Bond is unequivocally his unwavering patriotism. Or, as he is fond of saying, “his pathetic love for queen and country.” He serves on Her Majesty’s secret service and, in doing so, protects the citizens of his home country. Not only is he protecting his own country, but he frequently also ends up saving the entire world. There is something to say for a man with that kind of loyalty. There is nothing more honorable than a man laying down his life for his country and willing to make the greatest sacrifice in the world to make the world a little safer.
The main point I am trying to get across here is that yes, Bond is a suave, slick secret agent that all men know and love. And while we can look to him as a role model, it is important not to take Bond at face value. One needs to isolate the qualities that make James Bond great and incorporate those traits into their lives. I would love to look as cool as 007, jumping onto a train and then taking a moment to straighten my suit cuffs. Who wouldn’t want to do that?
However, there are several things in Bond’s personality that, if I started to do them, I would probably come across as a total ass.
