Okay, so this post is about my generation [insert song by The Who here]. This partly came about because I've been reading books about Woodstock and partly because there were student protests over education budget cuts and tuition hikes across the US. This poor girl got her face slammed into a cop car as she got arrested (for no good reason). On the news you could hear her screaming and shouting "I didn't do anything!".
Poor girl.
Anyway, a recent survey found that over 50% of adults find young people terrifying. In the survey, people were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with statements given to them. 54% of people believe that the young people are beginning to "behave like animals". More than a third of those questioned also said that the streets were "infested by young people", and 43% said that something should be done to "protect the adults".
So, basically, the older generation are petrified of us! And, to be fair, shouldn't they be? I mean, everyone knows we're the knife-wielding, hoodie-wearing generation that's obsessed with violent video games and that isn't going to amount to anything. Right?
Today citizens as a whole as well as people who work with children live in fear of youth in our homes and schools and on our streets. While society loves their attractive bodies, youthfulness and commercial firepower we also, vilify adolescents as a noncontributing drain on the economy and our democracy. In the mainstream media, young people are most often portrayed as self-absorbed and apathetic, disinterested in the common good or in advancing social goals.
Popular contemporary beliefs about adolescents are different from historical narratives; in the past youth were portrayed as "the future" and the "leaders of tomorrow"; today they are seen as "a source of worry, not potential," contributing to a fear of adolescents, especially racial and ethnic minorities.In turn this racist and adultist perspective informs urban law enforcement, public schools, and social services. Sociologists have suggested that much of the current spread of the fear of youth is due to "adult anxiety over the shifting racial mix in the general population." The effects of sexism are similarly reported to be amplified by ephebiphobia.However, New York University professor Pedro Noguera has suggested that the fear of youth extends beyond color boundaries, as "skateboarders, punks, even straight-laced suburban teenagers can evoke anxiety among adults by congregating in large numbers in places deemed off-limits to youth."
Poor girl.
Anyway, a recent survey found that over 50% of adults find young people terrifying. In the survey, people were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with statements given to them. 54% of people believe that the young people are beginning to "behave like animals". More than a third of those questioned also said that the streets were "infested by young people", and 43% said that something should be done to "protect the adults".
So, basically, the older generation are petrified of us! And, to be fair, shouldn't they be? I mean, everyone knows we're the knife-wielding, hoodie-wearing generation that's obsessed with violent video games and that isn't going to amount to anything. Right?
Today citizens as a whole as well as people who work with children live in fear of youth in our homes and schools and on our streets. While society loves their attractive bodies, youthfulness and commercial firepower we also, vilify adolescents as a noncontributing drain on the economy and our democracy. In the mainstream media, young people are most often portrayed as self-absorbed and apathetic, disinterested in the common good or in advancing social goals.
Popular contemporary beliefs about adolescents are different from historical narratives; in the past youth were portrayed as "the future" and the "leaders of tomorrow"; today they are seen as "a source of worry, not potential," contributing to a fear of adolescents, especially racial and ethnic minorities.In turn this racist and adultist perspective informs urban law enforcement, public schools, and social services. Sociologists have suggested that much of the current spread of the fear of youth is due to "adult anxiety over the shifting racial mix in the general population." The effects of sexism are similarly reported to be amplified by ephebiphobia.However, New York University professor Pedro Noguera has suggested that the fear of youth extends beyond color boundaries, as "skateboarders, punks, even straight-laced suburban teenagers can evoke anxiety among adults by congregating in large numbers in places deemed off-limits to youth."
The ability of youth to participate throughout society is seen as compromised because of the fear of youth, and is often disguised as a paternalism or protectionism among adults.
But let's take a look at the generation that's calling us foul, cruel, and ruthless. *waves* Hi, old people. Isn't it your generation that refuses to plan more than three months ahead in business and got us into this recession? Isn't it your generation that started a pointless war and sent our generation to fight in it? Isn't it your generation that refuses to look past the bottom line when it comes to the environment and investing in new forms of renewable energy? Isn't it your generation that is, quite frankly, going to be handing us a broken world?Thankfully, my generation has things like YouTube and blogs that can give us a voice to defend ourselves