What is on the minds of today's youth? There are several answers to this question; and as I sought to find some of them, I was really, very disappointed.
It seems that the only thing on the mind of a youth today is pressure: pressure from the media, peer-pressure, academic pressure. At least, that is what the "experts" would have us believe.
Peer-pressure and web sites, music and video-games are all conspiring together to turn our youth into apathetic, drug-addicted, alcoholic, anorexic sheep. And let's not forget their ring-leaders: those big, bad producers in Hollywood pumping out movies year after year.
And as I continued to read these things, I became angry at today's adults. How weak-willed do adults today believe their children are?
I understand that there is pressure to fit in at school; I understand that one of the worst things a high school student can do socially is to stand out and be different. And I understand that these pressures exist. But are we really supposed to believe that every teenager and child out there will succumb so drastically to these pressures? Are today's adults so lacking in confidence of their own teachings and experience that they really believe one or two advertisements will completely undo or undermine their own teachings?
I think we are taking the dangers of peer-pressure too far to the extreme. Today's children are no more susceptible to falling to peer-pressure than we were when we were children. Yet we're trying more and more to hide pressure away from our children; will sheltering our children really help?
Out of sight, out of mind; is that what we really believe?
Removing, or hiding, pressure from children will not take pressure off their minds. Rather, we must begin instilling a sense of pride, critical thinking skills, and the emotional strength and feeling of self-worth to walk away from pressure. They must be taught to handle pressure, not hide from it.
Children must face these pressures while they are young; that is the only way they will learn to handle pressure when they are older and the pressures are much harder to hide.
Adults today must start taking their children more seriously; they must begin listening to them and believing in them. Our children are not weak-willed, wishy-washy teens that will lose their minds, or themselves, to pressure. They are growing up faster than ever. We must start arming them with the things they will need to fight these threats, rather than trying (and failing) to hide the threats from them.
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so much damn concern over prom!!! it is killing me!!! School pressure!!!!
Also the lack of parental involvement in teenagers lives. It is scary..parents only get involved if it is a social issue like a toastoff but not if there child is abset for 49 days of school!
Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth!~JFK
YOu offer a new perspective that's well worded and respectful. The ideas you present in alot of your articles are really wonderful. I enjoy reading alot of them. Thank you for being a good blogger!
TCho
I like the George Carlin take on this. To paraphrase: kids today are too soft. There never used to be so much structure in life and so much concern for the well-being of "The Children." As he so wisely said, "Back then the kid who ate too many marbles didn't pass on the marble-eating gene."
(if you can't see the fnords they won't eat you)
lmao, I love George Carlin...and it's so true
something else he said: screw the children.
I love that bit. He's right, too: children aren't so precious as they are made out to be.
(if you can't see the fnords they won't eat you)
An excerpt from George on children
"And what's with all this talk about children? Save the children, help the children, what about the children...well, you know what I say? F*** the children! F*** 'em, they're getting entirely too much attention already!"
not my words, but Carlin's and I kinda agree with him.