Teenagers Are People, Too!

Different people have different view points, and these view points may be affected by things, including where you grew up, and of course age. I think that you're right, and the view point of teens should be taken more seriously. Teens may have a fresh and optomistic perspective that could really help the world.

Talk about stereotypes!!!! I think you're absolutely right! In fact, I think the biggest stereotype present in our world today deals with teenagers! People underestimate us and do not give us enough credit!

When I was your age, I was very opinionated and had my own mind, too. I also didn't know crap. I still don't know much, and I graduated and have lived in the "real world" for 12 years now.
I respect the opinions of everyone willing to express one. However, you cannot honestly think you know as much about politics, the environment, life, and emotions as people who have lived twice as long as you, can you? It has nothing to do with not being a person, or not being smart, or not being aware. You've been alive 17 years and have 17 years worth of experiences. There are billions of things you've never done, hundreds of emotions you've never experienced. Even so, you are probably a lot more aware of the world around you than these old fogies were at your age because you have the internet, text messaging, email, cell phones and Sirius satellite radio. They had smoke signals and snail mail.
But don't disrespect age and experience just because you don't have it yet. Most intelligent people wouldn't dismiss your ideas and opinions, either. If they do, it shouldn't bother you because you are obviously more mature than they are, and open minded. Nevertheless, the fact remains that much can only be learned through the years of experiences you just haven't had yet.
There's probably many, many things you've experienced that those old fogies have never even heard of, too, so it goes both ways. Just never make the mistake of thinking you are right and everyone that disagrees with you is wrong. Or that your opinion is the only one that matters.

You are absolutely right. I'm not a teenager anymore, but only barely I suppose. The sad thing is, it doesn't get any better for awhile. I'm 21 and because I'm still young and haven't been out in the 'real world' enough, I'm faced with much of the same sort of prejudice. I only hope that when we're the older individuals, we can remember how we feel and not do the same things to our children and the younger generations. Unfortunately, I already see myself doing it to my younger cousin who is 14. I completely see where you're coming from, because of my own experiences, but it is difficult for older people to remember that when they were children they had opinions and thoughts the same as they do now. They are quick to want to protect children (which, yes, does include teenagers) from the harsh realities of the world. And, of course, they also know they've been alive a lot longer and therefore feel that they have a lot more experience in everything than someone younger does, which is not necessarily true. You might have experience in some things that I have never dealt with and vice versa. The same may be true if you put us with someone 20 years older than us. So, yes, it isn't fair that they do that to us, but you also have to remember that they have been alive longer and they do, in fact, know some things that we don't.

Oh yah I'm sorry people under estimate "our people". Mall rats, slackers, movie theater ruin-ers, moochers who perform little service to our society other than ringing up grocerys and popping out babies the government pays for. Not to be mean, especially since I am a teenager, but I don't blame adults for stereotyping us as they do. I don't believe that stereotyping is right but I do see where it comes from. Lets be nice and say like half of teens cause trouble but I'd say maybe only 20 out of a hundred kids read the newspaper on a regular basis, if that many. Ignorance on both our parts and adults parts have wedged a brick between us that has keept us out of places of power. We aren't being wronged against, and I bet half of you on here will grow up to stereotype teens, we're just different from them. Cut out the teeeennaaageeee angst junk and do something productive. If you turned all your "myspace hours" into community service hours you probably could have wiped out poverty in our area and had all the old ladies across the street already.

P.s. Don't let you thinking that adults are stereotyping you keep you from following some of their advice. They HAVE lived longer than us. It's critical to our rising into power as future leaders and adults that we take pieces of the past generations with us.