Monday, June 28, 2010
Generations
Frankly, i'm sick of all the stereotypes against this generation. just today i was riding my bike downtown and this old guy driving just stares at me menacingly, not paying attention to the road... he could have crashed! but nooo he had to stare disapprovingly at the male teen... Have they ever considered who raised this generation? we've only had this world for a little while, it was them who screwed it up for us!!!! their mistakes messed up the world, and now we have to live with it, but we're the ones who are stereotyped against? and yes, i realize that most stereotypes form because there is a majority of that type, but any juvenile delinquency was caused by negligent parents!! it's not the kids fault he grew up with a drunken father, or an abusive mother! of course they'll come out a little messed up!! but even with that large group of delinquents, not all teens are horrible! just yesterday i saw one help an old man with a door because he was carrying groceries! the number of teens at youthgroups in this town at least is astounding! we're not bad people, we just get categorized that way because there are a few of us in juvie!
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You say that "any" juvenile delinquent was caused by negligent parents. I don't want to argue but I do want to point out that teens are typically stereotyped against because they refuse to take responsibility for their actions. E.G., blaming parents for their mistakes. I used to have this neighbor who was in and out of juvie all the time. While his behavior took a major downturn when his mother died (his father wasn't as attentive), ultimately, his father was not the one who took the actions that landed him in juvenile hall. Not every delinquent is the result of bad parenting, nor is parenting the only reason for child criminals.
ReplyDeleteHowever I agree that the negative stereotypes are quite annoying, I also think our generation deserves more of them than we let on.
while you make a good point, you still notice that even your neighbor had some parental difficulties. yes, there are some teens who no matter what you do will turn out bad, but not as many as people seem to think. and one of the reasons they refuse to take responsibility for their actions is because they're taught that they don't need to. in school, they're told that they're just animals, that they are here from chance. so what's right and what's wrong? and who determines it? at home, they aren't shown any love.. that's a great way to train good kids. i will freely admit, some (maybe even many) of this generation will turn out bad not matter what, because they made that choice, and they'll have to live with it. i'm just saying that a great majority of us are good people, and a majority of those who aren't only bare half the blame, the other half rests on the shoulders of the very people who stare down their noses at us. i believe you should get to know someone before you judge them, and try to see the good in people you don't know. are you familiar with "Rachel" from the columbine shootings? (okay, i'll admit, that lands fully on the shoulders of the teens. but only the teens that did that. their actions do not merit distrust of other teens.)
ReplyDeleteI understand what you're saying - parents are a very formative part of a child's and a teen's life, and their actions can have repercussions within the actions of their children. However, I do think this generation needs to set itself apart from the older generation by showing itself as able and willing to take the blame for their own mistakes. That would be the best way to take not only our generation, but also our largely irresponsible nation, in a better direction.
ReplyDeleteOften, people see the worst in each other before they see the best. I know I do. It's simply a self-defense mechanism. While, ideally, we could see the potential of good in a person instead of judging them for the potential bad, that viewpoint leaves much more room for getting taken advantage of, or getting "burned". I was hurt once because I couldn't see the potential for a particular person to be bad. Ever since, I have been sadly cynical of people until I could get to know them and prove my apprehensions to be wrong. But there is a big difference between being overly cautious, and being judgemental. I try not to cross that line, and I generally leave my opinions subject to change.
I am sorry to say that I am unfamiliar with her, but you seem to agree that that event is simply a dark moment in history, and is no one's fault but for the participants.
of course, that's a very important part of the maturing process that all teens should undergo, i should i hope that i reach that goal to it's fullest. and i agree, if that were to happen this world would be a slightly better place, but i simply want to point out two things: 1: the blame for delinquency belongs on the shoulders of the perpetrators, not the rest of their generation. you should know wether or not a person is bad or not before you stereotype them into a class. and 2: the irony that the very people who stereotype us bare a portion of the blame. every time some senior citizen looks at me distrustingly, or someone grips their purse tighter as i walk by, a part of what makes me think kindly of humanity dies. that's why so many teens are so bitter against the last generation. nobody tries to get to know them, or understand them, they just immediately label them as suspicious. why bother being a good person if nobody will ever see you as one? i'm happy to say i know the answer to that question, but not enough people do. yes, very similar things have happened to me too, and that has something to do with my tendency to be an introvert. but when you've walked in someone's shoes you can see the good in them a lot easier. even the type of people i tried to avoid when i was younger i can see the good in now, but i still cannot find why the last generation hates this one so much.. it seems like every generation hates the one before it, and the one after it. if people would just get to know someone before they cast judgement this would be a much better world. "Rachel" was one of the unfortunate victims of the shootings, but her life style was to "see the good in everyone" her friends and family started an organization to get her story told across the country.
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