Why Does the World Think so Poorly of Teenagers?

[Saevus]

I hated being a teenager. I was an idiot. Of course, I'm still an idiot. But at least I'm an idiot who knows it. :-/

You and me both.

Any teenagers who are sitting around thinking "Goddammit I deserve to be taken seriously", just relax, wait until you're 22, and then look back in abject horror over how inexperienced and immature you were. If you don't take yourself too seriously, it's actually rather amusing.

 

[Crimsanon]

Because there are a handful of teenagers who re-enforce the sterotype and ruin it for everyone else.

Also, there are the tweens (11-13 year olds) who think that they are teenagers. These are the ones who make up the viewership of Disney Channel and give the rest of us a bad name.

 

[Simonccx]

It doesn't, just we are attention seeking whiners who only ever see ourselves as being picked on, its Kevin syndrome. Also everyone has been a teenager, its the perfect form of discrimination because everyone is victim to it at some point!

 

[ccdistancerunner]

I did some dumb things as a teenager, but they weren't anything that wasn't because of inexpirence. I did not drink, did not smoke, did not have sex until I was ready at 18 with my fiancee, and lastly still have the same first job 3 1/2 years later. But then again, I was an atypical teen. Most teens are exactly how people think, with a few exceptions.

 

[Inverse Skies]

Looks like I have to pull out my Socrates quote again;

Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers.
Socrates
Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)

As I've said all along in these sorts of threads, these concepts are nothing new. Each generation always feels the next is going nowhere and it never eventuates to anything. They always think they're getting worse without stopping to release the exact same attitude was had of them by their older generation, so the cycle continues from generation to generation. It's nothing new.

 

[nathan-dts]

Always has, always will. Because teenagers are different(/i)

...Oh I love using italics now I know how

BOLD ITALIC

Boltalic

UNDERBOLTALIC

STRIKEUNDERBOLTALIC

Edit: I really should contribute to this thread productively. So, here goes:

People group all people of certain ages together because people groups people with the same traits together regardless of whether they should be or not. For instance, I look very unkempt and most people tend to think I do drugs or that I will cause mischief in some way. Because of this, I always go through the "random" screening booths at airports and am being looked at funny by teachers at school. I'm really not a bad person, nor do I deserve to be in either of the before-mentioned groups, but I am because it's easier to just assume things about people than to get to know them.

Now I don't feel bad about the use of the Escapist's many font modifiers.

You have bested me sir. I've already contributed my opinion so I feel fine.

 

[Laurefinde]

When I say poorly I don't mean that the world thinks that every kid in the world is going to vandalize their houses and steal, but people seem to think that kids are retarded. An example of this is the Disney channel, it's aimed towards kids my age (mostly girls, but still) and the shows on that channel are so unfunny and stupid it insults my inteligence to even see a photo of miley cyrus. So why is it she's so popular? Are girls my age really that stupid? are these stupid girls going to awesome in college? Another example of this relentless bombardment of idiocracy, is Fred from youtube. None of his jokes are funny and he has never made me compelled to watch anything he puts up. So why is he so popular? Is his popularity an indication of the inteligence of my generation? Lastly, why does the world group all kids my age into this group?

No change here but some news for those of you who are teens. Adults, old people, get treated the same way by the media and thus by most of the people influenced by the media. Every age has it's idiots portrayed in inane sit-coms and negative reporting. I just stay completely away from all TV and almost all movies. Since I have done that, my view of others has improved immensely.

 

[Charli]

Because there are a handful of teenagers who re-enforce the sterotype and ruin it for everyone else.

Doesn't get a whole lot more underlined than that... Yep I'd say thats the big crunchy center in a nutshell.

I was so un-teenstereotype it hurt, probably why as an adult I feel alot more comfortable with myself. As a teenager I actually knew how to have an independant mindset (I mean it in the proper sense of being independant, not those stupid 'Man I'm a rebal teen Yeeah' Idiots, I actually knew what I liked and who I wanted to be.) and god knows what normal teen can do that? My goodness I /didn't/ own like 3 types of cellphone throughout highschool with customizable junk attached to it? I didn't have an ipod? I didn't like going out to get drunk at stupid peoples houses or have any interest in the opposite sex? I enjoyed reading more!!! My I must be a freak.
(When in actual fact my teenage years seem now like a big blur of hilarious bullshit)
I'm human, I got emotional over silly things due to out of whack hormones, I went to a few rock concerts with friends, and I certainly have never not been drunk underage...but it was always with good reason, a birthday and in a controlled environment, not at some douche bags house whoms parents have left alone and I don't even know.

I dunno, I don't understand why teens feel the need to latch onto each other... my parents made it perfectly clear they'd been through the same crazy shit as a teen and it was perfectly okay to do silly things with a limit, and it made me think, well hell, humans have done this particular dance since the dawn of time, the older generations aren't going to be aliens about it or anything... This whole mindset that teens have 'No one understands me! I'm a unique crying little whinybaby all alone in the world' actually makes me sympathize with the older generations... We WANT to actually slap them or talk like a baby to them because the majority of them deserve that kind of treatment for being so self centered.

I was certainly not exempt from this kind of idiotic behaviour but I won't pander to it, because no one should.


If you are one of the unique special children of the new-age whom is aware the world doesn't revolve around you and your small time problems then go out there and do somthing awesome because everyone else in your age group will be too busy being an awkward self absorbed social douche. And you've got some time to get a leg over em'.

 

[Voicuboyy]

because they are a bunch of ignorant little whores

Because there are a handful of teenagers who re-enforce the sterotype and ruin it for everyone else.

A combination of these two essentially. A handful of teenagers are a bunch of ignorant little whores. Also, I have noticed that my kind tend to think they can talk about things they don't understand and still be right. Namely politics, especially around election time(probably because it is their first chance to vote).

yes and you forgot about religion, they all try to prove a good point, but if you listen closely you know they never read anything about they're current debate...

Often at my school I find the religion problem with very vocal atheists in the anti-social clic. They feel so confident in saying, "Religion is bad" but few of them can say why. The odd thing is, it is a fairly simple assertion to support. You could say any of the token attacks(the crusaids, Gay rights,etc.), however, they can't say why. It tells me that one of two things are happening in that situation. 1) They are just trying to find themselves or 2) They are trying to look cool.

believe me, they're just trying to look "cool", they have no ideea what they are talking about [not that they would know about nay religion except Christianity, the ignoring wankers] i am an atheist, but i know how to prove my dman point and i'm not an atheist because a cool friend or a scientist is, i actually read the bible and it didn't convince me

 

[FLSH_BNG]

Because adolescence is a time of finding oneself and trying to fit in anywhere. With other people trying to fit you into places that you don't want to.

This leads to rebellious tendencies and can result in gangs, suicides, running away, and other various forms of anarchic behavior.

 

[Mackinator]

Darn i had a genius idea typed in but then my whole post got lost when i pressed back. Basically, it always has been like this and always will be.

Those that dont are living unique people

 

[Zydrate]

People forget about their teenage years and how psychologically hectic it is.

My teenage years would have been better if all the other teenagers were a little more sane around me.

 

[Agent Larkin]

Because a core group of them ruin it for Everyone!!!

 

[Dudemeister]

Some call it know life,

While some call it no life.

 

[Skeleon]

Adults always think teenagers are evil and irrational. Don't you guys remember how our parents talked about us during that phase?

 

[jboking]

because they are a bunch of ignorant little whores

Because there are a handful of teenagers who re-enforce the sterotype and ruin it for everyone else.

A combination of these two essentially. A handful of teenagers are a bunch of ignorant little whores. Also, I have noticed that my kind tend to think they can talk about things they don't understand and still be right. Namely politics, especially around election time(probably because it is their first chance to vote).

yes and you forgot about religion, they all try to prove a good point, but if you listen closely you know they never read anything about they're current debate...

Often at my school I find the religion problem with very vocal atheists in the anti-social clic. They feel so confident in saying, "Religion is bad" but few of them can say why. The odd thing is, it is a fairly simple assertion to support. You could say any of the token attacks(the crusaids, Gay rights,etc.), however, they can't say why. It tells me that one of two things are happening in that situation. 1) They are just trying to find themselves or 2) They are trying to look cool.

believe me, they're just trying to look "cool", they have no ideea what they are talking about [not that they would know about nay religion except Christianity, the ignoring wankers] i am an atheist, but i know how to prove my dman point and i'm not an atheist because a cool friend or a scientist is, i actually read the bible and it didn't convince me

Well, that isn't to say that some of them haven't read the bible and found it unbelievable for reasons they can't explain. It's typically those people who are trying to find themselves in their teenage years. I can't really blame that group. However, there are the ones that are just trying to look cool and, of course, they ruin it for all other teenage atheists(I'm christian btw).

 

[INSERT-NAME-HERE]

one word
chavs
(innit...)
you know, the sort of people who stand on street corners not actually doing anything but look like they will try and bite your nuts off if you blink... or mabye it is just like that where I live

 

[sirdanrhodes]

Because there are a handful of teenagers who re-enforce the sterotype and ruin it for everyone else.

Yep. Same thing can be said of black people who give guys like me a bad rep. Some people just don't want to leave their comfort zone, much to others' chagrin.

These two posts pretty much sum everything up...