Those Damn Teenagers...

I hear watch the news and listen to the radio every day of my life and it seems that not a day goes past without teenagers getting bad press for something. It could be something as serious as underage drinking in the streets or a less obvious negative report saying that we don't read enough but it seems that we are forever receiving bad press for absolutely everything. It's interesting when you think about it that all of these people that are bemoaning the poor quality of our generation could have one day been teenagers themselves. I guess that it is mainly because we never witnessed it and only get to see the occasional photo of when they were our age and the even less occasional story of what it was like when "I was a boy/girl". It fascinates me further when they use the line "in our day" because this creates the idea that things never change and that teenagers nowadays should be just like they were 50 years ago. Why aren't we allowed to answer back to adults? Does it show a lack of respect or does it prove how smart teenagers are now? Yes there are a fair few of my peers that fall out of the category of smart and choose to answer back to their elders just because they feel like being abrasive that day, but then there are the millions of other young adults that have more to offer when they are allowed freedom to express themselves. I'll of course give the other side of the coin (that being the point of view of adults on certain, less desirable teenagers) a good rub but whether it be heads or tails that you get, our generation is the best yet and I'm going to try my best to prove it.

Let's have a quick look at those troublesome few who are out to cause anarchy wherever they go. I've been working and playing with them for my whole life and now that we're all teenagers together, I can see a split. There are the ones that have a bright future and endless prospects to look forward to and then there are the ones that have nothing - and that is no exaggeration. When I look around me at all of the people my age that I know, I see the majority of them getting ready for university or college, opening countless new doors for themselves all the while. I then catch a brief glimpse of the ones who are miles away on the opposite hand. I know them all because, as I said, I grew up with them all and I know that each and every one of them has the ability to outshine their contemporaries of 10 years ago. They are all gifted in one way or another but for whatever reason, and this is where I can't stick up for them, they have lost their way. And it is for this very reason that they are seen to be troublesome. I don't think I have ever come across a single peer who has not displayed a level of intellect or ability in one field or another. They could be naturally bright, they could be hard workers or they have some kind of practical ability that makes them useful to society. As it happens, that very society that they could help has already begun the process of rejecting them which is when the trouble starts.

Now if there is an adult someone reading this then they will almost agree with me that everyone has ability in one thing or another. The place that they will disagree with me is when I say that there is good in all teenagers. What makes certain individuals to become a nuisance is either rejection from their chosen lifestyle or the people that they socialise with. Take this analogy for example: I like sausages and I'm quite fond of a chocolate and each on its own is a treat, but if you were to mix them together then it would create detrimental effect on the overall taste. Now apply that to the concept of teenage social groups. You will very rarely find a single teenager causing trouble on their own or even in a pairs or trio - they are always in numbers. What I am trying to say is that if you mix the wrong people together then there will be a disastrous outcome (as with my sausage and chocolate example). Every member of the offending group will have their own (often secret) likes and dislikes that they choose not to share with the rest of the group and will also have ability in something that, more often than not, they hide to avoid embarrassment. As a group they might be a menace to society but as individuals, they are as much use to society as the people that the group, as a whole, were terrorising. Some manage to break away from their groups because they see 'the light' but others don't simply because there is nothing else for them to do with their lives.

It is those kids that are apart of 'gangs' or 'youth teams' that give the teenage demographic a bad name when really they are as useful to society as the next teenager. Maybe because I come from a well off background I can say all of this stuff and there will be no repercussions for my life; maybe because I am going to university I can say that everyone has something to offer to society; maybe because I have something to offer and have lots of prospects that I can say that everyone else my age does as well, but let it be known that I have grown up with these people and I know these people more than any adult will ever know them and I know they are good. I know that they have potential. I know that some of them give the rest of us a bad name but I also know that they are equally as able as the person next to them. I know that teenagers smash windows and terrorise old people and I know that some teenagers are just bad people but I know them all and see nothing new in any of them. We are all the same and just need to be given the chance to stand each on our own and show the world what we've got. The world needs our generation simply because we are the best that there has been - you'll see what I mean in 10 years time.

I imagine that you might have your own views on this matter and I would love to listen to them. Now would be a great time for you to click on the 'comment' box below and have your say (anonymously if you choose). Also it would be great to hear from lots of people so if you know of anyone who might be interested in this topic, send them a link or click on the Facebook button below to link this page.

Thanks for reading you beautiful, beautiful people!

Martin