DarknessInZero

Is it just me or does the majority of the teen population and such seem to lack morales, values, and/or respect? It seems to me that all they care about is doing drugs, having sex, and getting away with it. Maybe I am just being ridiculous, or maybe not. What do you all think?

aceman67

Considering that you're a Teen yourself, you might want to wait till you're a bit older and have the benefit of hindsight before passing judgment on your own age group.

You also have to understand how the News and entertainment media works. You hardly see anything about the good being done in the world, but every time something wrong or bad happens, it dominates the news cycle. Anything that deals with Teens and sex drugs and crime, it'll be on the news. The news will actually make it sound bigger then it actually is. Kinda like "The smaller group giving the larger group as a whole a bad reputation".

In entertainment, the adage "Sex Sells" comes to play heavily. Writers are willing to do anything to make a good story so they can make a living.

And since we live in a society where our everyday lives are influenced (Whether we realize it or not) by what we see/hear in the media (TV/movies, print and radio), it all comes down to personal choice of whether or not you want to act in that way.

I bet if you took a good hard look at your fellow classmates at school, I bet a lot of them actually do have morales and are actually the opposite of what you described.

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_gwenibe_

I agree with what aceman said. Having finished school 2 years ago, and looking back even if it's just two years ago, I wouldn't dare say that teenagers don't have morales, or even that teenages as a whole have less morales these days then what ever you were comparing it to, they have respect they have values.

The majority of what is shown in the media is all bad, and what you have basically said Darkness is a stereotypical view of teenagers. You rarely see in the news of the teenager participating in peace protests, you rarely here of the ones that year after year participate in Clean up Australia day and the equivilants around the world, or the ones that are active in their communities to help change things for the better.

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DarknessInZero

To both of you, I said "most". I know there are those who have morales and hold values, i never said there weren't any who didn't. I look at most of my classmates, and what I see is the same thing I said before, most only care about doing drugs, having sex, and getting away with it.

Maybe there are less teens each genereation that care less about their future, or anything other than drugs and sex. Think about it. When you were young, did either of you ever hear of this type of thing as much as you do now?

There are still those who do right, but there are less each generation, in my opinion. eh....

tsurara

I'm willing to wager that "most" of your peers aren't the hardened ammoral sex-crazed drug addicts you're making them out to be. That they're still IN school at all implies that they care at least a little about their futures and haven't done anything bad enough to get themselves expelled or thrown into prison.

Is it possible that you're just looking for a reason to look down on those who may exclude you or have slightly less strict value systems? I know I did when I was in high school. It's a defense mechanism. You look at the people you don't understand with different values and goals and think they must be worthless human beings. That's ALSO part of being a teenager: passing immature judgements about others to make yourself feel better about your own position. Putting others down is the easiest way to build yourself up.

But people are people... and inherently: most of them are good (or at least try to be). Their concept of "good" may not match your own... but you'll figure out sooner or later that it's the differences that make life interesting.

Believe it or not: teenagers discovering their own sexuality and challenging authority is natural. Not always wise, but natural. 18 year old virgins and conformists are exceptions, not rules. And while we can argue whether or not this is moral or immoral in itself: losing your virginity, skipping class, or smoking cigarettes in the bathroom doesn't make you a whore, a drug addict or a terrible person.

(oh, and when I was a teenager {10 years ago - ouch}, my peers also had sex, smoked weed and cut class. At least as many of them went on to become lawyers, doctors and accountants as became unwed welfare mothers and used-car salesmen. I thought they were losers then... but I was a very unhappy and ill-adjusted teenager who didn't quite know how to fit in. Now I've "gotten the hang" of my own life, feel comfortable in my own skin and realize it was unfair of me to judge them the way I did.)

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DarknessInZero

1. Some may not be the ammoral sex-crazed drug-addicts that I make them out to be, and yet most of them are. The fact that they are still in school implies nothing, and maybe it does. You're right that maybe they do care, or maybe they have nothing better to do than to criticize the teachers, and hang with their friends.
2. I don't make myself to be better than anyone. I never look down on others, but if they really did have values or goals I wouldn't view them as I do today.
3. Good is different to everyone, I know that, no two humans are the same, but even so, everyones concept of good must at least involve doing what is right.
4. You're right here again. Discovering your sexuality and challengeing authority is normal in teens. What isn't is having sex constantly, questioning authority to the point where it becomes like a game to them, and talking about drugs like an everyday thing. A one-night-stand here, and a smoke over there doesn't make you a whore...talking about having sex, coming high to class more days than not does....i think...eh....

_gwenibe_

Are there less teenagers with less morals now? I don't think so, infact, I don't think it's changed one bit from past generations.

There is no difference, between my generations, your generation, or a parents generation, I only have to talk to my parents to find this is out. If there is any difference, prehaps it's in the media display more the stereotypical view that I mentioned in my earlier post - hence we are lead to believe there is actually 'more' of what you mentioned.

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tsurara

And who decides what is right?

You're free to hold others to your own standards, but don't be surprised when others aren't interested in your concept of what is right or wrong. We all have very complex belief sets instilled in us by very different parents, backgrounds, religions and cultures... not to mention our own freedom to decide what is right and wrong ~for ourselves~.

Just like "good" is different to everyone: there is no universal concept of what is "right".

I still think you must be over-reacting. That, or you live in a pretty tough neighborhood.

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DarknessInZero

Media has done nothing other than state the facts on this issue. Percentage of teens who do drugs/drop out has been steadily rising over the years. That leads me to believe that less teens hold values or morales today.

As for anyone deciding what is right, I guess no one can really say what is right, but what isn't right is to do drugs that harm, and cause to lead to other things. Maybe I am over-reacting, maybe not...eh.....

tsurara

"Current marijuana use among high school students decreased from 27% in 1999 to 20% in 2005." (DOWN 7%)

"Current cocaine use increased from 2% in 1991 to 4% in 2001 and then remained steady from 2001 (4%) to 2005 (3%)." (up 1 %)

"Lifetime inhalant use decreased from 20% in 1995 to 12% in 2003 and then remained steady from 2003 (12%) to 2005 (12%)." (down 7%)

"Lifetime use of ecstasy among high school students decreased from 11% in 2003 to 6% in 2005" (down 5%)

"Lifetime use of methamphetamines decreased from 9% in 1999 to 6% in 2005" (down 3%)

"Lifetime heroin use did not change from 1999 (2%) to 2005 (2%)." (no change)

"Hallucinogenic drug use decreased from 13% in 2001 to 9% in 2005" (down 4%)

In other words: drug use has decreased dramatically in recent years: not increased. Crime is also down since it's last major peak in the late 80s (coinciding with the initial introduction of crack). As for drop-outs:

"Dropout rates of young people ages 16 to 24 in the civilian, non-institutionalized population gradually declined between 1972 and 2004, from 15 percent to a low of 10 percent in 2003, where the rate remained in 2004" it has since dropped back down slightly, but nowhere near as much of a dip as you're insinuating.


source for the drug stats
source for drop-out rates

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divine_punishment

I think part of it has to do with the media. Part of it has to do with how the youth has been raised. Part of it has to do with the teen population being . . . well, teens. We all go through that stage of "F*** this world!" The ME stage. It's up to the adults, then, to make a good show of morality and respect.

Growing up, my mother wanted to be Mrs. Cleaver (from Leave It To Beaver, if anyone remembers that show). My sister wants be Fergie.

Something is wrong.

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