How Do You See Teenagers?
By Tasneem Modan, a pupil at Walthamstow School for Girls
What do you think teenagers are like? Are they murderous little devils on a self destruct mission OR are they kind, compassionate young adults who care about today’s society and their portrayal? Are they the people who are misunderstood and are not given the chance to display their mixed emotions? Read on and YOU decide!
In our present day and date, teenagers are seen through many different viewpoints and perspectives. Whether they are through the eyes of the older generation, who believe that “they were never like that in their day”, or viewed through the eyes of a world weary parent who thinks their child is on a permanent “I don’t care!” rant, teenagers are not always seen in the brightest of lights. The media is not on the young adult’s side, either. How often have you seen an article that shows the latest stabbing or mass drugs purchase in our community? How often do the media say that it is teenagers that are the main culprits? Is it always our fault? No!
I, as a young teenager, have been put down in public because of stereotypes. If I walk in to a shop with my friends, the assistant will immediately presume we are there to steal something. He/she will point to the sign that says “two children only”, nod curtly and point triumphantly towards the door. True enough, we do have thieves in our age group but why should that shopkeeper think that all of us would want to steal something from their shop? You judge individuals, not communities. We have plenty of inspiration in the young people’s community. Take the “Make Your Mark with a Tenner” competition. It was a phenomenal success and a particularly unique chance to portray talents. An extremely individual group in our school, wanted to give out the message of ordinary, normal young people who were not out to murder their way through life. They called themselves Jeunnesse, which is French for youth. Youth in itself means fresh, alive and new, so why are we always classed as argumentative spoilt brats who want to destroy our lives?
It is clear that teens are not always as bad as they seem, so why don’t adults give us a chance to prove ourselves? Who knows, we might never need to write the sequel to Attila the Hun! What do you think?
