Sotacrat and Chronicle
Disrespect from TeensFriday, October 15, 2010 By Ashley Lawson
There was a time when teenagers who were able to stand on a bus gave up their seat to allow elders and people with children to sit. When you ride a bus now, you see the lack of respect that many teenagers have for others. Teenagers are obnoxious in many public places, including malls, stores, parks and even in schools. “I really can’t stand when I am on the bus and there are teenagers, around my age there. Especially when they are talking to their friends and they use profanity and vulgar language.” Says Sam’antae Hardaway, 15. “This is even more annoying when there are adults on the bus. It shows how ignorant some teens can be.” In the halls of schools voices of the students passing include cursing, explicit language and behavior. It’s rude when students in the halls push people and never say “excuse me” or “sorry.” This is displayed in high schools and the teachers are often victims of this lack of consideration. Teenagers not only show disrespect to others but also are often disrespected by each other. This is commonly recognized in the form of bullying. Frequently teens are witnesses to this bullying, but don’t speak up or defend the victim because they don’t want to endure the abuse as well. On the other hand, teenagers used to be considerate. Cursing in the presence of an adult was not allowed. There were consequences when children of young ages cursed, but now that’s laughed upon. But who can we blame besides the kids? How about the parents? It’s the parent’s responsibility to teach their children right from wrong and respect. It’s their obligation to teach their children how to behave, in general and in public and how to respect their elders and authority. Not all teenagers have this lack of respect. “Those who are respectful and considerate are not noticed because the attention is focused on the ‘bad’ children. It is also this absence of attention that may cause the behavior of teens to change.” Briana Jones, 15. More often than not, problems within teens start with their peers. Young adults tend to perform when in the presence of their friends. Their behavior changes when they feel that they have to be different, be mischievous, and defy authority. Normal.dotm 0 0 1 1 Rochester City School District 1 1 1 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Normal.dotm 0 0 1 1 Rochester City School District 1 1 1 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Normal.dotm 0 0 1 1 Rochester City School District 1 1 1 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} If you are setting a bad example for your teens, brothers, sisters, or friends, then do something about it. Change yourself, and in turn they change themselves. Encourage respect and demand it. Demonstrate right from wrong, good from bad. Finally, teach teenagers how to become a better, successful, and respectful young adult as they enter this world where respect isn’t just anything, it’s everything. |