Some say that it is impossible to
miss something that was never in your grasp.
But if one considers the differences between
today’s teens and the youth of 20 years ago,
that doesn’t seem accurate. Many teens long
for the experiences of their elders as opposed to
the world that confronts them during their teen
years. Being a teen today is complicated enough,
and unfortunately the media brainwashes
adolescents into believing that immoral actions
are acceptable.
Drugs were once reserved for outcasts
and stoners. Today however the radio
broadcasts lyrics that glorify the usage of
codeine, marijuana, and alcohol. They portray
intoxication as a show of wealth, enjoyment and,
above all, power. However, they mislead teens
by forgetting to mention that prolonged usage is
held accountable for the total loss of ambition
that the majority of users experience. Any teen
will fervently deny this, but those who have
lost friends, either physically or emotionally,
know that continued substance abuse changes
the person who was once there. Parties used to
be a rarity saved for the absence of parents and
special occasions. Nowadays, parties happen
every weekend, and freshmen are participating
in acts that were once reserved for seniors.
According to the Students Against Destructive
Decisions (SADD), nearly 72% of students have
consumed alcohol by the end of high school, and
more than 37% have done so by eighth grade.
This generation is to be condemned further
by adolescents who succumb to tumultuous
hormones. The television show, 16 and
Pregnant makes teen motherhood seem normal.
The SADD also states that 31% of teenage girls
become pregnant at least once before they reach
the age of 20. There are more than 750,000 teen
pregnancies a year, and eight in ten of these
pregnancies are unintended. Social networking
sites such as Facebook have become a place
where insecure girls can flaunt their bodies,
trying to get attention. Every click of the “like”
button has become a source of affection. Vulgar
comments are not seen as disrespectful, but as
compliments.
Society and the
media have ultimately
warped teens’ minds
and corrupted their
version of happiness
and social standards.
What happened to
respecting elders
and trusting friends?
What happened to drowning the mind with
knowledge and books as opposed to sex and
drugs? When did making friends turn into
a competition, where the winner ends up
with the most regrets? If the media’s trend of
exaggerating past rituals and feeding it to the
young continues, we will undoubtedly collapse.
Some say the key to gaining respect is
to do well in school. These years are defined
by how hard you pursue education because
that is the only way to succeed. The past has
given birth to leaders with intelligent minds
who reached the moon and found cures to an
array of diseases. Obviously, there is a mass of
people who will continue to build the nation
and nurse it back to health, but the weight of
slackers is precariously tipping us to the side of
defeat. Harvard graduate Paul Peterson said in
the Huffington Post, “If we’re going to grow at
the rate that we hope to grow at to address the
many issues that exist in our society, we need
to have a powerful educational system that is
producing a highly proficient workforce.” It is
important to have faith in those who strive to
succeed, but it is wrong to leave this weight on
fewer and fewer shoulders.
Many believe the media is to be blame
for these social crimes. They will continue
to infiltrate the minds of children and force
them to sub consciously believe that it is
customary to drink, smoke, neglect scholarly
responsibilities, and have little respect for the
wisdom of our elders. Take a step back from
the majority and try to foresee what your role
will be as an adult. Instead of treading on a
path destined to be forgotten, take part in the
reconstruction of our broken society, so that
one day people commemorate your memory.