[Craig31885]

Why do people feel it is all right to stereotype all teenagers and younger people based on one bad apple? Example: In my hometown, teenagers who came into the local mall in groups of four or more were told they either had to split up or leave. Why don’t they do the same to 40-year-olds?
Original Code A24. Click here to see responses from the original archives.

User Detail :  

Name : Craig31885, Gender : M, Age : 15, City : Des Moines, State : IA, Country : United States, 

[Jessica]

In today’s world, I quite regularly hear of politicians and other people of importance talk of stereotyping. They argue about equal rights between those of differing races, genders, religions, etc. They are correct when they say to be fair. I believe this arguement can also include age, especially with the teenage issue mentioned here. However, many adults say, “Think of the gangs! The violence!” But the truth is that there are more “good” teens than “bad” teens.

I have worked very hard in school, trying to balance academics with my social life. I never have, and will never do, any drugs, have premarital sex, insult one of my elders or do anything of the like. For those of you who are content with basing your opinions solely on clothing style, remember back to your own adolescence. To avoid the taunts and jabs from the nastier cliques, you simply fit in. But this was a phase which you grew out of.

Unfortunately, the media focuses only on those who cause a disturbance. The “good” apples are ignored. This is where your bad impression of us comes from. Not from teens as a whole. If you did evaluate us as a whole, your would find a group of people, slightly inexperienced with the world, yes, but for the most part hard-working, considerate, polite young adults with exemplary records and attitudes. The purpose of this is to inform you of a teenager’s point of view. If I accomplished nothing else, I would like you to stop and think about who we really are before branding us all wicked and thoughtless. Believe me, we’re not.

User Detail :  

Name : Jessica, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 14, City : Wiconisco, State : PA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Diana]

Frankie’s response was quite interesting – so perhaps, based on his response, adults should take responsibility for all these ‘negative influences’. If kids hadn’t been bombarded by the violent/disrespectful images that adults perpetuate for the sake of entertainment, maybe we’ll have more positive kids. If you hear something bad enough times, you start to believe it. If kids are always treated poorly, or told they are quasi-criminals, it will become a self fulfilling prophecy. It seems that kids are blamed for so much, yet the adults taught them, but still the kids are the ones who need to change, and all because the adults (who were supposed to set an example) are uncomfortable with adolescents around. Yet the kids aren’t mature/’literate’ enough to handle such responsibility? I wish people would pick which it is.. I’m 21 and I still get stared at like a hawk when I walk into a store!

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Name : Diana, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 21, City : Gold Coast, State : NA, Country : Australia, Education level : High School Diploma, 

[Kira26398]

I am teenager and have to agree that when I go late-night shopping with friends, we are often told to split up or leave if there are more than four people, especially if there are a lot of teenagers out. It is unnecessary and unfair. My friends and I don’t even look bad; we don’t wear the type of clothes the sterotypical ‘bad teenager’ wears. We never do anyhting wrong like steal, break things, yell, intimidate people or have fights, so I don’t uderstand why they need to split us up. I know there are a few bad teenagers, just as there are a few bad adults, but splitting them up does not fix anything; in fact, it makes things worse – it makes them angry, so they may fight, yell or break things and are more likely to steal in smaller numbers as they become less obvious to the shopkeeper. I think the few bad teenagers are a lot less bad than the few bad adults, so if they insist on splitting up the teenagers, they should split up adults as well, or split no one up, because that makes it fair. I’m sure teenageers wouldn’t mind being split up if everyone else was, because that means we are not being treated any differently. Also, I think it’s important to have the same rules for everyone because we should all be treated as equals. And if you took the time, you’d see taht we ain’t as bad as you think we are – even the ones who dress in baggy pants sports brand cloths and listen to rap music.

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Name : Kira26398, Gender : F, City : Perth, State : WA, Country : Australia, 

[Andrew Pavlos]

My experience as a stationery store manager is that some teenagers have not learned how to modify their behaviors to fit different situations. They behave in my store as if they were on the school grounds, or in a McDonalds. I have glass shelves, elderly fragile customers, carpets to keep clean and, yes, little ‘treasures’ that kids of all ages would like to steal, rather than pay for. I cannot tolerate skateboards, backpacks, icecream cones, or loud boisterous groups of people of ANY age. What makes it worse is the reaction of some adults (themselves products of 60’s permissiveness) who see my attempts to protect my store as discrimination against teens. Actually, I am more tolerant of misbehaving teens than of adults with similar behavior. I simply ask them to behave, or leave. If a 40 year old were behaving similarly, I would probably call 911! One of my customers, a mature school teacher who has taught generations of students told me that if you want an explanation for a teenagers behavior, take a look at their parents. She ought to know, having taught many a mother and child of the same family. In her words ‘if the parent was a loudmouth, the kid is a loudmouth’. The apple never falls far from the tree.

User Detail :  

Name : Andrew Pavlos, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Orthodox Christian, Age : 51, City : Petaluma, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Managerial, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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