Why do teenagers think/act the way they do today?

[Skittles!]

Why do teenagers act the way they do these days? Why are most of them out of world affairs? Why are most of them rebellious in class? Why are most of them more concerned about if they're getting smashed on the weekend and having sex with as many people than with making a future?

Is it from the lack of religious dictation (used lightly) in society nowadays? Is it from the up-coming of rules against children violence in place in the Western world? Does it make them feel like they can be as rebellious as they want because they won't get corporal punishment?

Why why why? Luckily there are a few teenagers that aren't totally blind of what is going on. I am one of them, and most of the teenagers here are them.

What is your opinion of why this is happening in today's society, and what is the cause of it?

[Mr Unbeatable]

I too am a teenager but i am none of what you said above and i agree with you i hear that stuff all the time even a year 7 was talking about getting drunk on Friday and he was only 11!!! It is getting out of control but i don't think it is to do with religion, i think it is to do with rules and discipline. Especially from the parent side of things, some of them couldn't care if there children are out until 1am on a Monday night getting drunk and that is where trouble happens. So i think it comes from discipline, mainly from the parents side.

[suggs]

I doubt teenagers have change much from the 1950s.
Its healthy to rebel as a teenager, you need to get that stuff out of your system.
They need to be themselves. Leave them alone. They are the future, so you better get used to it.
Heard of a word called TOLERANCE?

SMASH THE SYSTEM.
er wots the system

[Skittles!]

Suggs, I wasn't complaining about how teenagers act. I was asking why they act the way they do.

Apart from of course hormonal disruption (or whatever you want to call it), teenagers are more interested in talking about drinking then their future. I don't see why today's (and as you say, the 1950's teenagers) are so different from other teenagers.

We're getting more freedom.

[Genghis Khant]

They act the way they do because they're in need of a bloody good slap.

[Skittles!]

They act the way they do because they're in need of a bloody good slap.

Yah, can't do that in Australia anymore because it's "violent" and is, of course, EVIL!

God children/teenagers have too many rules placed in their favour. Especially if they do some vandalism, they get left off. Stupid laws.

[Fruitcake]

Skittles wrote

Why are most of them rebellious in class?

No change there then. We were about as rebellious as we could be, sod the consequences, we didn’t care. We fought the strictures of rules with ferocity and with passion, after all, learning got in the way of having fun, and those old duffers didn’t know what they were talking about as far as we were concerned.

Why are most of them out of world affairs?

Give them a break!!! World affairs will get them depressed enough with the idiots in power soon enough!!!

Why are most of them more concerned about if they're getting smashed on the weekend and having sex with as many people than with making a future?

Again, I say…no change there then. We spent just about every waking hour thinking about getting laid, that is of course during the times we weren’t thinking about getting drunk! Which we did with a monotonous regularity at weekends!!! I recall once getting home around 1.00am, my Dad answering the door to me swaying, then collapsing in a heap as I slid down the door frame! He and my older Brother picked me up staggered me to my bed, made sure I was on my side, put a bowl next to me for the obvious, then telling me the next morning how they pissed themselves at the state I was in. (Naturally, the Mum was not amused…I was in the doghouse for a couple of days for that one!)

We would make fools of ourselves chasing girls, constantly getting rejected (great as a life lesson, gets you prepared for the real world) and then getting really emotional when we were dumped!! Nothing like the Goddess of your dreams telling you that she thinks you are a complete idiot and to stop bothering her when you are a teen male, after a time you become more accepting that you cannot have it all!!

As for fighting…well we did plenty of that..but then so did our parents generation,,,review over here in the UK. in the 1950s we had the Teddy boys, reviled by the adults of the community, then in the 60s the Mods and Rockers would have set battles on Brighton Beach, almost killing each other in the process. In the 70s (my era, yes that decade of no taste that we prefer to forget) we had skinheads, suedeheads, then out of all this spawned new waves of music such as the Sex Pistols (I still have my copy of Anarchy in the UK) The Sex Pistols' songs were basically about hate and anarchy. The Pistols' hits like "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the UK" were banned in Europe. All of this causing great furor among the adults, saying that society was about to collapse, these teenagers would have no idea of how to assume responsibility etc. Have you seen John Lydon now? He was the MOST hated man alive by the adults…
Now he is a devoted family man. He insists on his family’s privacy and well being over ANYTHING. John has been married to Nora Forster for over 20 years. Husband and wife in the true sense of the meaning, if not the conventional. When they made a commitment, they stuck to it. Although they have no children of their own, Lydon is making sure there are plenty of other Rottens' coming through. He keeps a protective eye out for all his friends and family, but none more so than his Grandkids from Nora’s daughter Arianna.
He even appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. With ‘Ant and Dec’…how establishment can you get!! I’m more of a rebel than he is!!

Is it from the lack of religious dictation (used lightly) in society nowadays? Is it from the up-coming of rules against children violence in place in the Western world? Does it make them feel like they can be as rebellious as they want because they won't get corporal punishment?

Lack of religious dictation? No no no…we used to ignore that class like the plague, and then when we were forced by monitors to attend, what did we do…oh yes, stick compass points in whoever was the target, flick ink balls at the picture above the masters head. Write obscene notes to each other and generally cause a riot. Why? Because we could. We got caned of course…what was our attitude? Come on then if you think I ain’t hard enough…simple. (so again...no change there then)

What is your opinion of why this is happening in today's society, and what is the cause of it?

Society is as society was. The wheel turns.
We do have problems? Yes.
Are they insurmountable? No.
Will it get worse before it gets better? Very likely.
Will we survive? Very likely.

Stay cool, focus on you, get yourself into the ‘system’ and change it from the inside if you must.

For the record, I am past my half Century, own and run 3 businesses employing over 50 people between them, my Children are all grown up (after being, what I thought was the Devils spawn for a few years) 3 out of 4 are Professionals (No.1 an Accountant..1st class honours No.2 a Doctor…1st class honours, MA and now going for Phd. No.3 a Financial Services manager with a Global brand) The last is spending time travelling and, I truly hope becoming a Philosopher as the others, and me, often go to him for advice!!! (Oh yes and he was the worst by far!)

Do not despair and let's not alienate teenagers, they are the future whether we like it or not.

Lastly, I have been threatened by teenagers so I have seen the real bad side. My response? 'Come on then if you think your hard enough!' But then I am truly insane...lol

[unriggable]

As a teenager, it's because some dont want to think about politics because they dont have to. I know many who are so out of world affairs, they couldn't locate Great Britain.

[Dariune]

I think its because society has stopped treating them as kids allowing them the status of half adult half kid (named teenager) and has alienated them into a corner where their only choice is to lash out.

I will give you an example. Only yesterday i was listening to the radio and they were talking about a gadget aimed at moving teenagers away from public places. It creates a high pitched squeeling that can only be heard by under 25s. The nosie is uncomfortable to those that hear it therefore forcing them to move to a different location.
This in itself is not my point however. My point was the radio's attitude towards the kids. They were talking about them as if they were dogs or worse.

Another problem i think which has gone some way towards the current siuation is the grey area we have created.
It used to be you were a child until a certain age and you were expected to act like one, and then you were an adult. There was no half way mark. Sure some kids caused trouble but they werent labled in the same way they are today. Therefore perhaps for a while kids are directionless for those years that they fall under the not quite adult and not quite child catagory that is the teenager.

Anyway im going to stop there as i have said enough rubbish already.

[bellaraphon]

wtf is with this thread, sooner or later people will find out that spending all their money on booze isn't going to keep them alive. Let them figure it out for themselves, it isn't a recent thing, teenagers have been rebellious since 1491. Stop complaining about society and just live with it.

[bellaraphon]

also I think you should enjoy being able to do the things you can get away with as a teenager while you still can, you can't do anything to change world affairs as a teenager so put it off for a while...

[Dekloren]

Well, parents raise their kids.

Obviously, it has everything to do with the kids.

*Sigh*

The peopole are getting dumber and dumber by the day.

Fight back.

[Dariune]

wtf is with this thread, sooner or later people will find out that spending all their money on booze isn't going to keep them alive. Let them figure it out for themselves, it isn't a recent thing, teenagers have been rebellious since 1491. Stop complaining about society and just live with it.

Its not recent society no. Its the gradual evolution of society over many many years.

[btownmeggy]

I don't really perceive all of your observations, Skittles! Yes, some teenagers are like that, and they also tend to be like that as adults, too. And as others have said, there's always been some people like that. In general, I think people are pretty OK. We just need more love in the world.

Lemme tell you a little story. Last week, my dear friend and I were playing World of Warcraft, we were in Razor Hill, and just chatting with each other in Portuguese. A troll (hehe, seriously) comes up to us, and starts yelling "Beaners! Punto caca!" (whatever that means), and just being very annoying and abrasive, much in the way that you might expect a 13 year old boy to act. So my friend and I laughed at him and started making fun of him in Portuguese. Then, we started "/dance"ing with him, and saying nice things, and immediately he stopped insulting us and just chatted. He told us about how he loved animals and animals loved him. We told him about when trolls dance in WOW they're dancing capoeira, and that capoeira comes from the same country as the language we were speaking earlier. He told us about how his favorite subject in school was science, about how he was good at math but didn't like it. And then he said he had to go to bed but added us to his friends list and said he'd see us tomorrow after school!

That's the power of love.

[Dekloren]

He was just trying to get the attention his parents never gave him.

It's sad.

[Snorri1234]

wtf is with this thread, sooner or later people will find out that spending all their money on booze isn't going to keep them alive. Let them figure it out for themselves, it isn't a recent thing, teenagers have been rebellious since 1491. Stop complaining about society and just live with it.

Fully agreed.

[Gregrios]

I can speak on this from experience. One of the biggest problems is the way parents don't let kids make their own mistakes. I'm not mouthing off against parents because I realize most of them truely have good intentions. Parents telling their kids what not to do and not letting them find out for themselves is the main reason for rebellion. I am still a little rebellious but nothing like I used to be.

Now, the big question. How has this come to be? Well, it's simple. The supposeed need of warning children and teens of the things not to do almost entirely comes from TV. Every TV sitcom that's family based while I grew up constantly pushed the point of watching out for your kids.

Is this a bad thing? Is it wrong?

Of course it's not a bad thing because it comes from the love and care of parents.

Is it wrong? Damn right it is. TV sitcoms have indirectly caused the downfall of youth. The thing is with rebellion, kids will most likely grow out of it.

[Frigidus]

I think its because society has stopped treating them as kids allowing them the status of half adult half kid (named teenager) and has alienated them into a corner where their only choice is to lash out.

I will give you an example. Only yesterday i was listening to the radio and they were talking about a gadget aimed at moving teenagers away from public places. It creates a high pitched squeeling that can only be heard by under 25s. The nosie is uncomfortable to those that hear it therefore forcing them to move to a different location.
This in itself is not my point however. My point was the radio's attitude towards the kids. They were talking about them as if they were dogs or worse.

Another problem i think which has gone some way towards the current siuation is the grey area we have created.
It used to be you were a child until a certain age and you were expected to act like one, and then you were an adult. There was no half way mark. Sure some kids caused trouble but they werent labled in the same way they are today. Therefore perhaps for a while kids are directionless for those years that they fall under the not quite adult and not quite child catagory that is the teenager.

Anyway im going to stop there as i have said enough rubbish already.

Swish. He got it, this is why. It's a combination of putting to much responsibility on the kids and not enough on the parents. Sex Ed is taught in schools, you're brow beating from an early age that it's good to be different, and parents blame violent movies/video games when things go bad. Actually, real quick on the "good to be different thing", in my opinion it hurts much more than it helps. Talking about differences in people during elementary school doesn't make them tolerant, it makes them more acutely aware of each others differences. When I was a kid my best friend was black, but I didn't think of him as "different". Then, after being told for a year or two not to be intolerant of people that aren't the same as me, I noticed little things between us that divided us somehow. My class ended up, in many ways, doing the exact opposite of what they told us. It's stupid, a child is only racist if their parent tells them to be one, in which case the parent is a scumbag and telling the child otherwise won't be enough. Ok, /rant. There's my thoughts.

[muy_thaiguy]

I know exactly what you are talking about Skittles. I've seen the same thing myself quite a bit in High School and even in Junior High. Teenagers seem to have a "need" to act rebellious. Though, are they rebelling against the rebelers of their parents generation (seems to be th 60s-70s generation for the most part) who were in turn rebelling against their parents generation? My question is, who is rebelling against what?

[Gregrios]

I know exactly what you are talking about Skittles. I've seen the same thing myself quite a bit in High School and even in Junior High. Teenagers seem to have a "need" to act rebellious. Though, are they rebelling against the rebelers of their parents generation (seems to be th 60s-70s generation for the most part) who were in turn rebelling against their parents generation? My question is, who is rebelling against what?

It's just kids trying to live their OWN life. Which is the general point of what I had previously mentioned.

[muy_thaiguy]

I know exactly what you are talking about Skittles. I've seen the same thing myself quite a bit in High School and even in Junior High. Teenagers seem to have a "need" to act rebellious. Though, are they rebelling against the rebelers of their parents generation (seems to be th 60s-70s generation for the most part) who were in turn rebelling against their parents generation? My question is, who is rebelling against what?

It's just kids trying to live their OWN life. Which is the general point of what I had previously mentioned.

And what about the ones that are rebelling for the sake of it? They are rebelling, in essence, the rebellion itself.

[brooksieb]

give em the slipper/cane, put em in borstalls, focus on the good teens....

[3mp3r0r]

I know exactly what you are talking about Skittles. I've seen the same thing myself quite a bit in High School and even in Junior High. Teenagers seem to have a "need" to act rebellious. Though, are they rebelling against the rebelers of their parents generation (seems to be th 60s-70s generation for the most part) who were in turn rebelling against their parents generation? My question is, who is rebelling against what?

most people will answer that as simply "theyre conforming with thier grandparents", but the actual outcome is that each generation tries to find a way to rebel against both generations.This strives us too extremes eventually as we run out of new things to rebel with. In 60s-70s the rebelion was basically being a hippy, in 80s-90s it was being punk (i mean punk as in the Sex Pistols) now it's being a "gangsta" by getting stoned, drunk and laid as soon as possible. If you look at any teenagers site, like bebo, you will see hundreds of people who call themselves gangstas even though most of them probably havent and wont see or do anything until theyre in their 20s. There are also people who see this rebelion but dont want to conform with it so take punk to the next level, emo. (I dont care much about them though so wont rant on them )

Also the extremitys of the teenage rebelion diferentiate around the world. For example in scandinava its more likely that you will find hard rockers and death metallers, where as in Middle east you are likely to see people with bright pink neon lights stuck to them (would give them a name but cant remeber it) and in the UK and most of America you will find numerous amounts of gangstas or gangsta wannabes destroying 'nice, quiet neghbourhoods' with vandelism and noise
...well ive run out of things i can say for now so i'll stop ranting so you can yell back at me

[Neoteny]

I'm pretty gangsta. Watch me crank dat centrifuge. Watch me crank dat Buchner funnel.

[sam_levi_11]

As a teenager, it's because some dont want to think about politics because they dont have to. I know many who are so out of world affairs, they couldn't locate Great Britain.

be fair...when im drunk neither could i, and i live here