Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The Rise and Fall

The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager, by Thomas Hine, was an interesting read, but more importantly, it was a RELIEF to read. I was previously unaware that the term "teenager" was invented in the 1940's, and no such concept existed before that time. Perhaps all my thoughts/ideas/feelings have not been so crazy after all.

This notion of the "teenager" creates such a sense of isolation. By labeling this group of young individuals as something "other," we reinforce the belief that they should be kept separate from the rest of society. And I, for one, absolutely hated being separate when I was an adolescent. By the time I hit about sixteen/seventeen, I was discovering that I got along better with twenty/thirtysomethings than I did with people my own age. And it frustrated me terribly to have to endure being surrounded by(day in, day out)my peers who I felt I had truly outgrown. The last two years of high school were painful for me to experience when I was far more mature than my classmates. If it had not been for my family and small group of close friends, I probably would have gone insane, wondering why I could not intellectually connect with those my age.
This idea of "separate but equal" has never worked, and clearly is not working in this case either. Until the 20th century, as Hine points out, adult expectations of young people were "not determined by age but by size." As sexist as it may be, boys were supposedly entering manhood when they had grown strong enough for farm work and other labor needs, and girls were considered women once they were ready for motherhood. Back in the day, the criteria for adulthood was based on ability (mostly physical ability), whereas now it is based on age and legal recognition in our society.
And even THIS is only in reference to our own culture. When one examines how OTHER cultures have viewed childhood/adolescence/adulthood, it becomes even more clear that there is something wrong with how we collectively regard youth in America.
I hope that this changes over time. I was watching the news recently and it disgusted me how one local story was covered; in Falmouth, MA some students were caught "sexting" (sending pornographic text messages/photos) and they are now being slapped with child pornography charges. Instead of figuring out ways to teach healthy sex ed in jr. high/high schools, and instead of insisting upon abstinence in all senses of the word, there should be far more communication. There should be an understanding that teenagers are indeed sexual creatures once they have hit puberty, and they should be shown how to handle their sexuality responsibly. I am not sure what adults in America are so afraid of, but living in denial and trying to force these kids into a form of denial/repression as well certainly is getting us nowhere fast.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009