Young people these days

[nikita**]

Is the representation of young people sterotyped by the media, suggests that they are criminals, hoodlums?

[bob57]

how can the media catagorise young people as criminals,hoodlums ect when you read/hear about the kind things that they have done for other people it is wrong for them to suggest that

[noxlumos]

The media is happy to portray children/teenagers as out of control hooligans with no regard or respect for themselves or anyone else as it's sensational and alarmist and it sells papers. I have never by and large found teenagers to be aything other than a mirror to the way I treat them, and as I always strive to treat them with patience, courtesy and respect that is what I have recived from them.

[Dollie]

Good question Nikta - but what I think is that the majority of the British public are not daft. They will see yougsters/teenagers for what they are and not what they are portrayed as in the media. I suspect most of us have the ability to see beyond dress and outward appearance, even though at first sight it may be a bit menacing. I imagine (and I hope I'm right) that only a few people would judge a book by its cover, or even tar all teenagers with the same brush, so to speak. I've met some smashing youngsters and some real thugs in my time (teaching) - but by and large they're a good bunch who should all be treated as individuals. In terms of the media, I agree with noxlumos.

[madein1978]

They are not all bad, but I'm afraid the neds and hooligans outnumber the good ones! A lot of children are turfed out onto the street by their parents because they can't be bothered looking after them, as a consequence they are unable to tell right from wrong because it is not taught by parents or at school. I would say the stereotyping is wrong, but the ratio of nice kids to horrible brats is somewhat balanced towards brat!

[nikita**]

I don't agree. I think you see what you want to see. The ones who shout the loudest are the ones noticed. The percentage of children causing trouble is small. Like adults, you would not say because of so many burglaries that most adults tend to be crooks, would you, even though it is on the increase.

[bernardo]

Young people are susceptible to the temptations of apathy, passivity, laxity, complacency and bourgeois self-indulgence, and their political consciousness has not yet been stimulated sufficently to the point of enabling them to build a revolution against the oppressive hierarchical regime of hereditary gerontocracy.

[madein1978]

Put it this way, there were far more good and decent people, children and adults when I was growing up in the 80's than there are now. As I say, there are good kids around, I can see that, but quite a lot of them, in southern scotland at least are little hoodie vandals, who have no respect for their elders or other peoples property. I sometimes drive school buses, and the other day a 7 year old, told the bus attendant to "take a f*ck to themself" after requesting that he stop bouncing around and sit down, this is not an isolated incident either, it happens quite a lot! Or how about the little oiks that tamper with your car and when you go to chase them, they face you out and tell you to f*ck off back into the house, and that this is their street, they can do what they like. They don't like it though when you stand up to them back though! As I said before, the hooligans outnumber the decent kids, but it has to start from somewhere, the parents of some of these kids! It's a nightmare!

[Fat Boy]

madein78 - how do you know that the thugs outnumber the good kids? how many young people do you know? how many places have you lived in / worked in?

what do you define as a good kid? Presumable a start would be one that doesn't tell you to f**k off? If so, then unless several hundred thousand kids have personally told you to f**k off, the thugs would appear to be outnumbered.

And here's a thought - noxlumos made a very good point that teenagers tend to be a mirror of your own behaviour. How many kids have been obnoxious to you again..?

[madein1978]

Quite a few, and they have made my life quite miserable. I even had to move house because obnoxious became almost a vendetta or a mission to forcibly eject me from my house and my neighbourhood, henceforth my view on children. You are so right though, kids learn by example, the parents were sh*te as well!

[gessoo]

Most young people are just fine. Noxlumus is quite correct and I agree with everything he says. There's good and bad amongst all generations.

[ludwig]

I believe, that children are the future - teach them well, and let them lead the way.Show them all the beauty they possess inside, give them a sense of pride, to make it easier. Let the children's laughter remind us how it used to be.

[madein1978]

Ludwig the Whitney Houston fan!