Saturday, March 8, 2008
Teenagers, the generation gap and social problems
Title/s: The gap generation
: Teenagers make good
Author: William Damon
Title of magazine: USA weekend
Date the article was written: 29-4-01
Links: Generation gap breached
What I will be talking and reflecting about would be the generation gap and social problems associated with teenagers which are reflected very well in the two articles.
"The gap generation" gives the reader extremely insightful views on today's teens,the actual truth, backed by statistics about what teens actually feel about elders, the concept of respect and the generation gap. To sum everything up into a few sentences, the article states flatly that the widening generation gap which is the concern of many may just be a false alarm and in real fact, teenagers are gtting closer and having better relationships with their parents than evert before. Also, it states, with statistics to back it up, that teenagers not only trust and respect their parents, but have also even gone to the stage where they feel their parents are "cooler" than their friends and enjoy "hanging out "with them", a phenomenon previously not seen, or even known. However, the article also highlights that teens are becoming more and more oblivous of the country's affairs and state welfare and issues.
In response, to the first part, i feel that it is indeed true, that contrary to public opinion, the generation gap is just a term applicable to the minority of teen-parent relationships. In real fact, teens would see their parents, inevitably through their constant contact with them, as role models and even as their confidants and friends. This i feel, is as a result of the parents understanding that teens tend to grow up and get into contact with society at an earlier age than themselves. It is through this mutually developed understanding that parents will trust their teens to take care of themselves that misunderstandings and the so called generation gap has been breached. I feel that it is credit to the parent for being able to adapt so well to their teen's new style of life that the families have been able to progress smoothly and with harmony. Next, I also feel that the generation gap problem has also been breached mainly because of both side's matuarity. By the use of this term, i refer to both sides assuming responsibility for things that go wrong and do not play the "blame game". These two words are the cause for many misunderstandings and break up many already delicate relationships. In this case, credit goes to bot parties for being able to be brave enough to take responsibility for what has or had happened. Finally, i feel that this breached generation gap spells even brighter future for the families. With this increased mutual respect, understanding and matuarity in handling each other and the things that happen, families will be able to concentrate better on developing the finer points, such as family planning, getting to know each other better, the parent about the child's education, and the child about a parent's job and stress. This will all add up to a more holistic and suitable environment for a child to grow up in.
Finally, about the social problem. I feel that teen's decreasd intrest in social issues arise from two main problems. First, the sheer pressure and workload of going through an education. These days, education and fun have been clearly distinguished as immiscible by the public. The emphasis placed on good grades had overtaken the teen's ability to be too concerned about anything else that is happening around them. Secondly, i also feel that teens feel that politics and national issues are somethig "for the adults" to worry about. In this case, it also boils down to the fact that teens just do not have the stamina to look and delve into anything deeper than getting straight A s. Thus, i feel what can be done to thissevere problem that strikes up enough concern in the country would be to encourage such topics to be that of discussions in schools and in homes. By this, i mean the media and other sources should give extra emphasis on such topics so that the teens are constantly exposed to them.
I feel, in conclusion, that the stereotypes of teens being constantly involved in colflicts with their parents are not true, which is indeed a thankful signal. Also, I feel that the social problems and ignorance towards thems be teensagrers is of enough concern to take the following steps as mentioned above.
Just some interesting pictures i found on the generation gap......
: Teenagers make good
Author: William Damon
Title of magazine: USA weekend
Date the article was written: 29-4-01
Links: Generation gap breached
What I will be talking and reflecting about would be the generation gap and social problems associated with teenagers which are reflected very well in the two articles.
"The gap generation" gives the reader extremely insightful views on today's teens,the actual truth, backed by statistics about what teens actually feel about elders, the concept of respect and the generation gap. To sum everything up into a few sentences, the article states flatly that the widening generation gap which is the concern of many may just be a false alarm and in real fact, teenagers are gtting closer and having better relationships with their parents than evert before. Also, it states, with statistics to back it up, that teenagers not only trust and respect their parents, but have also even gone to the stage where they feel their parents are "cooler" than their friends and enjoy "hanging out "with them", a phenomenon previously not seen, or even known. However, the article also highlights that teens are becoming more and more oblivous of the country's affairs and state welfare and issues.
In response, to the first part, i feel that it is indeed true, that contrary to public opinion, the generation gap is just a term applicable to the minority of teen-parent relationships. In real fact, teens would see their parents, inevitably through their constant contact with them, as role models and even as their confidants and friends. This i feel, is as a result of the parents understanding that teens tend to grow up and get into contact with society at an earlier age than themselves. It is through this mutually developed understanding that parents will trust their teens to take care of themselves that misunderstandings and the so called generation gap has been breached. I feel that it is credit to the parent for being able to adapt so well to their teen's new style of life that the families have been able to progress smoothly and with harmony. Next, I also feel that the generation gap problem has also been breached mainly because of both side's matuarity. By the use of this term, i refer to both sides assuming responsibility for things that go wrong and do not play the "blame game". These two words are the cause for many misunderstandings and break up many already delicate relationships. In this case, credit goes to bot parties for being able to be brave enough to take responsibility for what has or had happened. Finally, i feel that this breached generation gap spells even brighter future for the families. With this increased mutual respect, understanding and matuarity in handling each other and the things that happen, families will be able to concentrate better on developing the finer points, such as family planning, getting to know each other better, the parent about the child's education, and the child about a parent's job and stress. This will all add up to a more holistic and suitable environment for a child to grow up in.
Finally, about the social problem. I feel that teen's decreasd intrest in social issues arise from two main problems. First, the sheer pressure and workload of going through an education. These days, education and fun have been clearly distinguished as immiscible by the public. The emphasis placed on good grades had overtaken the teen's ability to be too concerned about anything else that is happening around them. Secondly, i also feel that teens feel that politics and national issues are somethig "for the adults" to worry about. In this case, it also boils down to the fact that teens just do not have the stamina to look and delve into anything deeper than getting straight A s. Thus, i feel what can be done to thissevere problem that strikes up enough concern in the country would be to encourage such topics to be that of discussions in schools and in homes. By this, i mean the media and other sources should give extra emphasis on such topics so that the teens are constantly exposed to them.
I feel, in conclusion, that the stereotypes of teens being constantly involved in colflicts with their parents are not true, which is indeed a thankful signal. Also, I feel that the social problems and ignorance towards thems be teensagrers is of enough concern to take the following steps as mentioned above.
Just some interesting pictures i found on the generation gap......
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