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| Teenagers are always texting and/or have their headphones plugged in. They are careless, disobedient, and never pay attention to anything you say. |
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| Teenagers are rude and inconsiderate. They are always using their cell phones, even in social settings. Also notice some of the crazy fashion and hairstyles. |
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| I had to include this picture because it makes me laugh. |
- "How teens wake up in the morning"
- A fun clip that shows a stereotypical teenager's attitude in the morning.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpc3z7TtB_8
- Harry and the Hendersons
- This part of the movie shows the teenage daughter, Sarah, getting upset and throwing a tantrum over a corsage. This portrayal of the teenage daughter perfectly parallels the stereotype that teenagers are impossible.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpKl9lrLfx0&list=PLE409AE4318BDE99F
Articles:
- "Taming the Teenage Eye Roll"
- An article that supports the idea that it is impossible to parent teenagers.
- http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thinking-about-kids/201309/taming-the-teenage-eye-roll
- "Teenagers' pea-sized brains"
- The epitome of society's stereotype of teenagers.
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-299445/Teenagers-pea-sized-brains.html
Teenagers are rebellious troublemakers who are always texting and never listen to their parents...or so society seems to think. There is a consistent message in our culture that says that teenagers are simply impossible. Impossible to parent, impossible to control...simply impossible. Society portrays teenagers as a bunch of lazy, selfish, unpleasant, and disobedient creatures.
This judgement of teenagers is totally unfair and extremely limiting. I believe that this stereotype is very damaging in our society, because it gives children and "tweens" the impression that teenagers are supposed to be lazy and unsuccessful, even before they reach their teenage years. And when they become teenagers, the stereotype becomes even more damaging. Teenagers who are already struggling to find purpose, identity, and self-confidence will feel even more worthless when society looks down on them, simply for being teenagers.
Society portrays teenagers as being careless and defiant. This stereotype is dangerous because of the implications for teens already struggling with self-esteem issues and the preconceived ideas for preteens about what they are inevitably going to become. Maybe we, as a society, should give teenagers a little slack. After all, we were all teenagers once, weren't we?
This was an interesting group to choose because teenagers do get such a bad reputation in the media. I think that some of the things teenagers do are because of the things they see in the media; they subconsciously think that if they do _________ they will be "cool." If they sluff school they are "cool." If they talk back to their parents, they think they are "cool." These ideas get planted in their heads because of the emphasis the media puts on "annoying, self-absorbed teenagers who only care about themselves and looking good to their peers." It's funny, though, because I have two teenage little sisters and they do have some of these qualities - not entirely how the media portrays it, but I will get glimpses of them being normal, self-absorbed teenagers at times. It makes me laugh because the stereotypes prove themselves true, although blown way out of proportion.
ReplyDeleteI love this. It was kind of hard being a normal person when I was in high school because everyone expected me to be irrational and emotional all the time, my parents included. Finally redemption!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Morgan. I believe that not only teenagers, but the rest of the world act a certain way because of what media states as the norm. I wonder how many less people would be drinking and doing drugs if the media did not represent that as the normal thing to do.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can't argue with anything that you say, I'd like to drop four words here: Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network. When I was growing up, several shows on each of these stations were considered "off-limits." Why? Because they portrayed the tweens/teens as the smart, competent, reliable, mature characters and adults (typically their parents) as bumbling fools who are easy to manipulate, deceive, and deserve little to no respect. And I think we can agree this portrayal has gotten much worse since the late 90s/early 00s. It's interesting how, depending on the audience, the "single story" can be the complete opposite.
ReplyDeleteThis was a cool group to analyze because a lot of us have recently left the teen era or are still in it- it is rare to see a well behaved and well rounded teenager, they call those church kids or teacher's pets. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think the media has=ve such an effect of teens. The media tell
ReplyDeleteteenagers who they "are" and the vast majority of kids just aren't like that -- like how they're being portrayed.