Sunday, February 17, 2013

Talking Points #4: Hine (Quotes)



“Maybe I’m something special, and maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m here for a reason and I might be going somewhere after this, but then again I might not. I wonder where I fit in?”
this is unfortunately many of teen’s fears that in their world might just be true. this happens because they do not seem to fit into a teenager stereotype nor the societal stereotype, they don’t fit their parents ideals nor do they have many friends and are most of the times shy, lonely and socially awkward. adults sometimes feel this way as well, and so they become even more of loners and depressed, they do not have much of a social life and close themselves to relationships.
“ ….. teenagers principal preoccupation is to adapt, to find a place in life”.
this is why i think teenagers should be allowed to experiment with as much as they want and do things as far as their imagination takes them, because this way they will: 1. get it out of their system and 2. once they are old, they don’t have those “when I was a teen I wish I would’ve moments” or the best ones “if I had the chance as a teen to try and that, maybe I would have been a lawyer, a dentist, a doctor, etc…”
 i believe everyone should have the chance to experiment with whatever they want at whatever time in their lives, without any judgment from others. a lot of people would be happier and maybe would not be living through their teenagers experiences.
“ ….we remember ourselves as ourselves. Being a teenager isn’t an identity but a predicament most people live through.”
In my opinion there are a lot of so called “adults” currently living in this predicament.
2 of my favorite quotes:
-          “We want them (teenagers) to embody virtues we only rarely practice. We want them to eschew habits we’ve never managed to break.”
-          "But if our conception of teenaged lives is dysfunctional, parents suffer along with their children.”
these quotes speak loudly to most teenage experience, many “adults” demand teenagers things that they themselves as “adults” still do. so in reality what does that say about “adults.”
also we hear many parents say: “i did the best i could.” maybe they did but maybe in order for “the problem” to be solve we might need to look both the teenager and the parent to try and fix it.
the teenager:
“not quite a competent person” for some things in my opinion.
“a person from twelve to thirty-five”
“the one who will realize the American dream”
“a source of anger, irritation, or anxiety”
“not to be trusted”

this is where why i truly believe that adults envy teenagers.
“Adults fear that teenagers will go totally out of control. The teenage years have been defined as, at once, the best and freest of life and a time of near madness and despair.”
most adults feel trapped in their “responsible, professional, adult life” and so they do miss their teenage years and in some ways envy the freedom and lack of responsibility in some sense that teen age has. This may also be a good reason for them to try and make them as miserable as they are.
about the article and the stories, one thing I was taken aback by was the lack of positive views of teenagers. there are plenty young successful, independent, positive attitudes teens out there, but yet none are highlighted. only horror stories to damage more the stereotypes of teenagers.   

well here are some positive pics to inspire some:














smile :)
kt

4 comments:

  1. Your visuals are a great way to resist some of the dominant ideology and discourse around teenagers. Do you think there is a danger to the free reign experimentation you name?

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    1. I actually do not think that there is a problem with giving teens free reign.
      We tend to think that we give teens a lot of free reign but in reality we don't because we still watching their every move and always trying to control what they do and don't do. I think if we would give teens a chance and let them make their own choices in life, makee their own mistakes and learn from them by themselves. I think they would actually surprise us, and maybe this is what we as adults are afraid off, that eventually teens will not need us in their lives.
      This might be a social fear as well.

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  2. I love the quotes you use, especially the last one and your comment it on. I completely agree with your statement " lack of positive views of teenagers". I feel like the teenagers who have accomplished a lot for their age, are not even noticed. By doing so no one sees how good teenagers can be. Instead people believe they all cause mischief.

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    1. Its interesting to me when I see all these bad representations of teens in movies, commercials, everything media. Yet the good ones are swept under the rug maybe on purpose to not give any new ideas to those upcoming teens, they just show them the bad so that they don't try anything.
      The ones that have and are still doing good things will never be shown or given as much publicity, because teens are bad, and that is what the media wants us to still think.
      I also think its very frustrating for those teen themselves, because they feel that even though they are doing good, they are not represented anywhere.

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