Excessive Stereotyping of Our Youth by the Media Lacks Truth

"Don't judge a book by its cover" such advice has always tried to inform people that stereotypes are just stereotypes. The sad thing is that they have failed dramatically. Stereotyping is as natural to humans as food and water. However the mass media is helping a little too much in the development of this natural process, it has encouraged a notable alteration. Not only have stereotypes grown into countless categories, because of the media's portrayal of various people, cultures, races, and religions, but they have started to influence the lives of groups who are victimized by them. One such group is the youth of today, who has been excessively stereotyped in numerous manners by the media.

Lacking truth most of the time, the media has always been judgmental of today's young generation. Depicted as party animals, baggy clothes gangsters, loud attitudes and mischief conductors, youngsters are continuously blamed for roles of irresponsibility and reckless behavior.

"Who's causing violence? Kids and guns," asserts President Clinton, favorably quoted by reporters (AP, 11/14/93) who neglect to mention that six out of seven murders are committed by adults. Who's dying from drugs, spreading AIDS, committing suicide? Teenagers, teenagers, teenagers, the media proclaim at the behest of official
sources, even though health reports show adults (are) much more at risk from all of these perils than are adolescents (males).

Such incriminations by the media have lead youngster right into the depths of generalizations and stereotypes.

Similar to stereotypes that attack certain people, races, religions and cultures, youth stereotypes vary from their social to personal lives. Some stereotypes say that teenagers are ill-mannered towards the adult world. Yet teens themselves claim that respect is a valued treasure. In a study, where students where asked to identify the leading cause of problems in schools, 64 percent declared "Students who don't respect schoolteachers and authorities." When that same question was asked about the nation's problems, 56 percent said "Selfishness, people not thinking of the rights of others." Fifty-two percent said "People who don't respect the law and authorities (KQED)." Other stereotypes exaggerate over teen violence. Newscasts exhibit youth violence every time they get a chance but rarely do watchers find those same newscasters give any solutions to the problem.

Eighty-one percent of San Francisco's teen survey reviews conform that teen violence would abate if teens had safe places to go to or had something constructive to do. Nor do those who create stereotypes ever propose any methods of aid. "Less than 1% of San Francisco's General Fund goes to programs for teenagers before problems arise (KQED)." Then there are stereotypes that declare that the youth of today has no regard for their futures and all they do is have sex and do drugs. On the contrary teens in America are genuinely anxious about what condition their tomorrow is going to be in. Fifty-eight percent of youths, in the United States alone, hold jobs and 69 percent keep themselves busy in housework regularly. Another study by the US Drug Abuse Warning Network found that credit for 95 percent of the drug-related deaths go to adults over the age of 26 (KQED). When it comes to premarital sex and pregnancy rates, the media plays it off as if only teen are being apart of such activities.

California and United States vital statistics reports show that men over age 20 cause five times more births among junior high-age girls than do junior high-age boys, and 2.5 times more births among high school girls than high school boys do. Even though many more pregnancies among teenage females are caused by men older than 25 than by boys under 18, media reports and pictures depict only high schoolers. By their choice of terms and images, the media blame the young and female while
giving the adult and male a break (KQED).

Of course it would be personally immoral to say that, because adults commit to things like drugs and premarital sex, so should teenagers. On the other hand today's youngsters need good role models more then ever. "Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them (Solomon)."

Upright role models, cautious communities, and a friendlier media would increase the chances of these stereotypes to be diminished. If this is not possible then today's youth might have to pay the consequences for something they are really not guilty of. The impact of these stereotypes has been brimful on the present and future of adolescents. The minds of Employers, teachers, and parents are reserved by these generalizations. Which is why youths are given less responsibilities and no chance to demonstrate themselves as reliable. If adolescents are not represented fairly or if they are not given responsibilities today then there is hardly a chance that they will have solid futures. Therefore it seems that the grownups that are concerned about teens are also the reason why teens can not advance for the better of their futures. The media and the adult world, if they really want to improve the behavior of young people, should not point fingers but try to comprehend why some teenagers act the way they do.

Today's youths are intelligent but some adults don't seem to think so. We are people too. Youths are discriminated against an that's not right. To get through to young
people, you have to listen to them, trust them, and respect them. The way I look and the music I listen to does not make me a "bad" person. I am my own person (Youth).

Being once a youth myself, I know exactly how it feels to be criticized because of my age. Like many youths I myself have made mistakes, to mistake is to be human. I hesitate even to think that the youths of today are all angels, that in it self would be stereotyping on my behalf. Incidents of public shootings, suicides, drug deals and rapes contribute to the fact that some teens have done horrible things. All the same, the key is to prevent, not blame and encourage such actions by stereotyping. Still the media keeps persisting in taking full advantage of the errors teens make to blemish an entire group. They do not realize that while wounding the present of youths they are harming their own futures, the future of this nation, and the future of this world. While teens are attempting to be relieved of their tarnished image, it is time to hold a protesting sign saying "DOWN WITH SOCIETY'S LABELS."

KQED Youth Media Corps: Youth Stereotypes What are the Stereotypes?

http://www.kqed.org/w/ymc/empowered/stereotypes.html>

Males, Mike. Media Myths about Teenagers: Bashing Youth. Mar/Apr 1994

3 May 2005

Solomon, Norman. Cherishing Kids...while Neglecting Them. 18 May 1996

3 May 2005

Youth Stereotyping and Its Impact. 3 May 2005

youth_stereotypes_news.cfm>