expectations.

One thing that frustrates me more than anything is the expectations our culture has on teenagers.  Actually, many things frustrate me about Western culture, but I am going to focus on this one right now.

A "teenager" is more of a stereotype than anything else. Think about it.  Teens are thought to be lazy, rowdy,  dramatic, trouble-making, self-absorbed, tech-obsessed individuals that have no thoughts or cares for the future or the people around them.  They have a no-consequences, you-only-live-once attitude.

This is the stereotypical teenager.  She sits in her room texting her boyfriend, fights with her parents, gets drunk at a party, and lies about it the next day at school after failing a test.

Why does this stereotype even exist? The word "teenager" didn't even exist until the 1940s.  Before then, children became adults.  They transitioned from dependency to responsibility, automatically.  There was no grace period where it was acceptable to waste one's life in "preparation" for the "real world"; that came from working in the home, the fields, the factories, or the shops.  A child's life was filled with responsibility so that he could be ready for adulthood and independency.

But not so any more.

I try to believe in humanity and hope that the teenage stereotype is just that and nothing more.  That the majority of young adults do not behave this way. However, the stereotype has advanced to the point where it is not only acceptable for adolescents to behave in such ways, but it is expected.  With the invention of the teenager, our culture has transformed our perception of what young adulthood should be.  It has become acceptable for young adults to be lazy, selfish, and childish; as opposed to a mere 50 years ago when one would be punished for such immaturity.

"Teenage" behavior has become so expected that even adults are shocked when a "teenager" shows maturity, self-discipline, and respect.  Adults, our culture, expect young adults to behave in self-deprecating, rambunctious ways. In fact, as the stereotype progresses, adults begin to behave like "teenagers".

This is where I become thoroughly annoyed.  As I said earlier, I try to believe that most teens don't act this way.  So, when adults behave like the stereotypical teenager, whether because they are mocking the young generation or trying to be young again, I get angry. How is it that they can be so immature when many young adults including myself are trying to break the teenage mold our culture has created for us? It is difficult to respect an older person who acts less mature than I do.

And here I come to the conclusion of my frustration.  Is there any way at all to break this mold? In a short time the idea of the teenager has become so thoroughly embraced.  The largest market is to teenagers; music, movies, clothing, cars, phones: these have all glorified the teenage stereotype. The "teenager" has been so quickly accepted by every aspect of Western culture: adults have embraced it, politics and large companies have marketed to it, entertainment has promoted it.

I think young adults deserve more credit than we are given.  Many, like me, wish to rise above the low expectations our culture has set before us.  We want to break the cycle of laziness and wildness. We know life is too short to waste on being stupid, dramatic, and immature.  At the end of the day, all teenagers are frustrated that they are not pushed to do more.

This is only a small part of the culture war we are all battling right now.  I hope someday the pieces fit together and we can end this detrimental cultural cycle.