Now, obviously a blog is not journalistic, it's what one makes of it. Emotion in a blog could in fact be said to be intrinsic to an enjoyable read. But it must not be void of reason.
The first topic I deem blogworthy is the bad press that teenagers get. Now you may start to groan when you hear me say it but I think it's a huge issue today and is the integral reason to why many old grannies around the UK are petrified of anyone wearing a hood. I am a 17 year old 'Young Man' and live both in Brighton, and just outside it (split parents, two homes). I have enjoyed a comfortable upbringing, little violence, great schools and aspiring grades, all with the support of a loving family. From this privileged position, maybe I am not at liberty to comment on the statistics and facts that emerge from teen behaviour in rough, inner city areas, and I fully accept that.
My qualm is both the way blame is put onto these teenagers in rough situations, and the blatant disregard for all the teenagers (like myself) around the country actually doing well and prospering despite the Press' headlines.
I'll start with the blame factor. We are bombarded with facts of violence and stabbings weekly, this is shown as a sign of teenagers out of control. And in some aspects it must be. But what angers me is the almost contradictory way the media will portray the same point. For example, a newspaper article from The Daily Star may comment on the rise in youths drinking on street corners and put this down to laziness. A BBC 5 minute investigation will then approach teens on a street corner and confront them about why they are drinking on Wednesday night on a street corner. 9 times out of 10, the answer will be 'There's nothing else to do'.
In poverty stricken areas where public welfare is low and activities for youths are almost non-existent, the behaviour of teens can't be designated purely and simply to laziness and a lack of inspiration. It goes above their heads, it becomes the responsibility of the government. Now I'm obviously not saying it's an easy problem to solve, poverty is a long lasting, devastating problem at the heart of many other problems worldwide. But what I am saying is that the blame must be relieved from the teenagers themselves and put on the people who have responsibility for the teenager's position. Emile Durkheim coined the idea of anomie; the theory that within a society with no social norms or sense of place and responsibility, an individual will become disconcerted. I think anomie is prevalent to the situation of a percentage of teens today and that needs to be addressed. Give them responsibility. Give them a sense of purpose. And see what the outcome is.
Another big problem for me is linked in to responsibility and the media. Crime rates within teens rise and some blame is put on the government, but most of public blame is directed at teens themselves. However, if crime rates drop then all of the gratitude is aimed at the government and the teens, who seemed to be very responsible for the rise in crime, have suddenly become passive and have no part to play in the decline in crime.
I'm a believer to a certain extent of nurture over nature. I think that if instead of being brought up in a middle class family in a lovely village in the South East with great schools and plenty of opportunities for me to develop and have a sense of place, I was brought up in one of these poverty stricken areas I would become another statistic on the supposed downfall of teenagers. The blame can't be entirely placed on the teenagers themselves and it's simply not right that people from all backgrounds and ages are judging teens that reside in a situation that people reading about cannot empathise with.
My second problem with the media's representation of teenagers is the lack of good news about teenagers. Now I admit, this is obviously evident in all aspects of the news, us readers seem to enjoy reading about bad news. It's a decidedly strange thing.
But even when positive statistics are discovered, often the media will try to discount it. For example, exam results go up - 'Exams are Easier than Ever'. As said earlier, teen crime drops - 'Teen Crime Drops, Well Done Mr Brown'. This controversy increases sales of Papers a the expense of teenager's public image. Now you can see the problem. If we teens work hard for our exam results and find them difficult but still get good grades, then we want a certain amount of praise headed our way. Admittedly in some papers, the rise in grades was appraised as a great sign of youth in the UK. But to turn around and pick up a paper disregarding the results simply because of growth in ease of paper, it is clearly going to cause a certain amount of dislike and uncertainty of the press from teens.
Now obviously, I cannot account for those teenagers in privileged environments who still decide to resort to crime. Perhaps, in there lies an argument for nature over nurture and I can't give any excuses for why they do it. But as far as the Press' mass representation of the teen nation is concerned, I think it has a lot to account for. The media knows it's one of the most important cogs in society, if not the most important cog. We get all our information from the media be it politics, the economy, entertainment or celebrity news. I think it's time that the gigantic power of the media became used positively for teens and stopped creating this feeling of distrust between teenagers and adults.
And true to his word, Stephen Fry's theory that a bit of anger can go a long way in an article has held true. But I hope that my emotion hasn't overridden all reason in this one and I look forward to writing more in the not so distant future! I would be ecstatic to receive feedback.
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