Adults seem to have lost faith in teenagers

October 30, 2009  
Filed under Archives, Opinion Archives

By Sarah Jacques
Round Table editor

Today, I was in the library, waiting for my teacher to finish going over a handed-back test that I had missed taking on account of illness.

I was lying down on a couch taking a much-needed nap when a teacher approached me, an incredulous look on her face. “Why are you sleeping in the library?” she asked me, with an immediate look of suspicion creeping across her face.

I explained the situation to her, and verified that my teacher knew where I was and had authorized me to be there. The teacher gave me one last look of distrust, and told me to go sign in on the sign in sheet.

The situation was minor, but it began to make me think about the mistrust adults have for teenagers. Where did the trust go?

There used to be a day when adults and teenagers trusted each other and had no prior prejudices. But now, it seems that both factions have misgivings for the other, and the trust has all but evaporated.

Many teachers and older adults show suspicion daily against teenagers. My friends and I have gotten many cold glares in the mall or other places in society from adults for bursting out laughing at a funny joke or using silly accents.

It seems many adults judge all teenagers as being crude, disruptive, and vandals. There have been many incidents of teenagers causing mischief and property destruction, but this should not account for prejudices against all young people.

Teenagers also have biases against adults. Many see most adults as being uptight, not fun, and just wanting to show their own control.

Many adults may seem to fit this role, but some teenagers can branch this assumption out more broadly than what’s accurate. Adults can be fun and laid-back, but teenagers make assumptions just as blindly as their older counterparts.

Prejudice is not found concerning just race, religion, or beliefs. Prejudice is everywhere, and, if both adults and teenagers don’t release their biases against each other, the trust may completely evaporate, replaced with vague assumptions about “those darn kids” or “that old woman.”