One of my teenagers’ favorite complaints is to complain of “ageism”–this is their way of standing up against the perception that they are being judged based on their age. I admit that I can see things from their point of view, at times, and I do remember being an older teen myself and thinking that all those adults were persecuting me because of my age. However, there are a few holes in their arguments…
Okay, I’m in the middle–I can see why bus drivers get irritated and people write in letters to the editor about the obnoxious behavior of teenagers in the public library. Get a pack of teens together and, sometimes, they are going to be rowdy and self-absorbed. Sure, sometimes even disrespectful and destructive. Most of the time they are just being self-absorbed and dorky though and not intentionally menacing. I can also see where my kids are coming from–they don’t appreciate getting barked at or disrespected by those bus drivers or the person behind the counter at the store. And, they certainly have some legitimate complaints about being harassed by police officers. All of my kids have been approached on several occasions when they were sitting with friends at a park or walking down the street by police officers who wanted to know “what they were doing.” So, do teenagers get singled out for some rude and distrustful behavior? Sure. Do they deserve it? Sometimes.
But, maybe that’s the reality of ageism anyway. We could argue that there are behaviors that are occasionally indicative of just about any age group–but do we hold the whole group accountable for those behaviors? Do we assume that because someone is 5 or 17 or 87 that we can classify them and make judgments based on their age. Well, we probably “do” but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is right.
I do think there is some truth to my teenagers’ cries of “Ageism!” sometimes, but then again, I get annoyed by those packs of obnoxious teenagers hovering around the front of the library too…
Also: Letting Them Really BE Teenagers
Who Am I? the Task of the Teenager