Link Fruit and a Tangent on Being a Teenager

I like fruit. I thought today I’d share a couple of outstanding links I’ve found.

Tv Trains You to Expect the Worse

from SiDawson. I got rid of my TV long ago and watched only the show, Make it or Break it online but stopped that recently because I realized I didn’t like watching that cesspool of drama, drama, lama.

The One Where You Don’t need to Explain Yourself

from Lemon Soda. It’s true.

Allstate: Teenage Girls are, Like, Sooo Reckless

from Teenagerie. Jamie deconstructs an Allstate commercial with such sharp eloquence and humor, it brings tears to my eyes. Some of my favorite points and lines:

“When she finds out her best friend has kissed her crush, a problem all-consuming in her tiny teenage world, she throws her bedazzled phone into the backseat. Look how little respect she has for her possessions! Gosh, teenagers are so unappreciative!”

“I think that you’d be hard pressed to find other television advertisements that so conspicuously mock a group of people through stereotypes. This commercial would never make it past production if it were meant to mock men older than 85, a demographic that causes more than twice as many car-related deaths as the teen girl demo.”

“This video is just one more indicator of how teenagers are one of the last true frontiers of discrimination. We have no significant income or power, so feel free to wreck on us as much as you want! Or don’t… after all, media like this sets an expectation for people of all ages as to how is acceptable/expected for an adolescent girl to act. That is, if you don’t want us behaving like this, stop telling us that we do.”

My Thoughts: Since I’ve come into the label “teenager” I have definitely felt some discrimination whether it be from adults or the media. Movies and magazines are huge fans of depicting teens in a less than dignified light. Society has preconceived notions of how teens are and how they should behave but at the same time condemn them for the stereotypes they, themselves, have created. But then I realize, not all people are like that (like everyone reading this blog =). Some actually listen to our opinions and treat us like normal capable human beings. “How much credit are we giving teenagers to be able to process information and make responsible decisions on their own?”

What are today’s teens really like? I’ll tell you this, definitely not what they portray on Gossip Girl psh. Or any media for that matter. We live in a society that largely likes to wag it’s finger while saying “the problem with kids today….”

In coming of age, we need to breathe and explore our world more but instead we’re stuck in classrooms 7 hours a day striving for that ever so important symbol, an “A.” I find this time in one’s life ever so interesting because it’s here that many capabilities reach their peak amount in areas such as dance, sports, or instruments. When looking back many people either wish they were back in these golden years of glory or glad they’re out of highschool. There’s a certain genusayquah placed upon being a teen, as this is when first time experiences happen and many personalities, tendencies, and opinions solidify.