For this part of the century the media are running a hate campaign on the youth of today, whether they are harmless or 'hoodies'. It is hard to walk down the street in a group without people crossing the road in terrorbecause they will be assulted. Is it any wonder that youths are now comforming to the stereotypes and joining gangs? The police revealed this year that there are over 100 gangs and only 3 of them are all female in london alone. This leads on to the question of what really is a gang: a large group of young people or a small crimminal network? Alongside the fear of us being 'hoodies' we are faced with being called underage parents, bingedrinkers and layabouts. Is it not a small part of the youth population who make the rest of us look the same as them. Yes I like everyone else likes to go out and have a drink, but my friends and I certainly don't go terrorising grannies and robbing shops. There just isn't enough for young people to do, in terms of recreation. Thank god there is places like the Roundhouse and summer university courses to help young people spend their time in a creative and useful way, but the media don't look at these things because they wouldn't have any negative propaganda to feed to the thirsty masses of our elders about us, the youth.
The establishment should be asking what it can do for the youth to stop them from killing each other and drinking themselves beyond a liver transplant. Not showing us pictures of knife wounds, telling us about the damage alcohol and drugs does to you and generalising every young person. They should be teaching us how to drink moderately/not making alcohol a taboo, driving us better to be creative not destructive and embracing the wider youth population and showing what young people are really like, not the minorities who are deprived of attention and think the only way to get it is by killing someone.
1 comment:
Jess, I completely agree with this blog. As someone considering a career in the Media, I strongly believe that positive comments for young people needs to be put across to the Media, as they only see the negative side to young people, when as you said there is so much more of us to see. This is what gets to me about some youths, they make the rest of us look awful, when actually it is the majority of us who are a positive reprsentation of young people and are making our lives a positive experience. We should think about a way of getting the Media to see the positive side to us youths!!!!
Alex
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