If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options
Campaign for Young People
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I was flicking through Young People's Magazine at work and I discovered a campaign for young people. I'm not sure if anyone else has heard of this but basically they want the media to quit using negative images/words about young people thus challenging the public's perception of young people.
Reading the local newspaper (which I know isn't exactly a decent newspaper) The majority of the stories involving teens used words like 'Yobs, Hooligans, Scum, Evil'.
Once I was casually walking home with a group of girl-friends. We weren't being loud or obnoxious just chatting and an old lady crossed the road to avoid us. Now to me this is sad. As far as I'm aware I don't dress in a threatening sort of way.
My point is, do you think we are to blame? Or do you think the media are just abusing their power by blaming us?
Rach x
Reading the local newspaper (which I know isn't exactly a decent newspaper) The majority of the stories involving teens used words like 'Yobs, Hooligans, Scum, Evil'.
Once I was casually walking home with a group of girl-friends. We weren't being loud or obnoxious just chatting and an old lady crossed the road to avoid us. Now to me this is sad. As far as I'm aware I don't dress in a threatening sort of way.
My point is, do you think we are to blame? Or do you think the media are just abusing their power by blaming us?
Rach x
0
Comments
Rach x
The thing is, the people the press are referring to when they call people yobs and hooligans probably are yobs and hooligans. I agree that it is sad the old lady crossed the road, but perhaps she'd had a bad experience before, or maybe she was going to cross anyway, or you were taking up a lot of the path and she thought it easier to cross than to have to slow down or move to one side? There are a number of possibilities, and if it just so happens she crossed the road because she imagined you were going to cause trouble then that is her problem, not yours. She is the one with the attitude problem.
Personally I find large groups of youths intimidating and I'm 21!
I don't think people who believe everything in the media is stupid, just ignorent. Its understandable. Most people who believe 'all young people are out to get me' type opinions have probably never even had contact with a young person. Its not like they're a youth worker is it?
The old lady is just one example. I suppose she could have just been crossing the road. It was a while ago and maybe I misread her facial expressions or something. But there are plenty more examples, such as being followed round a shop by a security guard. Tons of young people I have spoken to have had this happen.
Rach x
They follow lots of people around, young and old, they aren't picky. The thing is young people are more likely to feel victimised by it.
I'm sure they were all young once though. Old people tend to forget that. I'm pretty sure most elderly people have had their own kids, or even have grandchildren. I've never had much contact with people x or people y, doesn't mean I'd show prejudice towards them.
So anyway, yes, perhaps the media does use negative stereotypes, but that is their right. It is up to people what they believe and like I said, if they're influenced by the kind of media that is going to portray all young people in that light then thats pretty sad.
Perhaps if some young people stopped acting like idiots when they're out and about then they wouldn't perpetuate the beliefs held by some people.
That is what I mean.
The media, and the rest of society, has a scapegoat in young people as we are not established enough (naturally) to hit back.
What they tend to forget is that most people would agree that we're a result of the raising we got.
Now, I am not saying that we have no responsibility, yet pointing that we didn't start acting like we do out of nowhere.
Maybe reading/watching all this negative coverage on young people decreases their self-worth. And they feel that they have to live up to the media's perception as there is nothing else to do.
Once you hit 16 and don't continue in full-time education you are seen as a write-off. But thats my personal opinion.
Rach x
There are certain sections of the media that will make anyone look like satan to sell more papers... refugees, ethnic minorities, gay people, teenagers, old people, rich people, poor people, northeners, southerners... depending on which paper you read or which show you watch there is always someone depicted as the evil section of society. It is human nature to look for and pick on the underdog.
Rach x
Well the press are free to print pretty much anything they like. I don't care what some bigotted person thinks of me if they're baseing their opinion of me on what they've read about people my age. To me they're as rude and ignorant as they believe me to be, or something...
Rach x
I'm not sure. Unless someone actively discriminates against you because you're young then they aren't really being ageist. I don't think there are that many people who honestly believe that all young people are yobs and hooligans. Most know better than that and the few that don't are probably non discrimitory in their bigotted beliefs anyway (i.e. they probably hate most people regardless and will look for any reason to behave the way they do.)
I've been know to call old people moaners and whingers, because a lot of them are, but I know that at heart they're probably nice enough people - its just a stereotype and I suppose most people do it.
I really don't think young people can claim they suffer terribly from ageism when older people are generally the ones passed over for jobs because they're seen as 'too old'. It works both ways really.
Rach x
Ah, now this I agree with. A balance to the negativity would be most welcome.
Rach x [/B][/QUOTE]
:eek: :eek2:
Leave school at 16, get paid to do an apprenticeship, once you're a qualified plumber/joiner etc etc then you're looking at moving straight onto big money.
Hardly a write-off.
Yeah, but that isn't something many people do. There are very few people doing apprenticeships.
So that's just about everyone then.
I don't agree with that at all.