by Tracy Lewis

Created on: February 04, 2007   Last Updated: April 25, 2007

Once we reach adulthood, we often forget what it was like to be a Teenager. In our past, there often linger - memories we don't wish to recall or bring forth in our adult years, so we conveniently forget many things. 'Teen-hood' is a troublesome time for everyone - we are all going to go through it, are stuck in it, or have travelled through it. We may remember certain bad or negative actions and attitudes that we may have 'acted-out' during our Teenage-hood - and impose those items negatively and unfairly onto our Teens. We might even remember keenly - our confused, desperate thinking or moods from our Teenaged years, however, neither forgetting what adolescence was like NOR transferring our memories - to impose them onto our perceptions of own Teenaged children or Society's Teens should be acceptable in this day and age.

Teens are often treated disrespectfully - as a type of VISIBLE MINORITY. It's not possible to discount the visible features of a Teen. They look like a Teenager and do not look like any other age group. Therefore, they are easily picked out of crowds in society - and they are easily stereotyped, discriminated against, and worst of all, they have no authority to stand up for themselves in a world run by adults. People who study people (sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, behavioralists, etc) have determined that technically, Teens are, in fact a VISIBLE MINORITY, just like certain racial groups, women, and women, etc.

Watch the body language of adults in metro areas when they encounter Teens on public transit systems, in shopping malls, in restaurants, at the grocery store, anywhere public sometime. It will be easy to view adults often displaying signs of disapproval - even disgust - at the mere presence of teens. Certain adults will - scowl, frown, even deliberately and markedly move away from Teens, as if the Teens were second-class citizens. This is upsetting, but happens quite universally - definitely with great frequency. Teens are our FUTURE! They are the ones next in line for adulthood, and society should show them the same treatment that it preaches about 'fairness,' 'acceptance,' 'love,' 'empathy,' 'trust,' and any of a number of beneficial qualities that adults constantly call for and try to teach their children.

It is true that some Teens have troublesome lives and may act-out in derogatory or harmful ways at times, however, most Teenagers are just as worried about, frightened by, and concerned for 'troublesome teens' as adults

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