There's no need to worry, parents just don't understand!





Why does it seem like "back in your parents day" the older generation always has better ethics, worked harder, and was more mature? In a recently article I read, about studying the teen-parent conflicts in perspective, I discovered that there are many reasons why each older generation thinks themselves "high on a pedastal" over the younger generations. One idea is that the media is to blame. Through modern day media, America's youth is constantly being told that you have to grow up faster and faster. Well this happens physcologically and physically. In a study mentioned in the article "Putting Teen-Parent Conflicts in Perspective," The average age of puberty for girls was 16 in 1820, 14 in 1900, 13 in 1940, and today it's 12. Besides the fact that America's youth is physically growing up faster, media in America (through music, movies, internet, and television channels like MTV) encourages teenagers to have sex as soon as possible, drink and do drugs, and most of all... defy your parents. They do this, by making sneaking out, going to parties, passing out, fighting/talking back to your parents, and being high or drunk look really fun, and portray teenagers as young as 14 doing it. Another suggested cause is the economy. Older generations had hard working jobs like construction and working in factories instead of working at a Burger King or Hollister, and they could do it with less diplomas or degrees. Working at a construction site, the older workers would mess with the teenage older generations, the would teach them important life lessons, and good work-ethics. Now days most teenagers don't even have any jobs because of the economy and the fact that one will not get a good job with out a college diploma (unlike the only required high school diploma back then). These unemployed teens just hang with their friends, play video games, or do drugs to kill time. So as much as teenagers these days get ragged on about having sex or doing drugs and younger and younger ages, not being as responsible as the higher generations was, or being "lazy", we are not completely to blame.

Why did the woman cross the road? Wait, better question, why is she out of the kitchen!?

Jokes like these are used to affiliate women with the degrading stereotype that they have worked for so long and so hard to overcome through out history. But throughout more recent American history, women have fought to earn their right to vote and end a majority of feminine discrimination. They took baby steps to achieve this right to independence. In the business world today women such as Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart are known as some of the most influential and powerful women not only the media, but in the stock market, and worldwide help-organizations. Also many other female actresses such as Ellen De-generous have endorsed ending further discrimination and public issues; whether it's spreading awareness of starvation in Africa, standing up for gay rights, or trying to end cyber-harassment and bullying. Women today are still fighting for respect after all these years, some holding better and higher jobs than men. They are doing amazing things and deserve some credit. Jokes like the ones above can really be a kick-in-the-teeth to many. I know among my peers that a lot of kids say this stuff just to joke around, they do not stop to think for a second the effect it will have on anyone. People can always blame sources for this: the media, forms of parental raising, lack-of-feminine education in schools; But I know, especially after recently watching a video in sociology that disregarded female discrimination and degradation, that I will try to be more sociological mindful towards these jokes about women from now on.