Youth Stereotypes

Un-trustworthy- In the readings, Sternberg talks about the notion that some people feel that our youth are “sneaky." He states “Reverend Erb was right. Most people (grownups) don’t like teenagers, they don't trust them, and certainly wanting to be around them is suspect. It was then that I decided to devote my career to facilitating young adults to become leaders, to be viewed as worthwhile, trustworthy, and brilliant.”

Self- Indulgent -Another part of the reading states that youth are self-indulgent. In addition, it states that “The issues closely associated with youth and thus kept most private from adults are sex, drugs and parents,” an emphasis that suggests that young people are self-indulgent and uninvested in more sophisticated ‘adult’ concerns (such as work, health, money, etc). “

Under-Represented/ Identity-less

Society feels that our youth a group of individuals that need to act the way that older generations think to be "appropriate." To exemplify this notion, the readings state that “Discourses of adolescence development suggest that all young people must pass through stages en route to a more mature version of themselves. It is assumed that, what youth are what adults should of expect of them.”     

                

These stereotypes are spread by: -Our media and -Old traditions

 “Dominant discourses about youth — adolescent development, age, erasure of difference — secure the weight of their voice(s) through repetition and reproduction in mainstream texts, popular culture and “scientific” studies which naturalize them as a part of the “common sense” of American culture.  These common sense frameworks are not disinterested or impartial.

People always are so quick to judge our youth with their role in society... but yet they are not getting the right kind of guidance and opportunities which means they are set up for failure.

A part of the reading that explains this is “Certainly, teacher education does not prepare secondary and middle school teachers to facilitate youth leadership and empowerment; most parents and caregivers are not wired to assist empowerment, rather to squelch it.”

Personal Quotations/Excerpts  Regarding Youth Stereotypes:

"You're too young to be worrying about that. You have your whole life ahead of you!"

"Being young is about being carefree and enjoying life. you shouldn't have any stress!"