The Teenage Dream

I saw the above text circulating on Facebook this morning in between soppy Valentine’s messages from those in relationships, and bitter statuses about it being commercialised non-sense for those who aren’t.

As a youth worker, I had a few thoughts on this. They probably mean very little, but for what they lack in clarity, I hope they make up for in passion, because I believe the advice given by John Tapene in the above quote is insufficient and will fall onto deaf ears.

The first thing to grasp is that today’s young people have a different mindset which encourages them to believe the exact opposite to what is described at the top of this post. For example,

They honestly believe that their town DOES owe them recreational facilities.

I was at a youth meeting the other day where 15 year olds were asking for advice from town councillors on how they could get a Parkour/free running  park built in the town. At no point did they question the cost, whether it was feasible, or how long it would take. Their understanding was that if their 5 friends were good at it and loved doing it, they should be provided with bespoke facilities in which to practice and to learn.

They honestly believe that their parents DO owe them fun.

Maybe a little extreme here, but there was a young lad who recently murdered both his parents because the allowance money they were giving him to spend on his video game addiction hobby simply wasn’t enough. He saw that they were not fulfilling their duties, and delivered what he thought was an appropriate punishment.

They honestly believe that the world DOES owe them a living.

And so it should. Years at school, years at university (if you can get a place), tens of thousands of pounds later, and the number of unemployed 18-25 year olds is still souring. How good value is a degree in today’s economic climate? The usual route is then for young people to move back in with their parents. It’s free, it’s safe, and it’s comfortable- no need to grow up at all!

As for telling young people to get out of their ‘dream world‘, I have to disagree. Sorry folks, but I think the dream world is here to stay for the time being. So much so, maybe for some teenagers it has even become a reality. In an attempt to squeeze a few more million dollars out of the teenage brand, the leaders in fashion, music, media and film have portrayed the dream that young people can get what they like, when they like, without the need for investing energy, effort, or enthusiasm.

Buy a can of Lynx, and get instant adoration from crowds of females!
Apply for an audition on X-Factor, and you could be the next pop superstar!

And for the total embodiment of today’s instant iCulture…

Buy an Apple iPhone, and you can own something ‘magical’ and ‘revolutionary’!
(which in real terms, just means playing Angry Birds for a few hours each day)

So, no, I don’t think young people will be rushing home to mow the lawn, learn to cook or read a book any time soon- maybe that’s what our parents might have said to us, but for those who have adopted the ‘iCulture’ mindset, the dream that everything exists simply to entertain and please them, and only them, is here to stay, and they are very happy with it remaining like that, right?