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'Hoodies, louts, scum': how media demonises teenagers

Research finds negative stories in the press make teenage boys frightened of each other

By Richard Garner, Education Editor

The research found that fewer than one in 10 articles about young people actually included their perspectives in the debate

ALAMY

The research found that fewer than one in 10 articles about young people actually included their perspectives in the debate

The portrayal of teenage boys as "yobs" in the media has made the boys wary of other teenagers, according to new research.

Figures show more than half of the stories about teenage boys in national and regional newspapers in the past year (4,374 out of 8,629) were about crime. The word most commonly used to describe them was "yobs" (591 times), followed by "thugs" (254 times), "sick" (119 times) and "feral" (96 times).

Other terms often used included "hoodie", "louts", "heartless", "evil" "frightening", "scum", "monsters", "inhuman" and "threatening".

The research – commissioned by Women in Journalism – showed the best chance a teenager had of receiving sympathetic coverage was if they died.

"We found some news coverage where teen boys were described in glowing terms – 'model student', 'angel', 'altar boy' or 'every mother's perfect son'," the research concluded, "but sadly these were reserved for teenage boys who met a violent and untimely death."

At the same time a survey of nearly 1,000 teenage boys found 85 per cent believed newspapers portray them in a bad light.

They felt reality TV – with shows like The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent – portrayed them in a better light – with fewer than 20 per cent believing they were being portrayed negatively.

As a result of the negative press, 80 per cent felt adults were more wary of them now than they had been a year ago. However, the most striking finding, according to the research, was that many were now more wary of boys of their own age. "It seems the endless diet of media reports about 'yobs' and 'feral' youths is making them fearful of other teens," it said. "Nearly a third said they are 'always' or 'often' wary of teenage boys they don't know.

"The most popular reason for their wariness, cited by 51 per cent was 'media stories about teen boys' compared with 40 per cent who said their wariness was based on their own or friends' bad experiences of other teens."

Nearly three-quarters said they had changed their behaviour as a result of this wariness. The most common change, cited by 45.7 per cent, was boys avoiding places where teenagers hung around. Others included dressing differently (14.2 per cent), and changing who they were seen with (11.9 per cent). "For much of the press, there is no such thing as a good news story about teenagers," it added.

"Stories about sport and entertainment, which might have balanced other negative coverage, also took a critical line. Only 16 per cent of stories about teens and entertainment were positive: only 24 per cent about teens and sport were positive."

The research found that – for all the coverage of teenage issues – the boys' voices themselves were rarely heard in newspapers. Fewer than one in 10 articles about young people actually quoted young people or included their perspectives in the debate.

Fiona Bawden, the WiJ committee member who presented the research at the British Library, said: "When a photo of a group of perfectly ordinary lads standing around wearing hooded tops has become visual shorthand for urban menace, or even the breakdown of society, it's clear teenage boys have a serious image problem.

"The teen boys' 'brand' has become toxic. Media coverage of boys is unrelentingly negative, focusing almost entirely on them as victims or perpetrators of crime – and our research shows that the media is helping make teenage boys fearful of each other."

The research, Hoodies or Altar Boys? what is media stereotyping doing to our British boys? was carried out for WiJ by the research company, Echo.

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LOL about time
[info]deelso wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 12:28 am (UTC)
ROFLMFAO exactly what i have been saying for a long time, like 6 months or more at least. about time some1 recgnised the discrimination against young people today. we dont all carry knives you know!! wake up ppl >:-(
Order!
[info]kodak321 wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 12:48 am (UTC)
Teenagers are fab. I'm a teenager and I haven't mugged anybody for about three years. I'm going down the legal route these days. No asault, no nothin. I just Deal, and thank God, the Law respects that.
should this article not be how the media demonises muslims!!!
[info]maradona_786 wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 02:26 am (UTC)
when will the media stand up and take responsibility for all the muslim bashing that goes on and has been going on for the last 6-7 years the protest in luton where 20 people turned out
Re: should this article not be how the media demonises muslims!!!
[info]wormery wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 09:00 am (UTC)
Perhaps you should worry about the fact that 15% of our prison population is muslim and muslims are generally pretty uneducated and have high unemployment because of their low skill level and crap attitude. Rather than craving pity for the supposed racism their fluffy little innocent muslim bunnies face is such an unfair society. Boo hoo.

Muslims need to stop mugging people, blowing people up, being traitors and commiting crimes - then maybe people wouldn;t hate you so much... Moaning and whingeing ain't gonna change it now is it? Why not open a curry house? You won't have time to being a wimpy weeping wallah then will you? Just a thought...
News...?
[info]ddraig_ddu wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 02:35 am (UTC)

ram-raiders, joy-riders, crusties, goths, punks, rockers, mods.... this goes right back to the Teddy Boys, so it's hardly news, is it?
Re: News...?
[info]celticwelshman wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 11:17 pm (UTC)
I am reposting this from another oppinon page, sorry folks, I got it wrong....

One thing I have noticed whilst reading these posts is the glaring lack of understanding in most of them, shown on both sides of the fence.
I have some experience in this field as an "ordinary citizen" and my findings are these, if one endeavors to try and understand the others position, one can begin a dialog that actually helps understanding along, firstly, one has to earn the others respect, usually by trying to understand their position by actually listening carefully, instead of dictating to them, this tends to break the ice and facilitates further dialog, which again leads to further respect & understanding on both sides.
Once this is achieved, one finds on meeting this youngster and his friends one receives a favorable greeting containing far less hostility, even a smile, there is also a readiness on their part to stand and talk, all the time respect for each other is gained, culminating in what one might call, an illuminating and joint beginning of an understanding of each others position.. as for so called "hoodies" I come up against the constant complaint by youngsters of "Lack of privacy", hence the hood to hide the face, of course, there are those among us that immediately say, " privacy to do what, in what respect"?. mostly the answer is simply initially, just privacy because they know they are being targeted. This can then lead to the attitude, OK, we are being watched, lets give them something to see....I don't for one minute advocate a softly softly approach to the criminal element among these folk, nor do I believe in letting those off for the crime they commit, for the law has to be observed, what I am against is the racial elements within the police force that incite and extenuate the problem , our police must be completely un-judgmental in the execution of their duty, something that is sadly lacking in many cases, not all of course, but I do know that many are, from personal experience in my working days as an employer of Asian and African folk among others, which I found disgusting and positively counter productive.
I could go on and on here but it would just get boring, suffice to say that there is a huge lack of basic understanding involved on both sides, not understanding another's culture, especially culture, not understanding another's needs, with many of us on "our" side of the fence, expecting all to conform with out question or else, advocating, "do in Rome as the romans do". In the new "Global Village", I am afraid those days are fast disappearing, isolationism is fast becoming a thing of the past, us thinking & believing that our set of morals and actions are the end and be all of everything, which they probably were, and still are, to you and I, simply because they worked or work for us, but to others of different cultures and backgrounds? no, it will never work,
I was a Teddy Boy by the way, as wayward as any of them, LOL, with all the defensive accoutrement's, any Teddy boy will know what I am on about, I won't list them so as not to give others ideas, however, I owe much to a mentor I was fortunate enough to meet, who turned me around and helped me make sense of the society I was living in at that time....
Re: News...? - [info]ddraig_ddu - Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 04:59 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: News...? - [info]celticwelshman - Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 06:45 pm (UTC) Expand
Misandry
[info]wormery wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 07:23 am (UTC)
This is about teen boys - not all teens (though of course teen girls are getting more violent and also are the reason why teen boys act hard and mug people to buy them presents which they demand...).

But this is not new. We never joined a youth club or went to McDonalds in th 80s. Why? Coz all the scum hung out there. We staeyd with other teens like us - at good schools from good homes. People just want to avoid being attached - it's called self-preservation. And teens always moan anyway - and the media's full of salacious gossip and piffle. It is NOT real life - the biggest problem for all kids is the fractured familt structure in the UK with so many boys damaged by divorce and/or single mother 'families'. Most have no father around.

Also the R word is predicatably absent here. 80% of mugging id done by black boys; most of those involved in gun and knife crime are black boys; most of those pupils and students so disruptive they are expelled are black boys. It helps no-one to deny this - the problem with black boys must be faced and addressed.

The fact is - go and live somewhere not many black peopel live and there is no mugging, no gun crime and very little knife crime. Drunken attackes, yes. Chavvy scum picking on other teens yes. But get out of London and the mugging evaporates. It's a black issue, this. And not cause by racism either (I don't notice chinese people going round mugging people...)

And for goodness sake - males of any age are always portrayed as either idiots or monsters - in all media. Boys have to be either heros or zeros - and have so much more pressure on them than girls. They start as little boys who everyone think sweet; from the age of 10 to about 20 they are seen as trouble and criminals; after age 20 men are seen as paedophiles and monsters who constantly have to prove their innocence in any job or situation.

Our society is a misandrist mess.
Re: Misandry
[info]parodyofvirtue wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 08:44 am (UTC)
It's still racist if you only pick on a single race.

The only time I've ever been mugged was by a white man in his twenties. What type of people have mugged you over the years?
Re: Misandry - [info]wormery - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 08:53 am (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]stephen251 - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 01:23 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]wormery - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 01:45 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]almightymat - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 03:12 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]oldskald - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 03:25 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]wormery - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 05:15 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]oldskald - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 07:30 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]almightymat - Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 12:17 am (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]wormery - Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 09:00 am (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]almightymat - Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 05:10 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]wormery - Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 05:30 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]almightymat - Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 06:17 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]wormery - Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 07:22 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]almightymat - Sunday, 15 March 2009 at 05:51 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]ddraig_ddu - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 06:07 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]wormery - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 09:10 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]ddraig_ddu - Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 06:52 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]wormery - Sunday, 15 March 2009 at 06:35 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]ddraig_ddu - Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 06:29 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Misandry - [info]ddraig_ddu - Friday, 13 March 2009 at 03:19 pm (UTC) Expand
Get real
[info]city_resident23 wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 07:40 am (UTC)
"When a photo of a group of perfectly ordinary lads standing around wearing hooded tops has become visual shorthand for urban menace"

Perfectly ordinary lads do not wear hooded tops. It's menacing because it's intended to be menacing, Get real.
Re: Get real
[info]chittra wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 12:24 pm (UTC)
I have a "perfectly ordinary" son who wears hoodies on a regular basis. He is kind, creative and motivated but doesn't understand why older people, who should know better, keep judging him by his appearance. Remember the phrase..."give a dog a bad name". I am appaled at the vitriolic hatred - and I do not think this is too strong a phrase - directed towards children in this country, no wonder they feel alienated.
Re: Get real - [info]ethereallullaby - Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 12:35 pm (UTC) Expand
It's what they want!
[info]the_kegs wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 07:43 am (UTC)
Hoodies, louts and scum is how most of the youngsters today want to be recognised. You'll see them in every town centre, sitting around, making a racket, hoods up and trying their hardest to look bad & suspicious so that if the police will stop and search them. They'll find nothing except a finger up from those involved. It's a stupid game for them, it was happening in New York 20 years ago. All the time these idiots are taking up police time the real bad ones are getting away with mugging, knife weilding and murdering. The two groups are not consciously working together but that's what's happening, most of them are unwitting decoys. As I said, this sort of thing went on in New York 20 years ago, it'll be stopped or they'll grow out of it.
Things Never Change
[info]nickscribe wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 08:22 am (UTC)
One day when I when I was 14 years old, I was sitting on my bike, waiting at some level crossing gates near my home in London when an old bloke standing nearby started tutting and huffing. I looked round at him questioningly and he said: "ANOTHER school holiday is it? You're never at school these days you kids. And then all you do is spit and swear and break windows."
I resisted the temptation to *play to type* and deck him one, so instead I replied: "Yes, it is a school holiday actually - the summer holiday. And no, I don't spend my time spitting or swearing of breaking windows."
He looked completely taken aback by this - or the fact that I was articulate and could actually string a sentence together, so he said: "Oh, well, you're a good lad you are then. But most of you are troublemakers."
I sighed and let it go... you just can't change the media-inspired prejudiced views of all young people, especially young teenage boys.
Oh - I forgot to mention - this was in 1976!
[info]borderreiver1 wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 08:38 am (UTC)
So!
We are all deluded,and suffering from phantasmagorical hallucinations regarding the behaviour of a very large section of adolescents.
The fact is that the eunuchs whom are supposed to represent us, and call themselves politicians are so gutless that they refuse to impose order on the streets that we have bought houses on,and have to live our daily lives.If life was not already tough enough,many people have to endure the nightly mayhem of gangs of mindless dross- either doped or bladder-ed, who appear to have no other aim in life other than to disturb,terrorise,and smash up whatever falls in to their line of sight.

As someone else pointed out in their comment,individuals generally walk about with their hoods concealing their faces, as a statement.
And that statement is 'i want to appear menacing'

And whats more-we as a society have become systematically de-sensitised to just how actually atrocious some of these individuals really are.Indeed the term 'feral' is a splendidly apt description.
Unless of course you happen to think people getting kicked or,stabbed to death outside their own homes, is somehow commonplace all over the world.
Rightly-or wrongly,because of the liberal wrecking crew's twisted view of what society should be like,we have become conditioned to accept unacceptable behaviour when encountering packs of yoofs.
a couple of years ago,i was in the Peloponnese-Greece.I had come out of a bakers shop,and outside were a gang of about twenty youths on bikes.Them being quite boisterous, as I walked away I expected some sort of sassy remark (being a foreigner )
The obvious leader shouted out 'Greek bread is the best-enjoy'
My point is,that sadly in Britain we have become conditioned to expect some sort of abuse from assembled gangs.
Do I claim to be an expert on delinquency??
Not at all.
But I were a qualified Psychiatric nurse, working in a well known special hospitals personality disorder unit for many years.
And the frightening thing is that all around me on the streets of Britain, I can recognise the same traits of disorder among many teenagers-Its just that they have as of yet, not been locked up for something serious enough.
God knows what it will be like in the future in this awful country.
Terrible teens
[info]markfirstbase wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 08:39 am (UTC)
Two thoughts. One; creating teens as a new 'enemy within' is pretty handy for the media as there is absolutely no prospect of teenagers getting together a class action and suing. Obviously were the media to choose a group such as Asians, Poles or gays to have a pop at, they would struggle to get away with it. Also maybe we should have learned of the consequences of branding whole groups of people as being yobs and thugs and evil. We did it twenty years ago and it came from the very top. That particular group was football fans and we were fenced in to pens and herded around by snarling alsations. The anniversary of the day when that policy turned into a nightmare comes around next month. 15 April 1989. Hillsborough. I was there and saw at first hand what happens when you brand people as little better than animals.
Re: Terrible teens
[info]wormery wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 11:56 am (UTC)
Errr... but gay people don't go round mugging and threatening and stabbing people. Silly analogies. And football 'fans' who behaved like animals brought that treatment on themsleves because of their disgusting violent behaviour - so they caused Hillsborough, because without hooliganism there wouldn't have been such measures taken as fensing fans in pens. You're putting the cart before the horse in your arguments. And that was caused by police herding people in and locking gates anyway.
Re: Terrible teens - [info]ethereallullaby - Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 12:38 pm (UTC) Expand
[info]esmewei wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 10:44 am (UTC)
The idea that the media is causing young people to be scared of one another is really interesting, and very sad. I did a bit of research into the influence of media on teenagers for my dissertation (ages ago). I was surprised by the complex relationship young people have with the media regarding their portrayal. On the one hand they felt badly portrayed and that their presence in the press was at odds with their own concept of themselves; on the other hand, when they were asked why they thought it was, they believed it must be for their own good. Teenagers see the media as an adult voice - almost a role model. At their age, adults still know best so they believed there must be a good reason for portraying teenagers badly, even if they didn't undesrtand it. It'll be interesting to see how this relationship develops as teenagers become adults and what the knock on affect regarding public trust and the media will be.
[info]shergars_ghost wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 11:34 am (UTC)
I think you'll find that the age group referred to has always had these attitudes. It is part of growing up, as always any statistics can be used to prove a point, however misguided the point is.
even-handedness?
[info]almightymat wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 01:10 pm (UTC)
It's a tricky one...

On the one hand, most youth violence comes from deprived background. It's insane to expect people born onto the bottom rung of society to repect and abide by the laws of the land, set by those higher up for the benefit of those higher up. I mean, be realistic, if you were born into that kind of environment, would you give a shit about what some rich white fella says about how you should live your life? What would be in it for you? What's your incentive, apart from being punished by the rich white fellas law if you get caught stepping out of line?

On the other hand, just because you can understand the reason that someone is a violent thug, doesn't make them any less of a violent thug. I was attacked by a gang of 15 year olds last night as I cycled up Regents Canal near Limehouse, and if I hadn't been a bit faster than them and willing to take a few kicks as I passed, then my bike and I would be in the canal if we were lucky.

And yes, they were all black.

But then, so is my god-daughter.

Oh, and I also own and wear several hooded tops, and am a 32 year old, white, educated professional.

In fact, I'm actually wearing one right now...run, middle to upper class england, run!
Media attacks
[info]oldskald wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 03:31 pm (UTC)
The media will always attack those that can't fight back. That's why they are so often lazy scum.
More about this...
[info]ddraig_ddu wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 06:27 pm (UTC)

To find out more about this topic, I'd recommend listening to Radio 4's 'Thinking Aloud' programme at this link <http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/thinkingallowed/thinkingallowed_20080227.shtml>
and this one <http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/thinkingallowed/thinkingallowed_20081231.shtml>

Some older members of society have always been scared of the young.
Problematic children need love and acceptance - both in parallel!
[info]nooraza wrote:
Friday, 13 March 2009 at 07:28 pm (UTC)
Look at the German youth who just murdered his teachers and schoolmates. He thought he was hated and felt an outsider. It must be very painful experience for him; but not to justify his crime. But on the whole, I blamed his father, who had so much weapons in his house - what kind of being is that, to expose his son to such psychological violent education at home? He was constructing a wrong self-image and self-identity, as these other problematic kids would be, due to what he and these "hoodie, scums and others" perceived as personal hatred from the society. The lost children who are still tender beings need to be shown love and acceptance at the same time, as Christ's true message is about.
Teenage boys' bad rep
[info]p_lake wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 02:52 am (UTC)
Teens here in the USA have been going through the same discrimination. I feel for all you young people, because sadly, our "older" members of society, like myself, seem to have forgotten their teenage years back in the 70's and early 80's.

My own son changed who he was hanging out with, and stopped the hooded sweatshirt habit. It never bothered me that he wore them, I just asked that he remove the hood in buildings, and be polite to people. I guess all I can say is, be the best you can be, and prove the nasty media wrong. You guys are our future; we should be encouraging you, and guiding you, not counting all your faults all the time!

Perhaps the negative members of the media could invite all you young British men to do something positive for your community, and for once, give you all some good pr?
Re: Teenage boys' bad rep
[info]ethereallullaby wrote:
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 12:41 pm (UTC)
I think a lot of these journalists and papers forget that they were teens during the 60s and 70s.
Hoodies
[info]belfastboy wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 09:28 pm (UTC)
I have a theory that the rise of the fashion for wearing hoodies parallels the spread of CCTVs. It is a very practical fashion, serving to conceal the wearer's features. There have been cases where criminals have escaped identification by cameras because their hoods were up.

I believe that there is a law in Italy forbidding people to appear in a public place with their faces concealed. What a good idea.
HOODS
[info]dkayedon wrote:
Sunday, 15 March 2009 at 09:15 am (UTC)
Maybe it's raining, so hoods are a good idea. There was no such person as a "Teenager", a USA import. BUT if people simply said "goodmorning" they will greet you again in th evening. I shoot young people (finger only) and they enjoy shooting me back. Hey and I get asked if they can help me with my bags , up the steps.
No not to run off with.

The older of us have to take a lead, its WE that keep the distance. TALK TO Young Pepole; even the "bad ones"; dont use news papers as an excuse for your own stupidity
mass killings will get worse
[info]bobx23456 wrote:
Sunday, 15 March 2009 at 07:46 pm (UTC)
We read almost every week now about some young man who goes on a killing spree and wastes half a dozen or more females. Last week in a German school, and in some rural town in Alabama we had two such attcks.

The more hate the media spews at young men the more often they will fight back. The more abusive are single mothers and the more abuse of young men is condoned and applauded, the more often they will fight back. This study shows part of the underlying reason for the violence. It will keep getting worse until society has had enough and begins to address its problem, feminist hate of boys and men.
Bob
Re: mass killings will get worse
[info]ethereallullaby wrote:
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 12:44 pm (UTC)
Feminism is for equality of all regardless of gender, feminists can be boys or girls. Ignore the Feminazi's who claim to be feminist and who use the feminist name to hurt the opposite gender.
Lost in the Analysis
[info]emily559 wrote:
Sunday, 15 March 2009 at 11:57 pm (UTC)
Is that much of the anti-male, anti-boy rhetoric is inspired, condoned and perpetuated by females. This shortcoming of the commissioned report further demonstrates that we need to fund equally commissions and organizations that are about and for men. Unfortunately, the ideas and studies of gender have exclusively become exclusionary, and fail to reap a full and honest assessment. When we look at the amount of female inspired misandry, primarily among mums, popular culture and in the education environment it seems crystal clear to me, women's advocacy groups should begin to accept the male perspective and effectively incorporate it into their studies instead of ignoring it and imbuing their own sense of feminized gender values. I appreciate the intention of the study, but it would be best if we allowed mens voices to be commissioned and funded to explain this, because the female take on gender is far too often short sighted, overlooks major factors and falls to address female culpability.
die young
[info]leoardo wrote:
Monday, 16 March 2009 at 03:11 pm (UTC)
teenagers do the job l the rest of us walk away from, dieing for the policies of the government, in my view teenagers havethe worst deal of the century, bad schools no training for jobs, burdened with the greed of the baby boomers, british teenagers need to get angry, and riot on the streets to be notice and not used as a punch bag by politician who know teenagers don't vote, its a balence brown gave pensioners 75p a week rise because they too are not organised as a voting block.
Just can't win.
[info]ethereallullaby wrote:
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 12:31 pm (UTC)
We're demonised whatever we do. We're called dumb and illiterate if we go to university. We're called idiots if we dress in certain clothes and the media demonises us if we lead a good life or not. Just can't win.
Please just try
[info]firefly297 wrote:
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 09:44 pm (UTC)
I was worried appaled and scared by some of the comments left on here.
i am an 18 year old, who likes to go out and have a good time with friends,
I live near Croydon and regularly spend time there.
I am doing 4 A levels includidng one in politics and was directed to this page by the BYC - for all of you who dont know its the British Youth Council, Who are campainging with the help of under 25's to get better representation of young adults in politics and in the media.
I was directed to this website from the Respect? Campain, where they are surveying and trying to get newspapers to not mis represnt youths.

Recentally whilst walking back at lunch to school after a visit to the Chippy I saw an old lady and a group of about 5 year 11's in hoodies, and school uniform.
Unfortunatally, I took this the wrong way at first, these are people that I am around all day, this shows how strong the media influence is.
The lady was having a nice chat with the year 11's.

Please can we see more of this in society, If you dont cross the street and move away, you are likely to find out that under the hoodie, which is lovely when its cold, (and a nice deterant from the big brother state we currentaly live in), there is a person, just like you or me, that would be plesentally supprised by the conversastion.

Yes we live in a screwed up society, where nobody talks or makes eye contact. i mean take your headphones out on a commuter train, and there is total silence, - is this really healthy?
Re: Please just try - [info]immybotxx - Tuesday, 31 March 2009 at 05:41 pm (UTC) Expand
The Truth?
[info]f4_p4 wrote:
Wednesday, 22 April 2009 at 07:58 pm (UTC)
i have read this article and most of it's comments.To be fair, the media are not misrepresenting teenagers, they are merely reporting the bad side of them. This is obviously the most interesting side of what teenagers are up to, and of course the media thrives on scandal. It is simply important for older people to know that this is not the whole story and that not all teenagers are this way. Thankfully, I think most adults are sensible enough to see this however there are always a few who will believe what they read in the newspapers. It is human nature to thrive on the scandal. I am a teenager myself and i believe that this country lacks any inspiration for youths of today , i take a look around me and i see the hate in this world whether its to do with poverty or wars, this is a dog eat dog world and when this realisation hits teenagers most of them lose faith and start to not care about anything.
Liam Handley
[info]liamhandly wrote:
Friday, 15 May 2009 at 08:44 am (UTC)
heya guys im liam handley im 15 and im a raving homosexual =P i like large cocks inside my arse hole hmmmmmmmm lush, when they rubb my nipples it makes me cum oh yh i like it ruff 0.o
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