Teenager's Today. (The Lambrini Child.)

You would think that as my twenty second birthday approaches that I would still be able to find myself relating to today's younger generations- being that I am still young and all. However, I think that this does in fact make it more difficult. Perhaps because I can still vividly remember what it is like to be a teenager and in my many a trip down memory lane fail to relate to the values and hobbies of today's teenagers.

I know I am in danger of sounding old before my time by expressing my frustration and concern about teenagers, but after talking to numerous other people my age I have begun to recognise that my opinions are often shared. What is most frightening about the values and behaviour of these teenagers is what they symbolise for our society and our cultural values. But, perhaps even more frighteningly, the vision they have recently provided me with for our future:

Driving home one evening last week, after catching up with a friend and meeting a man about some ongoing filming and editing work, I opted to drive the scenic route through Whitstable high street opposed to the dual carriage way. However, on this particular evening I could see far ahead someone stumbling into the road, and as I begin to mutter to myself about how irresponsible this was at that time of night, I slowed down and realised that the girl stumbling in the road was very small and very young. She actually looked about 8 or 9 although I would like to hope she was older than she looked because of the description of her that is about to follow: holding her up was a boy, perhaps about 12, and as I turn the corner I realise, instead of clutching a teddy, firm in her grasp is a half empty large bottle of Lambrini.

In the time that I thought about stopping and the consequences of doing so the boy had managed to hurl the child upright and get her walking more steadily and before I knew it I had driven passed. I found myself feeling instantly sick and extremely sad as the image (and possibly my choice not to stop) haunted me for the rest of the evening. In particular because I was reminded of the value that teenagers put upon getting absolutely paralytic in order to "having a good time" opposed to just having a few social  drinks and enjoying yourself. As my week continued the image of the Lambrini child continued to haunt me as I watched a BBC3 programme on parenting that shows a 15 year old girl, irrespective of the pain and worry it causes her parents, repeatedly insisting on drinking a litre of vodka on the streets. The young teenager’s lack of regard for her parents and resilience to punishments meant that the girl’s poor mother found herself being called to quite literally pick her daughter up off the street and drive her home.

Likewise, although older at 17, my brother and his friends very much value similar forms of immediate gratification. Whether it is leaving education in order to earn money quickly to fund drinking and smoking or generally disregarding others and circumstances that do not lead to an immediate gain, today’s teenagers simply value the present. There is desperation to appear older and get things immediately, waiting is never an option and neither is therefore, putting the needs of others before your own.

This is not to say that immediate gratification doesn't have any benefits: the majority of people like to drink, smoke and enjoy clubbing and waking up the next day laughing at horrendous facebook pictures. But, it appears to me, the difference between my generation and the few that follow me is the fact that they solely care about immediate gratification and little else. It is not very often that you find today's teenager's doing these things among other values of sport, music or education. On the whole their value of "getting on it" comes before their families and their futures.

But why? I continuously wonder what is the difference? My friends and I went out drinking and smoking underage. So why do many of today’s teenagers seem unappreciative and unaffected by everything else that goes on around them? Is it because they can’t remember a life without Facebook or Twitter? Where everyone can see what you’re doing and what kind of life you lead and so know what kind of person you are. A world of new media encompasses them and they have become clones of the social networking sites and multimedia resources that they use. If they can instantly switch between phone, ipod and camera or “check in” on facebook at a pub when they are only fifteen this must affect them and create a bravado for all to see. I think, in all honesty, that my generation had a lucky escape. We got Myspace around the age of fifteen and then Facebook and then Twitter and I think because we had fifteen years without it, it failed to shape us so much as people. We weren’t so aware of everyone being so aware of us and that is the fundamental difference. Likewise, the developments in technology have only really taken off in the past five years, meaning that we were inevitably less demanding and more patient. If a child gets frustrated waiting for a phone, laptop or ipad to load they sure as hell aren’t going to hang around waiting and working hard for deferred gratification, families or relationships.

Needless to say, I am sure there are some teenagers today that do value other things beside immediate gratification. I am sure there are some who have true passions and love to read and write or travel. But, unfortunately, I think these people are few and far between.  And it is this that I find most frightening because these generations are soon going to be playing the part as; our politicians, teachers, doctors, police and these teenagers will be promoting morals and values for our children and grandchildren to live by. It is that thought, alongside the image of the young girl with her bottle of Lambrini,  that is most shocking. But, as technology inevitably grows I don’t doubt so will the value of money, being continuously off your face and sticking two fingers up to anyone who dares to intervene with this kind of lifestyle.