In response to the interesting article about the decline of substance abuse among teenagers in today's society in today's issue of the Vancouver Sun, I felt compelled to write. As a recent graduate from UVIC and a new high school French teacher, I have seen the effects of substance abuse in youth in B.C.’s educational settings: withdrawal from routine activities, failure in courses due to deterioration of performance, lack of confidence, motivation, and drive, health issues both short and long term, and alienation from social circles and family ties. Tragically, I have even seen death as a result from the overindulgence of certain substances.
As I was driving to work this morning, the article caught my eye and seeing as how we are studying Health and Wellness as well as Media Influences in my 11 and 12 groups, I thought I would ask my students for feedback on the article. After reading the entire article aloud, shushing giggles when reading the bits about sexual orientation and experimentation, I found that the students had a lot to say about this topic. As a teacher and observer of this fascinating age, I would like to share with you some of the responses that I received today, which I’m sure, will make both adults and parents re-evaluate the strengths and abilities that lie within today’s youth despite the incessant negative attention they are constantly fighting. I have taken bits of their conversations and written responses and am forwarding you a light compilation which has been translated from French to English.
“Teenagers and young adults turn to substance abuse because they want to reduce stress caused by today’s world. They think that their world is horrible and want to escape work and personal problems. In addition, people are influenced easily by television and advertising where youth is portrayed as sophisticated, tranquil, and comfortable while drinking certain types of beverages and taking certain drugs. People of all ages have to find a more successful road to manage stress.”
“At the same time as researchers and the media publish information pertaining to youth abusing alcohol and drugs, these same people forget to look at the majority of criminals and their age range which is mostly between 30 and 40. The media sends the message to citizens that adolescents are doing drugs but at the same time, they continue to sell legalized drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes to young people.”
“There are many reasons that young people try alcohol and drugs. One reason is that they are bombarded with images of celebrities that take drugs and drink in excess. [Paris Hilton, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, etc.] These images influence youth because they want to be hip like these celebrities. Another reason for substance abuse is boredom; in smaller cities, there are less opportunities for young people to have fun so they turn to drugs and alcohol for entertainment.”
“Youth today is living in a world that is full of stress; being popular, looking good, loneliness and depression, homework, and part time employment are just some things that cause stress. Teenagers start to use drugs because they are facing those pressures alone and feel neglected by the lack of support and attention from their peers, parents, and teachers.”
“The effects of television and media are not considered by many parents. Information is easily accessible; good or bad. Young people do not realize that rappers in music videos or characters in movies are only figures; people playing a role. They are not real in terms of reality.”
“Celebrities are horrible role models for young people. Everyone wants to live a glamorous lifestyle full of accomplishments; yet, many of the most successful people, particularly those who are most influential, do not endorse safety, social responsibility, class, or health and wellness.”
“T.V. shows such as “TMZ” or “Extra” show many celebrities when they are at their most vulnerable point. Teenagers and young adults watch these shows and enjoy the endless antics lived by these celebrities. What we consider normal in television, especially in teenagers, is quickly becoming the norm in real life.”
“The information that the media conveys to the public has a great influence on teenagers because they adapt to the environments that the media creates for them.”
“Just like adults, teenagers want to escape reality when faced with peer pressure and stress of life. Drugs and alcohol offer an evasion of present reality. The problem is that after they feel good, they return to the realities which they were escaping and feel worse. They feel the need to drink and do more drugs to remain disassociated; and the cycle continues.”
“Even when media and Internet influence so much, we have more information about the effects of drugs and alcohol available through those same mediums. We are more aware of the effects of substance abuse in many forms than previous generations.”
Enlightening as both the article and our class discussions were this morning, I feel as though more can be done in society as a whole to promote empowerment and success in British Colombians. Young people today are faced with enormous pressures mounting from the many messages they are receiving from parents, friends, educational authorities, and society as a whole. For students who come from different cultures and countries to study are caught between two worlds, old and new, and seem to be the most isolated; yet, the most successful at staying away from substance abuse.
The importance of educating young people about the effects of substance abuse is obviously crucial to their development as a successful member of society; and therefore, should be seriously considered by all of society not simply parents, teachers, or friends. We are all responsible for the world that we are creating every minute and each one of us, in his or her way, is responsible for the many issues, problems, and tragedies that demand immediate attention, improvement, and prevention.
After the heated discussions we had this morning, I feel that youth today are aware of the dangers of substance abuse and illiteracy, and therefore, are better prepared to face the realities, both positive and negative, they will undoubtedly face outside of high school as they continue their path into adulthood. Consequently, this gives me hope that our future as a province, a country, and maybe even a world, will be filled with people who strive not only to make the right choice, but also help others do the same. After all, we are all in the same boat, right? Let’s not rock it too much.
MAB Ventures Inc.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Plastic Molds
“Plastic Molds” by Monika Blichar
In a world full of insecurity that is masked with materialistic consumerism, how can a girl really know what’s going on? In today’s society, we are bombarded with images of the destined Prada, a black bag that is supposed to conceal imperfection and anxiety with lustrous leather tassels. Every day, women all over the world must be asking themselves the same time old question; what am I really supposed to do?
Each morning I get up and get ready for another day at the office, a classroom at the moment, a hub of adolescent gossip mixed with an insightful amount of pubescent boisterousness. Each day, one of these adventurous minds turns to her peer and reveals how much she would love to be a famous bombshell, a sultry celebrity, a ‘model’ for this generation. With eyes awe struck and days spent dreaming of a life where everything is possible without any effort, these young girls beg me to question what kind of example has been set that continues to persuade even the brightest youngsters that a plastic life is so desired. What has happened to appreciation, gratitude, community, and love?
Being at an age where every time I look at the sky, I wonder what, if anything, could somehow repair the damage that we’ve done not only to ourselves but to the immense beauty that is quickly disappearing from nature. They say that you can’t always get what you want; yet, I beg to differ. Why can’t we have whatever we want without having to sacrifice the best of ourselves as women and the infinite bounty that we have been so fortunate to have received from Mother Nature?
As human beings, we have all been given a grandiose set of timely gifts in life. People in all cultures have demonstrated through both time and space that all of us possesses something great to offer the world. We are able to excel in a multitude of domains the deeper our interests and minds are intrigued. Centuries of literature, art, music, and discovery have proven to us time and again that people have accomplished earth shattering discoveries driven by a sense of passion to rise above all challenges and unlock the curious mysteries lurking in their minds. Time has shown us how incredibly brilliant people; both women and men, have truly been.
For some reason, somewhere along the route to ‘the greater good’ and knowledge as power, we have eliminated the quest for truth with a false sense of self. A self that has been replaced with an image of a plastic Barbie queen strolling around the sunset in the City of Angels looking for something she can’t even express. Her eyes simply convey confusion, illusion, and worst of all, a loss of innocence combined with a yearning for some sort of explanation.
Women today are cursed with The Plastic Plague, a dismal existence ruled by inadequacy, fear, and anxiety. Not only are most women not valuing themselves as creatures who recreate life, they are attempting to counsel themselves by accepting the plastic phenomenon and succumbing to those falsehoods by destroying their own worth and flair. By definition, plastic is the term for a range of synthetic or semi synthetic materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Instead of lusting after one of their inner passions; learning, creating, and loving; masses of women are falling into the pits of consumerism and advertising, surrendering to a life hunting for the synthetic replacements; a perfect bag that will match a certain sultry dress. (Lest we forget that with the dress, there also has to be the perfect shoes, the perfect make up, the perfect breasts, hair, and nails, natural or man-made.)
In a world that continues to publish images of 12 year olds looking as though they are 30 and on the verge of an orgasm, how do young women even stand a chance to succeed as more than just the stereotype of what has been plastered all over our cities like a disease. Women need to look around them and see what is going on in corporate and political offices which is not only permitting basic core values to be thrown out the window, but what continues to perpetuate the vicious cycle. Is being beautiful in stereotypical standards; having the implants, the extensions, the anorexic figure, as beautiful as having an elevating, educational, and inspiring life full of possibility and accomplishment?
Time changes everything, they say; yet one constant throughout time has been the illusion that women are subordinate to their male counterparts and so must preserve their beauty at all costs in order to attain success in which ever terms North America deems it to be. Even in an era of freedom and democracy, this relentlessly disgraceful notion continues to corrode the minds of young women to the point of discouragement, gloom, and perpetual depression. Having been able to transform the world to the state that it is today; a playground where everything is possible, what can people do to ensure we all reach our potential rather than decay mentally and physically? The first step has to be to recognize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that it does indeed come from the inside. Step two is to recognize that the word plastic derives from the Greek plastikos, "fit for molding," from plastos "molded." Perhaps it's time to break free from the mold?
In a world full of insecurity that is masked with materialistic consumerism, how can a girl really know what’s going on? In today’s society, we are bombarded with images of the destined Prada, a black bag that is supposed to conceal imperfection and anxiety with lustrous leather tassels. Every day, women all over the world must be asking themselves the same time old question; what am I really supposed to do?
Each morning I get up and get ready for another day at the office, a classroom at the moment, a hub of adolescent gossip mixed with an insightful amount of pubescent boisterousness. Each day, one of these adventurous minds turns to her peer and reveals how much she would love to be a famous bombshell, a sultry celebrity, a ‘model’ for this generation. With eyes awe struck and days spent dreaming of a life where everything is possible without any effort, these young girls beg me to question what kind of example has been set that continues to persuade even the brightest youngsters that a plastic life is so desired. What has happened to appreciation, gratitude, community, and love?
Being at an age where every time I look at the sky, I wonder what, if anything, could somehow repair the damage that we’ve done not only to ourselves but to the immense beauty that is quickly disappearing from nature. They say that you can’t always get what you want; yet, I beg to differ. Why can’t we have whatever we want without having to sacrifice the best of ourselves as women and the infinite bounty that we have been so fortunate to have received from Mother Nature?
As human beings, we have all been given a grandiose set of timely gifts in life. People in all cultures have demonstrated through both time and space that all of us possesses something great to offer the world. We are able to excel in a multitude of domains the deeper our interests and minds are intrigued. Centuries of literature, art, music, and discovery have proven to us time and again that people have accomplished earth shattering discoveries driven by a sense of passion to rise above all challenges and unlock the curious mysteries lurking in their minds. Time has shown us how incredibly brilliant people; both women and men, have truly been.
For some reason, somewhere along the route to ‘the greater good’ and knowledge as power, we have eliminated the quest for truth with a false sense of self. A self that has been replaced with an image of a plastic Barbie queen strolling around the sunset in the City of Angels looking for something she can’t even express. Her eyes simply convey confusion, illusion, and worst of all, a loss of innocence combined with a yearning for some sort of explanation.
Women today are cursed with The Plastic Plague, a dismal existence ruled by inadequacy, fear, and anxiety. Not only are most women not valuing themselves as creatures who recreate life, they are attempting to counsel themselves by accepting the plastic phenomenon and succumbing to those falsehoods by destroying their own worth and flair. By definition, plastic is the term for a range of synthetic or semi synthetic materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Instead of lusting after one of their inner passions; learning, creating, and loving; masses of women are falling into the pits of consumerism and advertising, surrendering to a life hunting for the synthetic replacements; a perfect bag that will match a certain sultry dress. (Lest we forget that with the dress, there also has to be the perfect shoes, the perfect make up, the perfect breasts, hair, and nails, natural or man-made.)
In a world that continues to publish images of 12 year olds looking as though they are 30 and on the verge of an orgasm, how do young women even stand a chance to succeed as more than just the stereotype of what has been plastered all over our cities like a disease. Women need to look around them and see what is going on in corporate and political offices which is not only permitting basic core values to be thrown out the window, but what continues to perpetuate the vicious cycle. Is being beautiful in stereotypical standards; having the implants, the extensions, the anorexic figure, as beautiful as having an elevating, educational, and inspiring life full of possibility and accomplishment?
Time changes everything, they say; yet one constant throughout time has been the illusion that women are subordinate to their male counterparts and so must preserve their beauty at all costs in order to attain success in which ever terms North America deems it to be. Even in an era of freedom and democracy, this relentlessly disgraceful notion continues to corrode the minds of young women to the point of discouragement, gloom, and perpetual depression. Having been able to transform the world to the state that it is today; a playground where everything is possible, what can people do to ensure we all reach our potential rather than decay mentally and physically? The first step has to be to recognize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that it does indeed come from the inside. Step two is to recognize that the word plastic derives from the Greek plastikos, "fit for molding," from plastos "molded." Perhaps it's time to break free from the mold?
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