Current Issues in Journalism

In class during the drinking discussion, I had a theory on why our parent’s generation is so quick to assume that we are such binge drinkers.

Many ideologies, in my head and in professionals’ heads, explore the idea that maturation among youth is being brought on increasingly earlier. That is, drug use is happening at increasingly earlier grade levels, as well as sexual exploration and other risk taking activities.

When I was in 7th grade, I remember hearing at blow jobs and marijuana like people were speaking a foreign language. Now, (although I don’t have any solid statistics to back it up) these activities are common topics of conversation and activity among youngsters. My brother, who is four years younger than me, probably has had more sex than I have, which is a little disturbing.

Based on this type of trend, it is easy to understand why members of the baby boomer generation and older are so concerned with our risk-taking habits. If what they were doing at our age transcended to what 10-year-olds are exploring now, one can only imagine the horrific environment our elementary scholars are growing up in.

Check out an article on BCC News online with the headline: Six-year-olds ‘binge drinking’ Also, a few months ago, a second grade teacher told me she caught her kids smoking cigarettes at recess. Second graders?

Again, as we talked about in class, we all feel the pressure. Pressure to do well, to succeed, to keep up with the Jones, and pressure to be cool, no matter what. The persuasive images we seen in the media only fuel these ideologies in our heads and in the minds of generation’s above (or below). It’s no wonder our speaker had a preconceived notion that we drink, drinking is next to inevitable in this instant gratification society.

And I’m not quite sure what we’re supposed to do after all of that, expect try and shock the hell out of them