I have been precipitating how to go about writing this commentary and I have just decided to "tell it like it is" in my humble opinion. The subject is the decline in respectful behavior among some of today's youth, especially noticeable around the ages of thirteen and fourteen year olds.
I realize this is a difficult age. They so badly want to be grown up, make their own decisions and do not particularly like guidance from authoritative figures such as parents, teachers, older siblings, martians...okay, you get my drift.
Please realize that I am not referring to the many respectful, giving and wonderful youth who are a joy to our society. I have noticed of late, the many youth in my section of the city who run in herds (such as twenty or more) and plague their neighborhoods with language that would make a porn star blush and can be driven into a confrontational rage from zero to ninety seconds with each other or anyone who happens to cross their path. Communication is based upon high pitched shouting and screaming as if they are in a stadium instead of a city neighborhood and the only way they can be heard by those within a matter of inches from them is to use their mega voices. If you as a reasonable adult, happen to nicely mention that perhaps they should keep their voices at a more reasonable decibel out of courtesy for others around them, you will be met with a string of obscenities and threatening looks, not to mention the possibility of a physical confrontation and downright defiance.
I will try to state this as delicately as possible when I say that on every occasion that this occurs, it is with youth who are mostly African American. Am I prejudice? I have friends of every ethnicity and sexual orientation and do not consider myself racist but the above statement happens to be a fact. Another fact is that I can guarantee that most, if not all of these youth have either neglectful or abusive parents who behave much the same way. Am I racist? No, I am fed up with this behavior and with similar behavior from their parents who conduct themselves the exact same way! How can these kids possibly be any less respectful than the adults who should but do not set any positive example?
My statements may be perceived by some as singling out a particular race as if they are the only ones guilty of such behavior. In my neighborhood,this is often the case. On one occasion, upon being awakened at three in the morning by music that makes your house rattle, along with booming voices in which my roommate asked them to please tone it down. He was greeted with the ever popular "hater!" I loved my roommate's comment."I hate anyone who wakes me up at three in the morning!"
There are so many youth within the black community who want to make a difference in the world and have great talent and amazing personalities as well as respectful of adults and set a positive example of youth in their communities. It frosts my mini wheats that these fabulous kids will be thrown in the same category with the youth who are troublesome, just because of their color. Our world would be very bland without diversity of all kinds and there are problems with not only youth but adults as well of all ethnicities. I actually do not care what color your skin is, what religion you belong to or don't belong to. I don't care if you are a purple tutu wearing Lady Ga Ga loving banjo playing snake charmer...whew... Just behave like a civilized human being and be respectful of others from time to time, including yourself.
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