Appaling picture of teenage America

[Saint Marcus]

Dutch television made a documentary about the events that took place in Conyers in the US.

In short: there was breakout of syfilis in a group of "young, white, middleclass teenagers" that "shocked America" some years ago.

This outbreak exposed the lives the teenagers in that town lived. And it was shocking indeed. Girls on average were losing their virginity at age 13/14, and ended up having a lot of sex with a lot of different partners, often many years older than they were. Guys were no better (but people tend to care less about sexual behaviour of guys than of girls). A lot of the kids ended up severely messed up, and among the guys there were a number potential Columbine-like crazies.

The worst part is, after the syfilis outbreak and the international attention it recieved, little has changed. On top of that, Conyers isn't the only community this happends in. Appaling statistics show that alcohol and drug use, teenage pregnancy rates, and STD infection rates in the US are the highest in the western world.

When I stayed in the US for two months I noticed some of this too, though I thought it was an isolated case. Sadly I was wrong. The girls I got to know when I was there, about 5 or 6, have all used drugs, have all lost their virginity between the ages of 13 and 15, and had all at least 18 sexual partners. One of them even had a 2 year old baby (half black, half white), and she was younger than me. As I said, I believed this group of girls (who were quite nice persons btw) to be an isolated case of people who just had the wrong things happen to them. I never realised that this is widespread from coast to coast.

What happened that caused all this? The counselers that were interviewed in the documentary mostly blamed the parents for what happened.

Does someone here have some additional insights in life in teenage America? I've only been there a couple of times, and in total spend about 3 months there, so I've only seen the top of the iceberg. How bad is it really? How widespread are potential Conyer and Columbine tradegies? How are things in teenage America really?

[HisMajestyBOB]

At my high school it doesn't seem to be THAT bad, but that might be because of good birth control, etc. Columbines are not that frequent as Euros seem to think. Sadly, I think US culture/music promotes girls to act/look like sluts.

[SlowwHand]

You mean as compared to the Dutch and their worldly ways?

[DinoDoc]

Where do you get all those amusing pictures, Sloww?

[SlowwHand]

I just do a Google search on whatever the referenced post brings to mind.

[Lefty Scaevola]

If I were getting some of that promiscuous teenaged action, I would say that it was an APPEALING picture. But since I don't, I have to say its a terrible bane on our society.

[loinburger]

It partially depends on how you're defining "drug use." I'd estimate that at least a third of the people at my high school smoked pot on an irregular basis, and perhaps as high as two-thirds of the population. About that many were also casual drinkers. So, yeah, that's a lot of drug useage.

The cocaine and heroin users, on the other hand, were a definite minority. When the "heroin ring" at my school was busted during my senior year, the dealer spilled his guts; all told, only about five or six people were carted off from the affair, a definite minority in a school with 1600 people in it. From this affair, I'd estimate that there were extremely few hard core drug users at my school.

As for sex, it seemed to be the typical deal of guys wanting some and girls playing hard to get. This meant that you'd get your **** teased for at least six months, and possibly a lot longer, before you got any. Doing the math, that's not very much casual sex for a seven year junior-high and high school career, at least it's a lot less than the amount you're describing.

[Zealot]

Well, this "picture" can't be applied to all american teenagers, but I believe that the majority can be in this situation.

I believe that most parents just aren't mature enough to give the right amount of discipline into their kids, so they don't give any at all. This is the outcome of "Do what you want to do, it's your life anyway" way of thinking. There's no black or white to them. Everything is "grey". I bet most of them don't have any life goals, or have unrealistic ones.

And you wonder why on the other side of the "field" are those american religious fanatics?

Of course, the British teenagers aren't that different either...

[HisMajestyBOB]

I believe that most parents just aren't mature enough to give the right amount of discipline into their kids, so they don't give any at all. This is the outcome of "Do what you want to do, it's your life anyway" way of thinking. There's no black or white to them. Everything is "grey". I bet most of them don't have any life goals, or have unrealistic ones.

Thats the crux of the problem.
But as for life goals, most people I know (and im in the Advanced, "Smart people" classes) don't know what they want to do yet.

[Saint Marcus]

You mean as compared to the Dutch and their worldly ways?

dutch teens have less sex, use less drugs, drink less alcohol, get fewer babies, and have less stds. now you

I'd estimate that at least a third of the people at my high school smoked pot on an irregular basis, and perhaps as high as two-thirds of the population.

In Holland among teens it's only 1 in 20.

Well, this "picture" can't be applied to all american teenagers.

Of course not. Thank God.

I believe that most parents just aren't mature enough to give the right amount of discipline into their kids, so they don't give any at all. This is the outcome of "Do what you want to do, it's your life anyway" way of thinking. There's no black or white to them. Everything is "grey". I bet most of them don't have any life goals, or have unrealistic ones.

Why would this be different in, say, Europe or Canada?

[Jon Miller]

my high school is similiar

pretty much everybody has slept with everybody else so I would say that most have slept with far more than 18 people

girls lost thier virginity 12-14 (most had 18+ partners by partway through 9th)

STD's are rampant (and now I know that at least one guy who has slept with half the girls between 13-21 has full blown aids)

and about (50%, might be higher now) got pregnant through highschool

most (80-90%) after/durring highschool become prostitutes and/or strippers and/or drug deallers

95+% alcohol use

75+% pot use (probably a lot higher than this)

40% crack and the like

(and I probably do not know half of it, it has gotten a lot worse since I went there almost 4 years ago (I know from younger siblings that the worse behavior which use to start in 10/11 when I was there now starts in 8/9))

and I agree that the lack of life goals is huge

Jon Miller

[Zealot]

Originally posted by Saint Marcus
Why would this be different in, say, Europe or Canada?

I'm sorry, could you please rephrase?

[chequita guevara]

Aren't these "teenagers are out of control" threads supposed to be cleared out after 40 years or so?

[Jon Miller]

I should say a lack of life goals

or the goal being to become a prostitute\drugdealer\stripper (at age 10- for some)

Jon Miller
(it is a small town school)

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Aren't these "teenagers are out of control" threads supposed to be cleared out after 40 years or so?

They've been appearing since Aristotle's(sp) time, IIRC. I don't see a reason for clearing them out now.