HUMAN CIVILISATION (POPULATION) – YOUTH ISSUES
*THE IDEALISM OF YOUTH
i) VOLUNTARISM
Trends:
- Departure from conventional well-paying professional vocations such as medicine, law and banking among young adults in developed countries, to involvement in not-for-profit organisations, eg. the Peace Corps, made possible by the globalisation phenomenon that now provides a wider range of possibilities for reaching the peak of Maslow
- Support for worthwhile social causes, such as providing ad-hoc and long-term manpower and financial contributions to the less fortunate in society such as the disabled and the destitute, eg. Club Rainbow brings together youths in Singapore to engage in activities such as ‘Youth Without Borders’, a reality TV contest that challenges youths in physical trials, promotes teamwork, while rewarding and empowering them by giving opportunities to raise awareness and win cash prizes for their cause, made possible by the greater amount of time and physical energy that they can commit and expend, as well as the reduced responsibilities they have such as providing for a family
- Engagement in activities that seek to raise public awareness of problems of a local or international scale such as social and political injustices as well as environmental devastation, eg. PETA, Amnesty International & Greenpeace, made possible primarily by Internet-savvy youths and their familiarity with other sophisticated technological software whose views and altruistic tendencies are shaped in no small part by the exposure to news, photos and web discussions of the plight of others elsewhere
- Participation in local grassroots, community and political orgainsations, from Residents’ Committees and Neighbourhood Watch groups that seek to foster bonds between those living in a neighbourhood and to ensure its safety; to SINDA, which enlists the support of young adults to provide low-cost tuition to the children of needy Indian families, to Young PAP which draws for its membership, young accomplished members of society to voice the aspirations of their peers, made possible by the desire among the rising number of educated youths to make a difference
- Youth Olympic Games
ii) SPIRIT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
à Manifestation:
- Attempts to tap the creative energies of the young have become an integral part of the Singapore education system since the launch of the ‘Thinking Schools, Learning Nation’ vision and the setting up of Innovation & Enterprise clubs in schools aim to realise this vision
- The value of youthful idealism has been the source of inspiration and motivation behind the creation of and the success of individuals like Sergey Brin & Larry Page (founders of the Internet search engine, ‘Google’) and Mark Zuckerberg (founder of social networking site, ‘Facebook’)
*THE DYSFUNCTIONS OF YOUTH
i) APATHY
à Types:
· Political:
- Ignorance of identities of key political figures, structures and functioning of the political system, availability of political choices (esp in a democratic political system)
- Causes:
o Lack of motivation due to existence of manifold distractions and confidence in the status quo, eg. Need to join labour force prematurely as a result of destitution, pursuit of material comforts coupled with a socio-political system that facilitates these activities
o Incapacity due to economic and social inhibitions, eg. Lack of interest among the non-elites due to their collective ignorance and/or grudging acceptance that political power is and will always remain in the hands of the socially privileged
o Fear of oppression, eg. Unwillingness to take up a political opposition group’s cause owing to the fear that this may jeopardise future career advancement opportunities
· Social:
- Flagrant disregard for socially acceptable codes of conduct, eg. giving up one’s seat on the bus to those in need such as the elderly and pregnant women
- Indifference towards legitimate authority figures such as politicians and teachers; and, legal regulations such as those that youths consider petty offences like littering and spitting
- Refusal to join social mainstream owing to the manifold distractions afforded by modern society such as chatting online (via MSN ) or giving in to compulsive behaviour such as online gaming
- Causes:
o Absence of viable role models for the young, such as movie and sports celebrities and pop stars who engage in hedonistic behaviour, eg. the lifestyle of Lindsay Lohan which involved alcoholism, car crashes and drug abuse
o Misplaced priorities owing to the disproportionate focus given to academic success over moral education
o Lack of confidence in authority figures and the values that they stand for, especially in a venal socio-political system, eg. many child soldiers joined rebel-backed resistance movements such as those in Uganda
ii) CONFORMITY
à Manifestation
- Trends:
o Formation of ‘Cliques’ (whether by design or destiny)
- Cliques are tight groups that usually have a strict code of membership and ways to act (adoption of a common lingo, gestures (such as handshakes), style of dressing, worship of pop idol and pursuit of material possessions). Instead of being centered on shared values and beliefs, many cliques tend to focus on maintaining their status and popularity. For instance, a certain clique may try to make it seem like the people in the clique are "better" than those outside, or that their clique is higher status than another clique.
- Young people in cliques sometimes use their power to hurt others on purpose, either by excluding them, being mean, or both. Sometimes they might insult people by trying to "fix" them or give them "makeovers." Sometimes it becomes more serious and someone outside the group is targeted or victimized for being, looking, or acting different.
- Unlike regular groups of friends, where members are free to socialise with others outside the group, people in cliques do everything together. They sit together in class, go to the mall together after school — and they only do stuff with other clique members or people they decide are "cool."
- Although people might think it's better to belong to a clique than to be excluded, many times people in cliques end up dealing with lots of pressures and rules. They soon start to worry about whether they'll continue to be popular or whether they'll be dropped. After a while, they may begin to realize that true friends wouldn't be so bossy or demanding.
o Reasons Behind the Formation of ‘Cliques’:
- Cliques attract people for different reasons: For some people, being popular or cool is the most important thing, and cliques give them a place where they can get this social status. Other people want to be in cliques because they don't like to feel left out. Some people simply feel it's better to be on the inside than the outside (it's not, but more on that later). (Desire for peer acceptance and the need to belong)
- Cliques give people who like to take control a chance to be in charge (for good or bad!). For people who feel more comfortable following, they offer a place where rules are clearly defined. It's usually clear to clique members what they need to do to fit in. Sometimes that means sacrificing some freedom and following the leader rather than doing what you feel like doing. (Need to avoid criticism & ridicule so as to provide validation of self-worth)
- Clique membership is usually tightly controlled by the leaders. These social gatekeepers are the ones with the power to decide who should be hot and who should not. This type of membership control usually happens in cliques of girls.
à The Jocks
This crowd consisted of the athletic geared people in any school. Most of them prayed for scholarships if they wanted to go onto college, most that didn't get them, ended up working in less than glamourous jobs. Jocks generally had their own events (athletic in nature of course) and could be seen at most popular group functions as well
This crowd consisted of the athletic geared people in any school. Most of them prayed for scholarships if they wanted to go onto college, most that didn't get them, ended up working in less than glamourous jobs. Jocks generally had their own events (athletic in nature of course) and could be seen at most popular group functions as well
à The Nerds
Also known as "the geeks". Mostly filled with students of higher academic pursuits, they were generally lumped into one catch all category. Hackers, when actually at school, would fall into this group as well, since most tended to be the academic sort (at least in computers and math). Generally their outward appearance set them off from the rest of any group since they were never dressed quite like the rest of the groups
Also known as "the geeks". Mostly filled with students of higher academic pursuits, they were generally lumped into one catch all category. Hackers, when actually at school, would fall into this group as well, since most tended to be the academic sort (at least in computers and math). Generally their outward appearance set them off from the rest of any group since they were never dressed quite like the rest of the groups
- Implications:
o Rejected members may become marginalized and therefore susceptible to the influence of cults and become part of undesirable anti-social subcultures like neo-Nazi groups or become members of gangs in order to derive self-worth and self-empowerment
o Potential breeding ground for schoolyard violence and fatalities (desire for ‘revenge’), eg. Columbine High School
iii) DELINQUENCY
*Bullying
- Traditional Forms
à Trends:
· Degree of impact varies from minor, childish acts like name-calling (common among primary school students) to ostracism of classmates and schoolmates (common in all-girls school) and finally ragging/hazing (which is common at the varsity level, especially in College fraternities)
- Modern Forms
à Trends:
· Cyber-Bullying
- Humiliation:
o Online posting of images that violate the intended victim’s modesty such as
superimposing the individual’s photos on obscene images on the Net; or, online posting of images for mass consumption, the victim’s engagement in activities of a private nature such as bathing, changing clothes, having sex or using the toilet
- Vilification:
o ‘Flaming’.
- Flaming is a hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users. Flaming usually occurs in the social context of a discussion board, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) or even through e-mail.
- Types of ‘flame wars’:
i) In the first, an Internet user typically generates a flame response to other posts or users posting on a site, and such a response is usually not constructive, does not clarify a discussion, and does not persuade others.
ii) The second usually begins when an on topic vote about a controversial topic (either about the board subject or in general) the result debates and arguments will often devolve into insults
- Purpose: Flamers attempt to assert their authority, or establish a position of superiority over other users. Other times, a flamer is simply an individual who believes he or she carries the only valid opinion. This leads him or her to personally attack those who disagree. In some cases, flamers wish to upset and offend other members of the forum, in which case they can be called "trolls". Most often however, flames are angry or insulting messages transmitted by people who have strong feelings about a subject.
(Adapted from www.wikipedia.org)
o The pathology of cyber-bullies:
- Some forms of flaming can be attributed to deeper social or psychological weaknesses, probably from lack of exposure to a broader spectrum of disciplines that result in self-control issues.
- It is noted that Internet users are more likely to flame online than insult others in the real world, as the latter can lead to embarrassment and physical altercations, which online "anonymity" can avoid
- Those guilty of flaming may justify it as simple child-like behaviour. If they had their feelings hurt initially, they see it as getting even by inflicting serious emotional distress on another
- Some flaming may be done with no stronger motive than to get a reaction from the target of the flame, or for the feeling of power or moral freedom of causing emotional distress to another
- Implications:
o Tacit acceptance of such forms of intimidation, demonstrated by the inaction of those not involved and the repressed silence of victims
o Loss of potential intellectual capital, eg. one of the chief causes of bullying in Japan
o Eventual inurement to violent and aggressive behaviour, even among those in society deemed as being docile, evident from the rise of girl gangs in Singapore
o At its extreme, bullying may force victims to suicide, eg. 13-year old Megan Meiers who hanged herself after being taunted on her MySpace account
- Solutions:
à Community Involvement:
o Education
- Public education on the dangers of the Internet
- Raising awareness in schools, eg. the Cyberwellness Framework in local schools
- Use of Campaigns, eg. publication of pamphlets and guidebooks by the National Committee on Youth Guidance and Rehabilitation
- Parental vigilance and monitoring of their children’s online activities
à State Involvement:
o Taking civil action against those who spread malicious, unfounded rumours online or generate ideas that attempt to humiliate others (especially those that are deemed racially sensitive)
o Criminalisation & Use of Legal Sanctions, eg. the indictment of Lori Drew in 2008 on the grounds of accessing protected computers without authorisation to obtain information to inflict emotional distress, and one count of criminal conspiracy in the Megan Meiers case
*Criminality
- Manifestations
à Trends:
o Participation in anti-social acts, eg. vandalism of public property
o Predation of weaker members of society (esp the young & elderly) in less violent misdemeanours, eg. snatch theft
o Involvement in violent felonies such as rioting and armed robbery
o Development of unhealthy addictions, eg. glue-sniffing and drug taking
- Solutions:
à Community Involvement
o Education, eg. the Singapore Police Force organises visits for school students to local prisons to serve as a deterrent and impress upon them the need to avoid breaking the law and the consequences if they do
à State Involvement:
o Legal Sanction
- When a parent / caregiver lays a complaint at the Juvenile Court in Singapore
iv) DISILLUSIONMENT
- Manifestations
à Trends:
o Rise in Suicide Rates & Frequency of Self-Inflicted Bodily Harm
- Experts describe deliberate self injury as ineffective problem-solving. People who self injure are often seeking relief from psychological pain, unbearable tension, loneliness, depression, anger or an absence of feeling or numbness. Some people self harm to feel emotions more intensely; others do it to punish themselves for being “bad.” They either cannot or have not learned how to express those feelings more effectively.
- Self injury usually starts during puberty or adolescence. It can last for up to ten years, but if left untreated, it may persist. Episodes are usually responses to a “trigger,” such as a perceived rejection or other emotional pain. Cutting behaviour can spread, and there is a rising trend for teens to discuss cutting on the Internet and form cutting clubs at school.
o Problems with Eating Disorder
- An eating disorder generally results from a combination of factors. Psychological factors include low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy or lack of control, depression, anger or loneliness. Interpersonal factors include troubled family and personal relationships, difficulty expressing emotions and feelings, history of physical or sexual abuse. Media promotion of unrealistic images and goals (especially among impressionistic youths), along with its tendency to equate a person's value with their physical appearance is another contributor.
o Unwillingness and/or inability to complete formal education, i.e. higher drop-out rates
o Predisposition towards seditious acts, eg. crime, violent protests & recruitment to and involvement in terrorist group activities
à Causes:
o Failure to meet personal and familial expectations, eg. academic performance
o Failure to satisfy basic needs, eg. employment, food & proper living conditions
- Protestors in Lille , France April 4, 2006 , during clashes following a student demonstration against the French government's new job law called the ‘First Employment Contract’, which makes it easier to fire young workers.
à Solutions:
o Adoption of ‘inclusive’ socio-economic government policies
o Change of social system that is less likely to depersonalise the individual (especially youths)
v) PROMISCUITY
à Types:
· ‘Victimisation’:
- ‘Cultivation’:
à Abuse by online sex predators caused by the combined forces of juvenile curiosity and gullibility (willingness among young girls to engage in ‘dirty talk’ and meet in the flesh, older men that they chat with online) coupled with depraved indifference to acceptable social mores among adults who bait the young with exaggerated adulation and false promises
- ‘Circumstantial’:
à Rape by family member (incest) which often results in distorted notions of love and loss of capacity to exert control over their body (Delusion)
à Act of desperation due to the need to provide for extended family or to support a drug habit, especially common among runaways (Compulsion)
à Sold, tricked or kidnapped into sexual slavery by family members or even total strangers, especially rife among impoverished, rural communities in developing countries, eg. Indonesia Philippines Thailand
à Ready demand for sexual services, i.e. sex tourism is no longer confined to educated white males from developed countries preying on adolescent females in Third World countries, but demand for sex with young black men in Africa (such as Kenya) in exchange for money, food and gifts now comes from older, well-heeled white women from America and Canada as well as West European countries (Presence of Mutual Benefit)
· ‘Proactive Solicitation’:
-Rising social phenomenon fuelled by the Internet known as ‘Cam-whoring’ in which young boys and girls post pictures or videos of themselves on the Internet, using web-cams to gain attention (boost to self-esteem derived from praise accorded to the individual’s body image) or to make money (commercial lure made possible by pandering to the various types of fetish exhibited by older adults), eg. Justin Berry, a 13-year old boy who started his own pay website and made thousands of dollars while being sexually molested and propositioned by older men to strip and masturbate
à Implications:
o Fomenting of Inappropriate Sexual Attitudes & Behaviour
- Willingness to cohabit and engage in ‘one-night stands’
- Stigmatisation of, and decline in, conservative sexual attitudes and belief in abstinence before marriage; and, adoption of more liberal attitudes, bordering on the lewd, including open displays of affection in public, participation in reckless behaviour such as sex in public places
o Increase in unwanted pregnancies and abortion rates
- Often made possible by easy access to clinics for abortion, doctor-patient confidentiality (save for exceptional cases such as when abortions need to be performed on minors), widespread availability of contraception (which may not be completely fail safe), deliberate refusal to use or ignorance of the need for, contraception; and, misinformed peer advice
o Willing Engagement in Prostitution
- Rising trend among young girls who provide Sex-For-Hire services in order to satisfy their craving for material possessions
o Rise in STDs among the young, esp. Chlamydia which is the most common infection among young girls, often resulting in long-term health problems like pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility
à Solution:
· Community Involvement:
- Parental Guidance on healthy lifestyle choices and the ability to assert themselves in the face of pressure by peer pressure (Informal Form of Counseling)
- Psychiatric Treatment & Therapy for extreme cases (Formal Form of Counseling)
- Education, eg. sex education programmes run by responsible and respected agencies like Singapore
- Religious Exhortation, eg. reference to biblical texts by religious leaders, such as 1 Corinthians 10:8 and Colossians 3:5 which both prohibit sexual immorality
· State Involvement:
o Censorship
- Viewership restrictions, such as those that use a ratings system that bars underage youths from viewing programmes and movies that contain inappropriate themes or scenes such as the frivolous display of nude bodies and mindless violence
- Technological content filters
o Legal Sanction
- Criminalisation of sexual liaisons between teenagers and children (especially females), even with consent (sex with minors under-12 considered ‘rape’, those that involve teens under the age of 14 as ‘statutory rape’ and those involving teens under-16, ‘carnal connection’ with the severity of the punishment increasing inversely with the age the child)
- Protection afforded by Women’s Charter (in Singapore
vi) SELF-INDULGENCE
*Materialism:
- Causes:
o Premature Economic Independence
o Need to Pander to Base Instincts of envy and instant gratification as well as desire to keep up with the competition
- Implications:
o Profligacy leading to Indebtedness & Bankruptcy
- Availability of part-time jobs for youngsters to draw a steady, albeit low income, coupled with easy access to credit, and material goods, whether online (eg. Amazon) or in local shops (eg. fashion boutiques)
o Excessive & Harmful Preference for Ostentation, eg. risky operations like breast augmentation and other unnecessary aesthetic surgical procedures like rhinoplasty and face lifts
