Sex,Drugs,Rock'n'Roll

Summary & Response

Summary:
The first paragraph talks about the White House and how the President doesn't really have any idea of the life of a teenager this days. He says that the President doesn't know enough to have a conference about sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll, even though the President has his own experience with it. He says that we were the first to question authority etc. Paragraph 2 gives an example of what a teenager would say to the President if asked what they thought of how they thought about growing up today. He talks about violence in the school, and states that even though juvenile violence decreased since 1991 that now we have to worry about schoolyard shootings. The author says that we shouldn't have guns and that schools were well funded back then. Starsburger goes on to talk about that we should add an extra $100 to the school budgets instead of using it to build new F-16 fighter planes. The third paragraph talks about drugs and how it really affects teenagers these days.. The author says that it's not drugs that are killing teens but that it's alcohol and tabacco that's killing them. He says that why if this it true aren't there any anti alcohol and tabacco commericals on tv? He basically says its awkward that the government would put so stress on drugs like marijuana and cocaine but won't put any stress on the things that are really killing teenagers i.e tabacco and alcohol. The next paragraph talks about sex and how sex education makes teeagers smarter about sex about doesn't increase their rates of sexual activity. He says that birth control doesn't make teenagers sexual active either. Next paragraph he says that back then there were no Mtv, no bad things yet they still did the things they did. He believes that MTV has no affect on teenagers , that's why adults allow things to be shown to their kids. Finally he wraps everything up by saying that today's teenagers are good kids, just as they were back then. He basically blames the adults for the way teenagers act. He says that adults know so much how to avoid the bad things but yet they do nothing.
Bascially this author is saying throughout his whold essay that teenagers aren't as bad as people/adults think. He seems to believe that everything a teenager does that' s bad is the parents fault. He doesn't think things like drugs, alcohol, and sex, are infulenced by tv but by the parents themselves. He says if teenagers are bad today that they have always been because everything a teenager does today, the adults did it back then. Teenagers haven't changed, society has, and that's the truth.

My response:
I agree with this author's idea to an extent. I do agree that most teenagers today are good kids, but they are a few of them that aren't good. I agree with the fact that birth control isn't a free ticket for teenagers to have sex. I don't think that teenagers see it that way anymore. I also agree with the fact that sex education only makes a teenager aware of the consenquences it doesn't increase the rate of sexual activity. It only lets them know what sex is and what it could do them. I think if a teenager is going to have sex they are going to do it regardless of what they hear or see, regardless if they have birth control or not. And, if they are having sex with birth control then it's a good thing, not a bad thing. People thing birth control is bad because it gives the teenager the okay to have sex, but what they don't know is that a teenager is going to do what they want regardless, wouldn't it better if they were protected why their at it?
I also agree with the fact that the government should stop worrying so much about drugs like marijuana and cocaine and start focusing on things like slcohol and tabacco. He states that "in the most recent data 31% of 12th-graders have engaged in binge drinking within 2 weeks of being surveyed and nearly 35% smoked cigarettes in the past month." He says this is what is killing teenagers today, and I agree. Most car accidents are caused by teenagers who have been drinking and driving. Yet, the government seems to ignore this. They put a drinking age limit, as if that's going to stop them. Teenagers have this tendency of doing things only because their not supposed to. They like the thrill. If smoking and drinking was a law I truly think it would decrease drastically.
What I don't agree with this author is the fact that MTV has no effect on teenagers. I do think it does have an effect. Where else would they get the idea to dress and act the way they do. They go celebrities letting kids know it's okay to do the things they do, yet you don't seem them getting arrested. You see young men and women from the street getting arrested and beat up by the cops. Celebs are basically telling all their business out there and kids see nothing happens to them so they automatically think it's okay. This is where the influence comes in and where we got those rebel teenagers out there. Violence is another think that teenagers get from those celebs. Rappers talking about that they killed this one, beat that one, and yet there they are. Teengers follow their example and end up jail. How is this? Why is this? It's all about money. The government is so money hungry that will do anything to save money. Even if it means a few lost lives.
In conclusion Starsburger's idea is a good one. I do think they that teenagers are good kids. I don't think they have changed as much since back in the day. If anything back in the day was worse. They had racism, sexism, etc. People killing people because the color of their skin and because of who they choose to make love to. I don't blame the parents for the way the teenagers act today. I mean in a way it is their fault but you got to remember that teenagers are going to do whatever they want regardless of what their parents say. If there wasn't so much bad influence on tv and around the world, the teenagers wouldn't have anybody to copy.