These days’ teenagers are like the weather, completely unpredictable and stormy. Considering the vast amount of disrespectful teenagers this generation contains, most people don’t even want to try to figure out what’s going on in their minds. For most, it’s much easier to put a large blind eye to all of the young adults who feel that this world was created solely for them.

It’s almost as if teenagers are like vicious animals, waiting to attack their nearest prey. It really doesn’t matter where you go anymore, whether you’re taking a shopping spree at the mall, going on a hunt for the perfect book at the local library, or visiting your neighborhood school, it’s likely that you’ll find yourself amongst a rude teenager or two. They treat all who innocently stroll by with utter disrespect and what’s most surprising is that they show no remorse.

Do they honestly feel cool by treating others poorly? When did kindness and respect lose out to cruelty and rudeness? Why aren’t teenagers focused on the thoughtful characteristics of a person? I feel these teenagers would rather receive negative attention by acting outrageously than to receive no attention at all.

I care about how I make other’s feel in my presence. I truly care about how I am viewed by others. I want people to know me as a genuinely caring person, and the more I try to evaluate myself, I can’t help but notice all of the slackers surrounding me. I had’nt realized how many people find the characteristics I find momentous in living a noble life, as insignificant. Just the thought is actually quite unnerving.

I tried to focus on the work resting beneath my pencil, but I just couldn’t seem to overcome the constant shrieking that was ringing within my ears. I soon discovered that I was not the only one who heard this terrible disruption. Peeking around the room, I witnessed the dismayed looks of some twenty other students, and the disturbed facial expression on my frightened teacher. Wanting to ascertain the source of this atrocious noise, my teacher marched out into the hallway only to discover, yet again, another fourteen year old running and hollering through the hallways, making it nearly impossible for the other students to concentrate on anything but him. My teacher was outraged by this careless act of disrespect, and found herself having to control her tempering pulse throughout the encounter with the student. I have only one thing to ask people who behave in this ridiculous manner, would you ever dare act this way at home? My intuition tells me that most of your parents would be astounded to witness you treat others so disrespectfully.

In this culturally developed society that we all find ourselves living in, I feel that the disrespect of this generations teenagers can be reduced by all of us taking a break from our busy lives to evaluate the kind of adults we will soon become. According to James Lehman, MSW, “the distinction between mild rebelliousness and disrespect has to be drawn very clearly.” In order to accomplish this, parents, teachers and authority figures must determine if a “child’s expressing general frustration about the injustices or challenges of life, or is he being deliberately hurtful, condescending or abusive.”

My advice to all of the teenagers who feel the only way to be cool and fit in, is to be disrespectful, should take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask themselves if social acceptance into a group of people is worth becoming the terrifying stereotypes of disrespectful teenagers all around the world?