What is wrong with kids today?
It's a commonly heard refrain throughout history. Whether it's young women smoking in public or young men with long hair listening to rock music, there is always something that shakes the status quo. When young people rebel, as a group or individually, the older generation -- the authority figures -- naturally become alarmed and search for answers.
In their attempts to explain the "extreme lifestyles" of today's youth, the media invariably contrasts them with simpler times, when kids brushed their teeth, tucked in their shirts and respected their elders. Conveniently forgetting the rebellions of their own time, the older generation expresses shock over the tearaways of today who dye their hair and pierce their noses, who can only interact with video games and cell phones, who loaf on stairways and spray graffiti everywhere. And in their fear and ignorance (or worse), when youths are involved in crime, adults call it a sign of the times and sensationalize it.