a youth living in society

21 || Sociology BS/Pre-Occupational Therapy senior @ Michigan State c/o 2014 || Spartans Will.

[syedasaysstuff]

1. Group of friends indulging in “Half Off Tuesday” drink specials at Rick’s American Café in East Lansing. Drink specials at bars allow college students to indulge in the party/bar subculture without spending a lot of money.

 2. Local DJ’s/college students spinning tracks and providing the latest popular music at Harper’s Brewpub. Music is a huge part of any youth subculture, especially in partying/bar subculture.

 3. College student doing a “keg stand” while several of his friends hold him up. A keg stand is a popular party trick made infamous by college partying culture, where a volunteer does a hand stand on a keg of beer while people hold him/her up and the tap is placed in the mouth for the person doing the keg stand to drink. Typically there is a countdown to see how long the person doing the keg stand can last.

 4. Bar goer attempting to “twerk” with a friend at Rick’s American Café; “twerking” is a dance move that has become popularized through social media such as Vine and Youtube. It involves a lot of hip movement and grinding on another person. This dance move as well as dancing as a whole is yet another component of the partying culture many college students indulge in.

 5. Group of friends setting up the beer pong table at a day party or “Darty” Beer pong is a drinking game where 2 players on each side try to sink ping pong balls into the cups of the opposing team, if one teams sinks the others cup, the losing team must drink. The day party is a huge part of college culture.

[syedasaysstuff]

Youth Activism in Action: DoSomething.org

DoSomething.org aims to spearhead national campaigns on causes such as bullying, cancer, and homelessness among other causes for 13 to 25 year olds to make a change. In doing so they provide an outlet for youth without the need for help from adults or having to find the means to bring about change on their own. 

It is located across the U.S. and it was started to believe, trust, celebrate, respect, and value young people. The programs are free and express just how much this organization aims to help young people, not take their money.

They engage in activism by spreading awareness. For example the 25,000 women campaign helps women in need by sharing the awful working conditions plaguing women, in sharing the organization provides a $25 loan to give to a working woman in need. 

Do Something has 1,983,687 members and counting and in 2012 over 2.4 million people took action through DoSomething.org

[syedasaysstuff]

Dating from a different perspective

The topic of my interview focused on dating. Some of the questions revolved around whether our generation values dating, what a typical date consists of, and whether hooking up devalues the dating process. I interviewed a friend of mine that recently came out as Gay. I learned a lot more about him, things that I didn't know before because he kept his sexuality purposely secret and I learned how dating is different for gays, at least from his perspective. 

I was definitely pleasantly surprised with how honest my interviewee was. He was very raw and blunt with how he answered my questions and it gave me a lot to work with as well as a new outlook on dating. As a girl, dating is different for me and he noted that in his responses. It was refreshing to see a different perspective on the messy and ambiguous world of dating.

My favorite part of the interview was hearing what my interviewee had to say on his own methods of dating. He was very honest in saying that he wasn't looking for anything serious, that unlike women, he doesn't have a biological clock that's ticking away.

[syedasaysstuff]

Fewer white teens applying to university as applications from black pupils soar

White teenagers are less likely to apply to university than youngsters from any other ethnic group, according to research.

This new story focuses on teens applying for university in Britain. "Fewer than three in 10 white 18-year-olds have applied to start degree courses this autumn, while applications from black pupils have increased significantly since 2006, data published by Ucas shows". The article goes on to mention several other statistics such as 29% of white, state-educated 18-year-olds in England applied to university in comparison to  more than 50% of 18 year old from Chinese backgrounds and 40% from an Asian ethnic groups. For blacks, application rates have grown from 20% in 2006 to 34% this year. 

The article doesn't explain why this trend is occurring, but financial reasons could be the root of the problem. 

This news story is an example of thematic framing, it places public issues, in this case application rates for 18 year olds in Britain, in a broader context by focusing on general conditions and outcomes. I know this story to be thematic because of the presentation of statistics across racial and ethnic lines and overall numbers meant to portray a broad outlook on the rates of students applying for university. 

I would reframe this narrative by switching it to a more episodic framework, by focusing on one 18 year old that was either applying or not applying to university in a specific location and time. In doing so, it would shed light as to WHY this student was applying or not applying to university instead of focusing solely on numbers. I would reframe it to include different view points from members of different racial groups to expose their motivation or lack thereof in applying to university. 

[syedasaysstuff]

Video of Police Whacking Students With Batons Doesn't Look Good

It's not clear from this YouTube clip what provoked Berkeley, California cops to begin poking at these UC-Berkeley students with such force, but we wouldn't want to be the police spokesperson tasked with explaining this scene to the public.

This video & article depicts exactly what Giroux mentions in his article "Punishing Youth" these students were peacefully protesting against privatization and increased tuitions costs and when police stepped in, they didn't react with violence or threats choosing to instead join hands to form a circle around their tent. "Naturally, this resulted in a showdown, police batons a-waving, and multiple arrests. According to the Daily Californian, seven protesters were led away in cuffs, while several others were treated for stomach, arm, and head injuries caused by those batons" 

We live in an era in which there's zero tolerance for poor minority youth and youthful protestors and infinite tolerance for crimes of bankers and government embezzlers. Giroux sheds light on exactly what happened at this protest "as young people and others organize to protest economic injustice and massive inequality... the state has responded with use of injurious violence while mainstream media has issued insults rather than informed dialogue critical engagements and suggestions for meaningful reform" 

It is truly symbolic of youth's relationship with society as Giroux views it, it poses the question: what does it mean as young people make diverse claims on the promise of a radical democracy and articulate their vision of a fair and just world that they're increasingly met with forms of physical and ideological and structural violence? 

It is increasingly disheartening and devastating to read stories on how the police react to peaceful protestors, especially on young people. There is a war on youth as our country uses violence to make a point rather than to educate and reform. 

[syedasaysstuff]

Response to "Why 30 isn't the new 20"

I really enjoyed this TED talk by Meg Jay, she made so many brilliant points that I will definitely keep with me in trekking through this decade of my life. The talk focused on why young people shouldn't put off making life altering decisions until they're thirty. "When you pat a twentysomething on the head and you say, ‘You have 10 extra years to start your life’ … you have robbed that person of his urgency and ambition.” This quote best encompasses the purpose behind the talk. 80% of life's most defining moments take place by 35, that is why it's so important to make the best choices in your 20's so that you aren't lost by the time you hit your 30's. The world is basically your oyster in your 20's, you do all the setting up for the rest of your life in this decade. 

I chose to respond to this piece because obviously I am a twentysomething and this knowledge can only benefit me and my future endeavors. 

My favorite point made by Meg Jay was when she said that you CAN pick your family and now is the time and the best time to work on your marriage is before you get married. I love that! it's idea I never thought of and realize how beneficial it is, this is the time to date and find what I like in a man and in a relationship. 

[fangirling-so-hard-rn]

A trillion dollars in student loan debt right now.  A trillion right.  A TRILLION dollars. We are lending money that we don’t have to kids that will never be able to pay it back, to educate them for jobs that no longer exist.

Mike Rowe on Real Time with Bill Mahr (via timetoputonashow)

[syedasaysstuff]

This articles explains that since the great recession, the labor market is every difficult place for recent college graduates. the unemployment rate in the U.S. keeps increasing and for 22 year olds, that rate is up 5.8% since 2000. The unemployment rate isn't the only cause for concern, the underemployment rate has been increasing as well, especially for recent college graduates. The article explains that collthe increase in the unemployment rate for young people "may be due to long-term shifts in the labor market that aren’t being captured by traditional employment indicators. More twentysomethings today work “gig to gig” as freelancers or on short-term contracts".

What this article intends is to shed light on what the odds are for attaining a job post-graduation. There are several theories and one of them concludes that technological advances in recent years better suit the analytical skills of college graduates in this generation.

This message is applicable to the subgroup of youth: those who pursue a college education and attain a degree. Hopefully, in the near future, the trend of underemployed college grads will decline, but as of right now, the job market is far too weak to absorb the plethora of recent graduates.

[syedasaysstuff]

Michael Dimock, director of Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, tells Don Gonyea, host of weekends on All Things Considered, that the pace at which millennials back gay marriage has rarely been matched. "You saw radical transformations in American attitudes about race in the '60s, '70s and '80s," Dimock says, "this isn't inherently unprecedented, but for the past decade or so this is certainly one of the biggest shifts we've seen." That shift also extends to young conservatives and those that identify as Republicans, Dimock says, a group whose support for same-sex marriage has nearly doubled in the past 10 years. "The trajectory is happening across party lines [and] across religious lines," he says.

Source: NPR Staff 

This quote answers the question, "are we witnessing a shift in our country's thinking?". It is clear in just statistics alone, the our nation is shifting in attitudes to accept same sex marriage into law. This shift is not only seen in the 70% of 18-32 year olds in support for gay marriage but is also seen in young conservatives and those that see themselves as Republicans. This is a huge cultural shift, given the history of the conservative ideals of the Republican party.

This article was published in March 2013, we can further see the shift in our country's thinking after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Defense of Marriage Act and Prop 8 in California on June 26th. This was a huge stride for civil rights and equality and shows that our country is in a shift of thinking. No other decade has seen such a big shifts as our millennial generation. 

[allisonvk22-deactivated20130820]

Youth Subcultures: “Festies"- A subculture built around music, specifically electronic music festivals. 

People who attend music festivals, a combination of a hippie and a raver, typically interested in the electronic like music.

-Subculture located across the US and in European areas, wherever music festivals occur, popular ones including:

Bonnaroo, Tenesse

Sonar, Barcelona

Glastonbury Festival, Glastonbury

Tomorrowland, Boom

Lollapalooza, Illinois

Electric Forest Festival, Michigan

-majority middle class (able to afford festival tickets and camping/travel), both female and male and many races, age range approximately 18-24.

[Definition from UrbanDictionary.com: Festy: (noun) A person who lives to go to music festivals. A sort of lovechild of a hippie and a raver. Commonly sporting one or two dreadlocks and/or a partially shaved head. Loves face paint, henna, anything glow-in-the-dark, tattoos, music (especially dub step, electronic, indie, folk, alternative), eastern/new age themed religions, hallucinogens and hula hoops. They generally refer to festivals as “home".]

[syedasaysstuff]

Reblogging this post to shed some light on the picture I posted for this weeks assignment! 

[syedasaysstuff]

This is a photo of friends of mine at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF). DEMF is the first U.S. electronic music festival taking place in Detroit, where the techno movement was born. It is also one of the world's largest festivals. DEMF has brought mass revenue to the city of Detroit while also ensuring that the entire festival is free of charge. The DEMF mission is to bring all people together through the power of this special music.

Many of our classmates used the rave/festie culture as their subculture, this picture is yet another example of how big the rave and music festival scene is for youth in today's youth culture. 

[luaren]

this isn’t about race

white people talking about things that are about race  (via ch00sey)

[herm316-blog]

As you’€™ve probably read, Joel Stein’€™s professionally trollish Time cover story about the millennial generation is already the source of an almighty controversy, largely because it’s well, it’s unm…

An extra perspective on Joel Stein’s Time Magazine article on the Millennials. 

[syedasaysstuff]

I'm so glad someone spoke out about this! Stein's article was full of bigotry and accusations, my favorite point made in this perspective is when the author says "Millennials may be “narcissistic, materialistic and addicted to technology,” as Stein alleges early in his article; they’re also drowning in college debt, slaves to an internship “system” that demands ever-increasing work for no pay, and entrants into a job market that’s replaced employment rights with the “flexibility” of never being able to afford health insurance."

This TRUTH.

[dro86-blog]

This info-graphic covers many aspects of the Millennial generation described by Joel Stein. In his article he talked about how narcissistic the Millennial generation can be. The info-graphic states that “4/5 Millennials think that they deserve to be recognized for their work"  and “9/10 think they deserve their dream job"

[syedasaysstuff]

I found this post to be very interesting because the original poster mentioned Joel Stein's article about the millennial generation and quoted what Stein described us as being "narcisstic, self absorbed, and lazy" This is interesting to me because the millennial generation is taking over! We make up the majority of the world population, and we are more self-dependent and confident than generations past. 

I would include the fact that in under 20 years we will be filling nearly ALL of the shoes left behind by the baby boomers, even though many boomers are putting off retirement. To quote Stein again, we are the generation that will save us all. 

Username of original source: dro86

[syedasaysstuff]

Subculture: Fashion Bloggers 

Fashion bloggers are definitely huge in today's youth culture. Of course fashion is timeless, but these days instead of dishing out $5.99 for an issue of Vogue, you can just search the internet for the thousands upon thousands of fashion blogs. 

A fashion blogger is someone who strives to stay up to date on the most current trends and pieces the trends together in everyday wear. They take pictures of the outfits and post them on blogs or they upload Youtube videos describing the outfits and how someone can attain a similar look. 

A fashion blog can cover many things like specific items of clothing and accessories, trends in different markets from celebrity fashion choices to street fashion trends. They cover fashion at all levels from the big designer labels to smaller indie designers.

Like I mentioned, many blogs take the place of fashion magazines because many fashion blogs can be shopping blogs as well, due to the fact that many bloggers  give shopping advice, while promoting certain labels. Many retailers, such as Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 have fashion blogs themselves to corner the widespread technological market. 

Fashion bloggers hold a strong relationship to mainstream internet culture. Tumblr, for example, is a hugely successful blogging platform & many bloggers choose Tumblr to promote their fashion blogs. Several other websites promote fashion bloggers and young fashionistas. To gain fashion inspiration, I often search Lookbook.nu for fashion trends across the world. Lookbook is a great way for fashion bloggers to gain recognition. The styles are ranked according to "hype" and "newness" votes. They are separated by "most hyped" looks from the day, month, year, and all time. 

This subculture is all over the world! Fashion bloggers come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and colors. Lookbook.Nu has looks from bloggers that span the cultural bridge, from California to Cambodia. Most participants, at least from what I've seen, tend to be women. However, male fashion bloggers are not scarce. 

[syedasaysstuff]

Title: The Millennial Teenager

Source: OnlineSchools.com

This infographic displays statistics on digital/technology usage of the typical American teenager. It starts off providing percentages of teens that have a phone, laptop, ipod/mp3, etc. It then provides more information about the content teens put on their social media pages and how they connect with others through the internet. It also provides answers to common questions such as "does texting destroy good grammar". It ends with statistics on whether too much media is bad for teens, this is done by comparing those teens that heavily use media to those who only use media lightly. They're compared by grades, how often they get in trouble, and their general happiness. 

This infographic pretty much sums up what Joel Stein wrote about in his Time Magazine article, The Next Great Generation. In the article, Stein mentions how connected the millennial generation is. "Now that cell phones allow kids to socialize at every hour—they send and receive an average of 88 texts a day, according to Pew—they're living under the constant influence of their friends," Stein says in the article. This generation is always connected whether it's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat. In a nutshell, his article depicts what is reflected in this infograph, the fact that today's teenagers have no memory of life before cell phones and Internet. 

[syedasaysstuff]

In the U.S., Millennial's are the children of baby boomers, who are also known as the Me Generation, who then produced the Me Me Me Generation, whose selfishness technology has only exacerbated.

The Next Generation