Teenagers today

TEENAGERS TODAY

Teenagers today are exhibiting signs of political disengagement . They posess little knowledge of public affairs and are less likely to read the news or watch the news . They view politicians as corrupt men running the government for their own special interests . They isolate themselves from the political process because they are wary , mistrustful and frustrated with it . Research shows that in spite of higher levels of education the youth today have the same level of political knowledge as the youth sixty years before them

The biggest reason why the

youth remains disintrested in politics is due to the fact that they have experienced relatively fewer historic moments . Besides the bombing of the World Trade Center on September 11 2001 , they have been raised in a rather peaceful and prosperous environment

Media has also played a large role in political disengagement . In the last few years it has largely focused on entertainment and scandal rather than emphasizing political issues . This is why most teenagers would read the shenanigans of Britney Spears rather than the coverage of war in Iraq

A study by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement carried out in 1999 detailed that almost two-thirds of ninth graders learnt facts about the Constitution , Congress , or the presidency in their school syllabus . However , these facts don 't make any impact on their lives and are soon forgotten . A 2003 survey on the First Amendment showed that one out of every 50 college students could name the first right of amendment and only one out of four knew the freedoms provided by it . Another project launched in 2003 by the National Conference of State Legislatures compared the political awareness of younger people age 15 to 26 in contrast to older Americans . Half of the youngsters surveyed believed that being attentive to the current politics wasn 't part of being a good citizen . Almost 64 knew who the American Idol of the year was however 90 could not recall the speaker of the U .S . House of Representatives

It is essential that teenagers are informed about the state of affairs of the country . Youngsters who grow up unaware of their political surroundings are less likely to identify the gaps within the society and make any changes . Bobo and Gillian (1990 ) noted that lower participation in political activity decreases opportunities for personal empowerment as well as influence . If uneducated and financially unstable citizens continue to lessen their political participation it will further increase the social and income inequality . Hence , to make rational political decisions and to avoid a worrisome outcome it is essential that the teenagers today seek out political information and help create a better future

WORKS CITED

Bobo , Lawrence , and Frank Gillian , Jr . Race , Sociopolitical Participation and Black Empowerment . American Political Science Review 84 : 377-393 (1990

Bauerlein , Mark (2006 . A Very Long Disengagement . The Chronicle Review . May 3 , 2007 . http /chronicle .com /weekly /v52 /i18 /18b00601 .htm

MacDonald , Tom . HYPERLINK "http /www .freerepublic .com...