#YOLO: You’re Doing it Wrong
Teenagers, these days, are a strange group indeed. I may be one of them, but that doesn’t keep me from observing the social enigma of “popularity”. It’s a fickle thing, and only those with an ounce of self-respect can stay away, it appears. I speak only of those who make bad choices to get in with the cool kids. Please realize: smoking, drugs, and alcohol are not the cool thing to do anymore. Maybe when our parents were kids, it made sense. But now, youth is warned on a regular and forceful basis that these substances are bad for us. Even with these warnings looming, there are teenagers who still go ahead and drink heavily, smoke weed and cigs, and even snort various chemical substances. This has to be the stupidest thing that anyone could do these days, because there is no longer any question about it: abusing those substances, especially during the teenage years, is bad for you. Adults are not trying to ruin your fun, and they are not trying to destroy your swag. Trust me, honey, you aren’t going to look all that cool passed out on the bathroom floor, face-planting in your own vomit. So what causes this attitude? I believe it’s the media. Kids, they’re lying to you. Getting wasted isn’t fun, it will not get you a boyfriend/girlfriend, and there will be no “#YOLO” printed above your head in bold white letters. You are not an internet meme. Those exist solely on the internet. You, however, live in the real world, with a real reputation. Lasso up your ego and keep it at bay, kiddies. You are not an exception to the works of Mother Nature: smoke cigarettes, and you will get lung cancer. Drink thirty-seven beers in one go, and you will get alcohol poisoning. Inject, and you’re pretty much dead. It’s like playing with a power tool: it’s not fun, and it doesn’t know how to play. It’s a power tool, and you can kill a person with it. It is not a super-special-awesome toy. You are an idiot. Have a nice day.
But is there deeper meaning to all this? Are these kids only getting high to escape their mundane, depressed lives? Are they trying to feel something similar to real enjoyment? In all honesty, a wasted night is only worth half a sober thrill. Wouldn’t you rather remember your good time the next morning? I know I would. And if you can’t have a good time sober because your life is that miserable, remember this: your body is a temple, and you only get one. Protect it and take care of it, because even if you don’t feel welcome at home, your family doesn’t want to see you as a rotting corpse. They would much rather the police bring you home alive than dead, no matter what you may believe. The media is getting under your skin: don’t let it. It’s screwing with your conscience, so fight it. This is your life, and you should enjoy it. Stay happy, stay healthy, and for the love of all that’s holy, don’t be stupid! This level of stupidity is equal to suicide, and the Grim Reaper is always awaiting your demise. Look sharp, kiddies! Spread the word, find the edge, and keep it clean! Your future will thank you.
Pretty hypocritical of you to say the media is lying to us when you up and say "Getting wasted isn’t Fun" like that's anything but an opinion of yours.
ReplyDeleteYep. A raging headache is loads of fun. It's a generalization. All generalizations are subjected to exceptions. Granted; it may seem a like an opinion, but that is what this article is: an opinion piece. You have the right to have your own, different opinion, but do you really need to accuse her of hypocrisy?
DeleteYou're using the word "hypocritical" wrong. It's not hypocritical to state an opinion. It would be hypocritical of her to say that drugs, alcohol, and tobacco are bad for you if she's doing all that stuff herself anyway. But from the sounds of it, she's too smart to be doing drugs, drinking, and smoking, so it's not hypocrisy. You may want to rethink your statement, Anon. :P
DeleteOh so true. The media white-washes its message before sending it to the kids. Prepackaged apocalypse come in various shapes and sizes these days.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good opinion piece. You are welcome to object to its contents as this is a free world. Makes me think your brain is addled from too much partying....just sayin'.....
ReplyDeleteWell said. Highschool kids shouldn't be spending thier weekends hungover.
ReplyDeleteWhy shouldn't they? Given the massive burden of homework and emotional stress they endure during their week they need a chance to relax completely and just have fun. The best students are not the ones that have boring weekends, the best students are the ones that have fun on the weekends, but manage to find a balance.
DeleteI totally agree. Kids these days cannot be more stupid! Every day there is a stupid new trend that everybody goes by. Like Yolo! I f***ing HATE YOLO! Actually I don't hate the meaning, I just hate how people respond to it. What YOLO should mean is you only get one chance in life so live it at its best and don't waste your life. What people think it means is: I'm going to do something really stupid that could put my life in danger so I can post it on Facebook and be like YOLO!! Just really stupid.
ReplyDeleteHow Condescending... Get off your high horse
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of being 'brainwashed', why don't you actually go try those things first before blurting out your uneducated opinion? Your thoughts are only backed by what you've been told in school. Getting wasted CAN be fun, it CAN get you boyfriends and girlfriends. Also smoking is NOT guaranteed to give you cancer, NOBODY drinks 37 beers in one go, and injecting won't 'pretty much' kill you. Also, referring to other people as 'kids', 'kiddies', and 'honey' doesn't strengthen your argument.
ReplyDeleteYou're just in that phase where you think you're a special snowflake who is above the norm. I know because I've been through it years ago. Maybe someday you'll understand.
Being a teenager means you get to be stupid and make mistakes because it's at that time of your life that there are little to no consequences.That doesn't mean I'm advocating going out and shooting heroin. The bad things are easy to avoid. But stop trying to be all somber because you are a teenager, and you know NOTHING. Trust me, you know NOTHING. And you should be allowed to have some fun with that, before you grow up and have to go through all the soul-crushing motions of adult life like the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteYour article has good intentions, but it is naive and its purpose is lost on the rest of your student body who is trying to have fun and be stupid and make some good old fashioned mistakes with their youth. Join them.