Hi,
This is mostly a reaction to Shofar's interesting article "Evangelical Youth: Christian Teens Considered." I really don't think that Shofar is seeing the whole picture as far as a number of issues go. The bit mentioned about sex always being part of teen-age life and so on I feel is a bit misleading. First of all you must realize that untill about fifty years ago there really was no such thing as a "teenager." The sexual revolution occured forty years ago, and until then sex was not nonexistant among the agegroup we now call teens, but for much of human history that sex was in wedlock (as marriage occured at a younger age).
Now I know that this point is a little moot, but it really ties in with what I want to say. I really don't agree with your world view or the world view of most of my peers. I'm actually a bit disapointed that even the self-proclaimed geeks buy into the current popular social definitions for the way to be. Shofar is advocating the mainstream belief system. The big three; Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll (ok, so not so much Drugs -- that one has fallen out of favor with the masses). How can we, the outcast, the so-called free thinkers, let our selves blindly accept the previous generations' paths? Look at our culture's recient history, our generation has just picked up where the last two left off. Now look around and tell me if this really looks like it works.
SEX:
If we have sex early and often it makes us better lovers. Who cares? Why should we waste our time consumed with "the deed?" I mean, don't we have better things to thing about than s-e-x? All of human history is sex-oriented, Rome fell because of sex, revolution war and death happen because of sex, the bomb happend because of sex, etc. Yeah sex is great, but come on, why are we so obsessed about something it takes a earthworm to be able to do? Yeah, if we have sex often it makes us better lovers. The theory is practice makes perfect. But sex will not make us superstars, will not pay the bills, will not get us anything more than a little meaningless joy for a little while.
Rock and Roll (is dead):
Music has saved no one's life. I'm a musician (what I consider a good musician, I play jazz, you don't get any more musicially-elitist than me), I should know that music hasn't got the power to really do the things we'd like to think it's got the power to do. It's just another art form, and while it definately has a purpose and should be supported, it should not be given so much attention. Rock and Roll is dead. There is no ifs ands or buts about that. Just look at the pop charts. More importantly, sub-culture music is dead. Punk is sunk, ska sucks, goth never was all that great, jazz is prehistoric, etc.. The mindless pursute of sub-cults is crazy and for everything the previous generations stood for and that we should rebel against. I used to be a ska-lover my self, but I realized just how nuts it was to worry about what's happening in the scene and all that crap. I was in a band for a while and I remember laughing at all the pathetic people who thought that because they helped flier or sold stuff for the band or whatever that made them higher up in anyones mind than the audience.
Drugs:
Rejection is the only true rebellion as far as drugs are concerned. How many people have parents that never tried a single drug. Not many I would guess. Why mess with the same thing they did. What did our parent's generation accomplish anyway? Daycare and welfare. Use that bordom, anger, whatever in more productive ways.
It really frustrates me to see my generation doing the same thing the previous gernerations did. The worst thing is the total lack of all the good stuff the others accomplished. We have no causes or crusades, there is no unknown territory as far as total out-and-out against-the-law-(at least socital law)-rebellion goes. We have become redundent. I leave you with one finial thought: The most famous conquest in history was exicuted by the Trojans; from within.
--Chris