Vocabulary

Topics on youth culture to review and use as an argument

Youth is associated with innocence, beauty, good health, energy, idealism, curiosity, immaturity, inexperience and rebellion. However, the descriptions of character relate more closely to fiction than to reality since in many cases particularly in large cities, youngsters today engage in vandalism, joy-riding or even drug-trafficking, yet magistrates in Spain are asking for tougher sentencing powers to combat juvenile crime. Many young teenagers are now experienced offenders.

If you go out on any Saturday night you will see quite a few drunken young people although underage drinking is illegal. t hey buy bottles of booze and Coke or orangeade in a supermarket and then later go to the beach or a public park or city square for the sole purpose of drinking until they become legless. This then causes brawls and fights among them or between rival groups. Neighbours often complain about the noise and the litter.

Drugs are another major problem nowadays. There are drug traffickers in schools selling to anybody who will buy their products or even worse, introducing youngsters to them. It is considered fashionable and so, many kids may well get hooked unless they are strong and can say NO to them.

Smoking is another problem which the government is trying to solve. Although they all know the dangers to health it is considered fashionable and sociable to smoke and a lot of kids get hooked. Commercials are aired on TV saying it's brave to say NO.

All these issues may come from the fact that teenagers are supposed to be rebellious. They often like to defy rules and regulations. Little do they know that they will pay for their defiance in the future. They usually do badly at school and so lose the option of further education, having to opt for menial badly-paid jobs instead of cushy ones.

Of course not all of them are like that. Thank goodness there are many who take their life seriously and are able to combine having a good time with their schooling. They will have good jobs and a comfortable life in the future because they have used their time sensibly.

Fashion has a lot to do with music. Teenagers want to be different yet they also want to belong to a group, and this means that the sort of music they listen to will affect their appearance in many cases. A kid who enjoys rap will probably want to wear the clothes associated with this kind of music. If another is keen on punk he is likely to have spiky bright green and blue hair.

Some people say that kids today have it "to easy". In the past, youngsters had to work at a very young age to help their parents. For example, many left school at 14 and went on to train on building sites and at hairdresser's. They had to sacrifice their youth for their parents well-being. Because of this fact, when these kids grew up and had kids of their own they decided that an education was the best thing that they could give their children and so, gave them all the opportunities money could offer them. Children today have everything from encyclopaedias to PC'S and internet. They have a lot of material things and in a way... this could mean that they have few aspirations. If they want something they just ask for it and they usually get it within reason of course. This boils down to the fact that many kids today have become lazy and do not appreciate their parents like they should. They can also be quite bored which means that they then turn to drinking and drugs to get their "kicks".

In many cases, parent-children relationships deteriorate when the kids reach puberty, they claim that their parents are "out of touch" and "oldies" and usually argue a lot. The children usually forget one very important thing, their parents are sacrificing their lives and their freedom for them, parents want the best for their kids, they want them to havethe best of everything and all the opportunities that they never had so that their future is even better. And this is a great investment, and like any investment they will protect it forever.

1. Are young people generally more selfish than their parents and grandparents? 
2. Should adults try to teach young people lessons, such as the dangers of drinking too much, taking drugs or contracting the HIV virus, or should they leave them alone to find out about these things themselves? 
3. What do you think is the best age to be? Explain your opinion. 
4. Most countries give young people rights as they reach a certain age. For example, British people can legally make love or fight for their country at the age of 16; they can drink, vote and drive a car when they are 18. Does your country have similar laws?
5. Do you think that any of the age limits need changing? 
6. Should young people have to do some form of military or community service by law? 
7. Should people of between 60 and 65 be forced to retire from their jobs in order to make way for younger workers? 
8. Are there many things that the old can teach the young or are they hopelessly out of touch by the time they reach a certain age? 
9. In most countries, compulsory education is targeted at 5 - 16 year olds. Would it be better to offer it to pensioners who want to learn rather than young people who prefer not to be in school? 
10. In Russia, China and many other countries, there is a tradition of choosing leaders who are advanced in years. Do you think that older people make better leaders? 
11. Are friends more important than family? What do you think?
12. Are chores assigned to children in your family?
13. Are you married?
14. Are you pressured by your family to act in a certain way?
15. Are you the oldest among your brothers and sisters?
16. Are your parents strict?
17. Did you ever meet any of your great grandparents?
18. Do you get along well with your family?
    • Do you get along well with your brothers and sisters?
19. Do you have any brothers or sisters? If so, how old are they?
20. Do you have to clean your own room?
    • Does your mother make you clean your room?
21. Do you like your family? Why or why not?
22. Do you live with any of your grandparents?
23. Do you live with your parents?
24. Do you look more like your mother or your father?
25. Do you often argue with your mother or father? What about?
26. Do you often visit your grandparents?
27. Do you think people should adopt children from other countries?
28. Do you usually have any influence on family matters?
29. Do your parents let you stay out late?
    • What time do you have to be home?
    • Do you have a curfew?
30. How did you get your name?
    • Who are you named after?
31. How many (first) cousins do you have?
32. How many aunts and uncles do you have?
33. How many brothers and sisters do you have?
34. How many children do you have?
35. How many members do you have in your family altogher?
36. How many people are in your (immediate) family?
37. Is spanking a good way to discipline children?
38. Should people follow the religion of their parents, or should they have the liberty to choose another?
39. What are some of your fondest memories of childhood?
40. What are your parents like?
41. What do you and your family like doing together?
42. What do your mother and father look like? How about your grandparents?
43. What do your parents do in their free time?
44. What are the occupations of your family members?
    • What does your father do? What's his job?
    • What does your mother do?
45. What is the best memory you have of your family doing something together?
46. What kind of things do you do with your family?
47. What would you change about your childhood?
48. Who do you get along better with, your mother or your father?
49. Who is the black sheep (odd ball) in your family?
50. Would you get involved in your in-laws' family problems?
51. Would you live with your parents after you get married?
52. Should children help with the housework?
    • How much or how often should they help?
    • What kinds of housework is not appropriate for children to do?
53. Do you live in a nuclear family or an extended family?
    • What are the advantages and disadvantages of these types of family?
54. What impact has divorce and/or modern day living had on the family?
55. Is the nanny and/or the day-care centre the third parent?
56. Where is the best place to raise a family?
    • Where do you think the best place to raise a family is? Why?
57. Do you think your parents undestand you? Why or why not?
58. Who does the household work, your father or your mother or both of them?
59. Have you ever seen your mother (or father) cry? When was that and why?