Age Is...

Schott's Vocabulary, A Miscellany of Modern Words and Phrases courtesy of the New York Times, is soliciting definitions of age. How fitting!

This one, posted in the comments section, had a ring to it: "Old age is when the past haunts you, new tech daunts you, your body taunts you, and AARP wants you." Anyone want to take a stab?

"The Truth About Teen Girls"

This article caught my attention because it concerned teenage girls and the media, with special mention of Gossip Girl, America's Next Top Model, 90210, and the O.C. -- all of which are familiar to me... and probably to you as well! The article talks about how teenage behavior is now is heavily influenced by what we watch on TV, and may have detrimental long term consequences, such as the inability to maintain healthy relationships. This is worrisome because of the speed at which values are changing in today's generation. The media is presented not as the bad guy, but instead as a force that inevitably catalyzes a change in how young girls think. TV characters seem to define attractiveness in such a "narrow fashion" -- both literally and figuratively! The characters in the aforementioned TV shows all have a certain beauty in common, which teenagers desire to emulate. The article presents an interesting study about the effect of introducing TV in Western Fiji, which found that girls tried to lose weight in attempts to look more like the characters they were seeing on TV. This brought up an interesting point: perhaps the girls are not trying to take on the roles of the characters, but rather, to just look like them. Still, we get the sense that the media is telling us that "hotness is the only identity worth trying on."

Can Old People Fight Depression?

It is really possible for elderly people to fight depression? This article provides a few natural remedies that are believed to cure elderly people from depression. It states that group activities, therapy, and exercise are "group-based physical exercise programs...[which] can reduce depression in older adults." But could something this basic really help? I would think curing depression takes a lot more than just regular exercise and activities. While skimming the book, "The Treatment of Emotional Disorders," I found a report suggesting that family therapy is the most sufficient. If this is the case, why won't families take the initiative to prevent this disorder. Why do they make such an effortful attempt to save their depressed patient when it is already too late?

The Sociology of Cougars

I'm not precisely sure why this is my third or fourth post on the cougar phenomenon, but I've finally stumbled upon an article in the NY Times this morning that offers a much deeper, social-scientific and demographically intelligent look at the issue.  Television and other forms of popular media, it seems, resemble a bunch of insecure cool kids, nervously poking, prodding and jesting at this or that aberration that makes them feel just a touch uncomfortable, just a touch less sure of themselves.  Beyond the pop-cultural smokescreen of Cougar-dome, we have a major shift in demographics, marriage patterns, and a rise in confident, educated and (perhaps newly) single women who are more likely to transcend boundaries not only of age, but of class, religion, and race.  


Sharon Caron, who has conducted studies on the phenomenon, notes that the days when women to defer to older, wealthier men for support--the old idea of a 'kept' woman--are coming to a close. And men are more comfortable with women as the higher wage-earner as well.  All of this stuff about demographic shifts and cultural enlightenment, however, is not going to pack a theater or boost the ratings.  Leave it to television to take progress and and isolate it as potentially pernicious peculiarity.  

A Thoroughly Modern Malady

(click on comic to enlarge!)








Oh Cathy, you’re the woman of all women! You tell us how it is. My dear, I do agree. How it is… is thrifty. ‘Tis the state of the modern lady in uncertain times. Sorry times call for strong lines.

Your bold words make me wonder just how much economic times define the modern woman. If this fad continues, the modern woman’s way of life will be changing as much as her choice of shoes. So what to make of the modern woman’s image? If my great-grandkids were to borrow books about the modern woman’s style, I don’t know if there’d be enough room to explain every style change. What a strange thought! Is there nothing that can describe the modern me? There was the 1950s mom of apple pie, the 1970s mom of free love, and now, the 2000s Brittany Spears, Coach, Target, Wal-Mart, wallets, working mom of…?

Youth, the Media, and Rock and Roll

Americans spend an estimated $13 to 14 billion a year on Botox. Forbes publishes an annual list of the best-paid celebrities under 30. And on the current list of the top 10 best selling songs on iTunes, only one artist is over the age of 30 (that would be rapper/producer Jay-Z, coming in at the ancient age of 39). So what’s driving this American obsession with youth in the entertainment industry? Since when does experience constitute success less than age?

In the coming weeks, I hope to explore the roots behind western fascination with youth, with a particular emphasis on how this obsession impacts the entertainment industry. I hope to explore when and where the youth obsession started (if you can target that at all) as well as the overall trends of the fascination (i.e. have there been historical times when the media has become more focused on young individuals, or when young performers seem to thrive?)

I first became interested in the topic of American reverence of youth while reading a book on evolutionary psychology. In their book, Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters, authors Alan S. Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa challenge the assumption that the media perpetuates our need to feel young, and instead assert that it’s our very biology as humans that has hardwired us toward this inclination. After reading countless articles blaming the media for people’s need to feel young and sexy, I started wondering which it was- nature or nurture? I hope to explore more on this topic during the course of my research.

Depression among the elderly??

"Why don't my children care about me anymore?" "Has everyone forgot about me?" "Am I no longer important to my family?" These types of negative questions are typically a manifestation of depression among the senior citizen population, especially in America. According to this recent article "approximately 6 million American age 65 and older suffer from depression. Among them, only 10 percent receive proper treatment." Typical symptoms of depression include sadness, fillings of guilt, insomnia, social withdrawal, inability to enjoy activities that were once pleasurable, aches and pains, and suicidal thoughts, to name a few. There are many factors that can trigger depression, such as social isolation, death of loved ones, and dealing with health problems. Sad to say, many senior citizens suffer needlessly, due to not seeking professional help. Depression IS a treatable condition--which is the good news.

I will be discussing the psychological aspects of aging, and why I believe depression is increasingly common among senior citizens. Then, I will discuss some of the factors that I deem triggers of depression in the senior citizen community. Lastly, I will talk about preventative measures that senior citizens can take in combating depression before it occurs. Some proactive measures for combating depressions include practicing healthy thoughts/behaviors, regularly engaging in social activities, and living with a purpose, to name a few.

The Terminal Gender Illness

I get blog updates every so often from the family of a terminally ill girl. They update pictures of her smiles, tell me about her chemo, and leave me with the hopeful knowledge that everything she is going through will make her better. But I can feel the sad little voice in the back of my head, wondering what the blog will look like when her illness takes control. Her smiles stay with me for a long time afterward.

What would a blog have looked like for a boy’s illness? Would there have been the same shining hope that threads through this girl’s fight? For these next weeks, I’ll be blogging about how the world portrays females and males with terminal illness, looking at the two gender groups and how the rhetoric compares. I’ve seen much of the terminally ill female: poems, images, articles, whole anthologies. But what about the male? I’ll specifically be looking for if, why, and how young and middle-aged men and women are represented and how their media representation and/or gender have an impact on the care they receive. How much does gender play a role in this uniquely devastating stage of aging? Do gender stereotypes have an effect on care, and would these potential stereotypes change depending on the age of the individual? I think this’ll be an interesting journey for us all.

From Potter to iPods: Millennial Pop Culture

A boy wizard tromps through adolescence, battling dark magic along the way. Amateur singers participate in the world's most glorified karaoke contest in hopes of becoming the next Kelly Clarkson. Jon and Kate Gosselin rear their brood of eight while America eagerly stands by TVs and tabloid stands in anticipation of their next move. What do these three have in common and why have all of them struck solid gold among American main-stream popular culture? According to generational experts William Strauss and Neil Howe, all appeal to the ideals of the Millennial Generation, the newest generation to drive the forces that dictate popular American pop entertainment. In their book Millennials and the Pop Culture the two authors first describe this burgeoning generation before outlining how their values and beliefs shape popular culture today.

One of the aspects of the book that I found to be particularly interesting was the description of the Millennials' values. I had previously learned from reading some of Jean Twenge's Generation Me that the post Gen-X generation has grown up with constant reminders by everyone from their parents to the government that they are indeed the most special people in the world. But what surprised me was how the Millennials are the least rebellious and best protected generation in recent memory. Based on every hysterical article I have read bemoaning youth today, I had always assumed that each generation becomes a little more wild and gets in a little more trouble. Strauss and Howe exposed this inclination toward expecting the worst from each young generation by posting a chart of youth trends since 1955. For each trend listed, for example "tobacco use among high school students" the reader was supposed to guess whether it had increased or decreased. Shockingly, for every single "bad" trend such as suicide rate, violent crime rate, and alcohol use among high schoolers, the numbers had in fact decreased. Meanwhile, "good" trends like average SAT score and percentage of teens who share their parents' values had all increased. This use of statistics revealed that this may be the most wholesome and family values orientated generation since the GI Generation.

In the second part of their book, Strauss and Howe explain how the family values and self-absorption shared by Millennials have dictated pop cultural phenomena. For example, Millennials love stories about youths who are predestined for individual greatness. Sound like a certain boy wizard we all know and love? Self-loving Millennials identify with shows featuring non-celebrities rising to greatness. American Idol perhaps? And Millennials crave shows featuring families and children. Jon and Kate may not depict family values, but they sure have a lot of kids. Overall, the authors extensively expound upon how each of the different traits of this generation guide what we listen to, watch, read, download and ingest in anyway from the media.

True To Your Heart

"True to your heart

You must be true to your heart
That's when the heavens will part
And baby shower you with my love
Open your eyes
Your heart can tell you no lies
And when you're true to your heart
I know it's gonna lead you straight to me"

-98 Degrees

If we were to "trust our hearts" will we really "see the light" like the song proposes? Well, according to Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D. in Generation Me, "[we] can be anything [we] want to be." Throughout our childhoods, we were always asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. The most common answers were: astronauts, firefighters, teachers, and Michael Jordan. It didn't matter how far-fetched or absurd our responses were; we were always applauded and encouraged to pursue our dreams. But when reality crushes up to our dreams, what can we trust? Surely not our hearts. Twenge declares that this current generation, GenMe, is one prone to anxiety, depression, and stress due to high expectations and fierce competition. Some individuals become so burnt out that they become cynical, believing that there's "no point in trying." Those are the kind of people that need some 98 Degrees in their lives. As for the rest of us toiling slaves, we shouldn't lose sight of our lofty childhood dreams but keep them in perspective with reality. What we really need is hope for the present and future:

"When things are getting crazy
And you don't know where to start
Keep on believing baby
Just be true to your heart
When all the world around you
It seems to fall apart
Keep on believing baby
Just be true to your heart "

Duh...Isn't It Obvious

In Red, Blue, & Purple America, the editor Ruy Teixeira conglomerates a variety of articles on generational thinking including "Aging of Boomers and Rise of Millennials" by Scott Keeter. In the article, Keeter discusses the quintessential qualities of most Millennials as: coming from non-traditional homes, being exposed to electronic innovation (exposure to internet, networking sites, etc), possessing looser views on marriage and sex, and being unaffiliated with one religion. But do we, the Millennials, really need an article, much less a book, to tell us this? Isn't it quite obvious that we have become very "demoralized" compared to our decrepit parents and elders? And who gives Keeter the right to document our lives and judge us based on how we choose to spend our time and resources? I personally have the right to live my life the way I want and do what I want when I want. He can't blame the demise of civilization on me!

But wait...if all Millennials were to possess my attitude, how would we coexist? Is his critique really a warning for our future? Uhoh...we might be pretty messed up...

Globalization=Homogenization?

In the age of globalization, it seems that materialism and competitive nature of the West knows no bounds. The working population in rural China has even abandoned centuries of reverence for their elders in hopes of striking it rich in the allusive cities.

Over the next few weeks, I will blog about articles and books concerning the work ethic and values of different generations in two cultures.

I find the influence of the West on Eastern cultures very fascinating; what makes the lure of the sophisticated West so appealing? I want to understand how children from two cultures view their parents and work/school, and vice versa. How do ethnic values and practices shape one's work ethic? What happens to a recent immigrant who is absorbing values from their heritage as well as from their new society? Will they absorb values from both societies and develop a melting-pot outlook on life?

Those Darn Tech-Savvy Kids

Generation Y (the current twenty-somethings) is really irritating. Here they are, with all of this modern technology know-how, and they refuse to share it with their Baby Boomer coworkers. As this article exposes, those kids don't bother explaining to their elders how they fix computer problems...they just fix them. The Millennials need to pay back the Baby Boomers for all those years of higher education. Young adults need to take some of the hours a day they spend texting the person sitting next to them and methodically explain technology. After all, don't those young hotshots understand that they need to hold their elders' hands through their technological woes? They need to understand that older adults cannot figure things out independently. How dare younger people overestimate the intellectual and technological capacity of their seniors? Come on, Generation Y. Show some respect.

Newly Endangered Species: ChildsPlay

Obama, if kids could give you ratings, I believe your ratings just plummeted. MORE SCHOOL? The horror of it all! Life just got shorter. Childhood is doomed to die… I know it. What kind of man is this?!

But wait! Wait for me, my inner child. Who told you that childhood gets left behind when it comes to school? Did the friends you make tell you that? Was it in the notes you passed during conference hour? Was it The Gossip at the lunch table?

I bet childhood use to be the idea of playing out in the backyard with your friends and your neighbor’s dog, taking breaks for lemonade, having to be called in five times as dusk. But now, childhood seems a different thing. For me, my best childhood memories were with people I found at school. The lessons I learned came not only from the classroom, but also from the world that lived around the classroom.

Hey. Maybe my life is just me. But when childhood and education go hand-in-hand like they can do now, why not give the president man his due? Obama, me and my inner child support you.

Don't Lose Your Head a Quarter-Way through Life

Volcanically greasy, artificially gooey, lusciously bubbly. Rich, warm years of adolescence tucked into a breaded role of cheese, brimming with vitality. Say goodbye to those mozzarella sticks of youth because college graduation has passed, and it’s time to face… life!

From this point forward I intend to blog about articles that deal with the ups and downs; ins and outs; overs and unders of quarter-life crises. Not only have I been consciously ignoring the fact that I’ll be twenty in less than six months, but I’m also just slowly coming to terms with the concept of life after graduation. Sooner or later I’m going to hit the quarter-life mark, and I’m looking forward to exploring the ranges of emotions, experiences, and longings that instigate such “trauma.”

What are the major factors that cause the onset of a quarter-life crisis, and how have its effects and results changed from generation to generation? Are there any preventative measures that can be taken to mitigate the negative repercussions of facing the real world?

I’m also planning on researching how the symptoms of this crisis may vary across various portions of the American or even international population. If are any particular racial, socio-economic, or gender-related trends, I’d like to take them into consideration as I narrow my overwhelming number of questions related to this topic to a single research point.

The Secret Life of a Centenarian

The average life expectancy for people back in the early 1900’s was around the age of 40-45 years. Lets fast-forward a century. The life expectancy today is well above 75 years of age in America. Living, breathing, experiencing life for 75+ years is quite a feat to some; for others who live in Okinawa, Japan or Ovadda, Sardinia, 75 years is an extension of their midlife. For those who live in Okinawa or Ovadda, life expectancy is 100 + years. This rare group of people is known as the centenarians. For the weeks to come, I plan to update everyone on my findings about centenarians through news articles, photos, videos, and books.

This unique group of people intrigues me because they are able to live for a long time without any medical surgeries or alterations. Longevity is something we all desire, yet these people don’t have to because they live it. I wonder what specific factors contribute to their longevity: the environment or is it the people themselves who possess a unique genetic makeup? Why hasn’t the world adopted the practices and lifestyles of the centenarians in Sardinia and Japan? Do the off-springs of the centenarians also live to be 100 years of age? What benefits and challenges do these people face? What effects do or will the population of centenarians have on society? Stay tuned as we delve into the world of centenarians

The Social Role Theory: Why we do what we do!

Why do we criticize the 12-year-old that wears too much make-up? Or the old man that hangs out at singles bars? And why was it even an issue that basketball star Troy Bolton joined his High School's Musical? These questions may seem to have blatant answers, but do they really? In psychology, the Social Role Theory is one of many theories that concerns human development and accounts for why we act the way we do at different ages. This is a subject that I have been recently intrigued by. So in the next few weeks, I will blog about new things that I read concerning explanations of behavior at different ages for different genders, as proposed by the Social Role Theory. This topic is interesting because it concerns everyone: it (attempts to) explain why I am diligently completing my assignments now, why I will go for a run afterwards, why I am dressed in a particular way -- the list goes on. So in a narrower sense, I'd like to investigate stereotypes of females in Western culture and examine how prevalent social role expectancies are in today's generation. Through this I will ask several questions: How do stereotypes change and differ from young to old age? Where did these expectations originate? In what institutions or settings are they most present? These questions, I hope, will allow me to achieve a more thorough understanding of my topic of specific focus.

Human Development: Emphasis on the Environment's Influence

The book "Theories of Human Development" presents three major families of theories that attempt to account for the "how" and the "why" we are the way we are. The three categories are biological theories, environment-based theories, and theories that emphasize an interaction between biological environmental and self-directed forces. I gave special attention to the theories that emphazised the environmental forces that shape human growth; namely the Learning Theory and the Social Role Theory. In the Learning perspective, a phenomenon called "Social Learning" is explained. Here, Albert Bandura suggested that "much learning takes place[...]because of the person's tendency to ovserve and imitate other people's behavior." I can see how this is true, as we see many teenagers today dressing up and acting like their favorite celebrities, young athletes always trying to be the hero, and young children playing "doctor." The theory also suggested that modeling depends on the conditions in the environment and the type of model; and can take place at any age so long as the model is influential enough.

In Social Role Theory, we see that there is movement through age roles. In other words, as one ages, they are forced to change and take on different roles in society. These social roles are "meaningful, demanding, and compelling aspects of [...] identity." This theory accounts for the differences in behavior between parents, children, teachers, competitors, lovers, salesmen -- the list goes on. There is an emphasis on the environment as a determining factor in one's acquisition of new skills that allow them to adapt to the restrictions and opportunities of a new age role. When we achieve these new age roles, we have to give up our old ones. It is this theory that accounts for why we tell our tattle-tale classmate to "stop being such a baby" and why we criticize old people that get facelifts and hair transplants for not "growing old gracefully."

The Next "Greatest" Generation?

As a young adult in 2009, I may naturally relate more easily to ninety-five year-old men at the nursing home I volunteer in than my own parents. This understandably sounds outlandish at best--but it is also true. Over the next several weeks, I am going to explore a common theme in the study of generational politics: how the current "Millennial" generation (born between 1982 and 2003) actually resembles the GI (a.k.a. the "Greatest" or "World War II") generation more so than any other generation of the past eighty years.

It seems rather counterintuitive to consider today's young people on par with the generation that defeated Nazi Germany--the apparent differences are infinite. But many political scientists and sociologists view this as exactly the case. As it turns out, many crucial similarities exist between the two seemingly polar opposite generations--a sense of civic duty, trust of government, and the confrontation of massive domestic and global challenges. Personally, I am fascinated that we can use historical patterns to predict the future. If the current generation can be evaluated as a political force, the direction of the country and the world can be more fully understood. What will be the political impact of another truly "great" generation? Will the United States lean left, right, or towards the center? Will the future technological advancements of the highly educated Millennials come primarily from the public or private sector? Taking historical context into consideration, will a culturally renewed faith in government lead expansions of federal power mirroring those of the 1930s and 40s? Or will, given the current political structure, this generation manifest its greatness in a different political way? Essentially, if the Millennial Generation is the next "greatest" one, how will the nation reflect this greatness?

Adolescents and War

An excerpt from Brian K. Barber’s book entitled “Adolescents And War” vividly depicts the negative effects violence has on our youth and adolescents today, and how it can either facilitate, or more commonly impede, their transition from adolescence to adulthood. Barber illustrates how violence causes youth to “[have] a negative sense of the future” and “can thwart their ability to thrive in postconflict society” (p.178). He also notes instances where the youth, which covers the broad spectrum of individuals in their twenties to eight-year-olds, refer to themselves as children to avoid any possible correlation to adulthood. Barber basically addresses the problem of adolescents’ quaky transition into adulthood, and how the growing problem of violence in our society is partly to blame for this mishap. By drawing a direct correlation between the stress war and other violence-related events incur, Barber accounts for the youth who have been “significantly handicapped” as a result and ventures into what “the psychological and social mechanisms are that underlie this damage” (p.25). I like Barber’s approach to this issue because instead of solely blaming adolescents for their deplorable actions in a post-conflict society, he takes into consideration all the underlying factors that could’ve contributed to their downward slide into a deleterious lifestyle. In addition, he also ventures to explicate their inability to smoothly transition from adolescence to adulthood in terms that not only hold them accountable, but also blame the footprint society has left on them as well. This broad-spectrum way of thinking fully accounts for the transition problem from youth to adulthood many youths are facing today.

The Death of Conservatism?

Perhaps its time we start preparing for the burial of the big old elephant in the room. The elephant I'm referring to is the symbol of the GOP, a party that took a huge hit in the 2008 election and may continue to loosen its stronghold over American politics according to the author of this Op-Ed piece from the New York Times (May 13, 2008). Columnist Bob Herbert asserts that the rising millennial generation is poised to become the first generation to do less well economically than their parents, and that these so-called "millennials" are looking to government to help lessen the blow. According to a study composed by a progressive think tank, millennials have become disenchanted with the conservative viewpoint that government is the problem, and are instead looking for a more interventionist approach to tackle issues such as education, health care, jobs, and all-around economic growth.

What interested me most about this piece is how it corresponded with Jean M. Twenge's argument in her book, Generation Me, that the millennial generation has astronomically high expectations for themselves despite the harsh realities they face. It make sense that millennials, instilled with a strong sense of entitlement, are expecting the government to help them meet these expectations. While I support the fact that the millennials are starting to hold their government accountable for helping combat the myriad issues they face, I can't help but wonder if Gen Me is only setting itself up for disappointment by assuming that the government can provide a quick fix. The expectations on the current administration are so high that it seems Gen Me is only priming their elected leaders for failure.

The Evolution of the Quarter-Life Crisis

In August, the unemployment rate spiked to 9.7%--the highest it has been in 26 years. Horror stories abound of college graduates competing for paralegal jobs. A Michigan State University report eloquently summarizes, "In two short years, we have moved from a zenith of exuberant and aggressive college hiring, through a period of cautious optimism, to a place of quiet desperation."

In short, the time is ripe for quarter-life crises as college graduates find themselves without promising job offers, which leads to struggles with identity and future goals. In the coming weeks, I will be researching and blogging about the origin and evolution of the quarter-life crisis.

The idea of the quarter-life crisis began to interest me as it became more prevalent this past year. From popular movies like Post-Grad to my sister's endeavors at finding a job in New York after graduating from college, it seems like every twenty-something is struggling, particularly because of the current state of the economy. I think this is an issue of significance because while there are valid reasons behind the quarter-life crisis, it seems almost like an excuse for postponing adulthood. I'm wondering what effect the quarter-life crisis will have on generations to come as well and if there are ways to combat the quarter-life crisis. Will the family structure change because young adults will wait to settle down until their mid-thirties or forties? What is the effect of the quarter-life crisis on popular culture? Are there any solutions? These are some of the questions I will be exploring in the weeks to come.

The Peter Pan Syndrome

Envision a world where adulthood was an optional state of mind; where responsibility was a nagging notion of the past; where we could all dwell in the blissful realm of Neverlands we’ve mentally erected as refuge from the pressures of society. In actuality, a profuse amount of individuals have encapsulated themselves in this state of interminable adolescence—a medical condition known in pop culture as the Peter Pan Syndrome. Formally dubbed as Puer Aeternus, this condition is attributed to young adults and adults alike who haven’t fully matured--both mentally and emotionally--out of their adolescent state, and still possess a maternal attachment to their care givers. In what is hopefully the first of many posts to come, I will be discussing this Peter Pan Syndrome that is afflicting a substantial chunk of individuals in this day and age. Though society pressures and forces these individuals to be weaned off the nipples of life, the question that peaks my interest is what are the social, economic, and political factors that contribute to this condition? In other words, I want to know how are we, as a society, responsible for these individuals’ inability to cope with growing up, and, if possible, by pinpointing the source of this disorder, can we prevent future cases of this from occurring?

Generation We?

We are responsible. We are tolerant. We are well-educated. But are we? Eric Greenberg and Karl Weber, the authors of Generation We, think so. In their kid-friendly book (complete with charts, pictures, and easy-to-read font), they argue that it is the responsibility of people born between 1978-2000 to take up the call of duty and fix global problems. According to Greenberg, we are the best qualified because we are the people coming of age in a diverse and technologically savvy world. Greenberg's argument is flattering and especially refreshing after reading Twenge's "Generation Me." Some of Greenberg's points are exceptionally foretelling, especially when he comments that Generation We has effected national elections in profound ways. His book was published one month before Obama's victory in November. However, I think the one flaw in his reasoning is that he gives Generation Me too much credit. As some people pointed out in our last class, teenagers often do volunteer work because they're fulfilling a school requirement or hoping to round out their resume.

Is Steroid Addiction A Risk For Young Athletes?

Steroids can help an athlete feel indestructible, placing them upon a pedestal where they believe no one can take them down. Being an athlete, I believe guilty players make a mockery of what real athletes should be: honest, hardworking, responsible and intelligent. Young athletes are starting to use steroids out of fright and insecurity, as many coaches and parents are putting too much pressure on them. According to this article, steroid use could be life threatening. It can lead to depression causing athletes to become suicidal. In today's society, cheating has become almost acceptable when instead it should be firmly punished. Why can't Athletes realize that fame and fortune comes from hard work and discipline not an injection?

Our Personal Neverlands

The picture to the right is a mere snippet of the grandeur Michael Jackson's Neverland once possessed. Erected to mirror the realm Peter Pan and his buddies found refuge in from a world leading them on the dreadful path to adulthood, the late Michael Jackson in a way let himself succumb to the seductive allure of the miniature theme park and what it stood for. In reality, his erection of such a fantastical abode epitomized his inability to cope with growing up--both physically and mentally, spiritually and emotionally. I feel as if there is a little Michael Jackson in us all that wants to hold on to the grandeur those awkward, puss-filled pimple years of our adolescents, in retrospect, possess in our eyes as we stand on the border between teenage years and adulthood. In contemporary society, this unwillingness to take that leap into adulthood has been dubbed as nostalgia. The fact of the matter is that we need to plunge into adulthood in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, image, and relationship with society; stutter stepping into adulthood could prove to be detrimental to our development as a society on a whole in the years to come.