A Tangle of Discourses

ARGUMENT:

In the article “A Tangle of Discourses: Girls Negotiating Adolescence” by Rebecca C. Raby, Raby argues that discourses are implied unevenly between adolescence in different social locations making their effects unequal between individuals. The discourse on teenagers is significantly affected by gender, class, and race. A discourse is a set of meanings, images, stories and statements that produce a social understanding of things or people. Since discourses are understood by society, they claim to be the truth being reinforced into our perception of reality. Our consumer culture has been able to manipulate teenagers in a variety of ways, while framing adolescence as a stage that requires a degree of self-reflection. Popular concern about adolescence is of being dangerous, ungoverned, and in need of control. Discourses however cannot be a reflection based on society’s perception, for example with adults because every teenage experience is different. Focusing on the concept of teenage rebellion, some teenagers may experiment while others do not. such traits are applied to ALL teenagers, framing adolescence.

“Teenagers are discursively constructed as experimenting, challenging, and exploring in ways that may often challenge the status quo, yet they are also constructed as unable to disrupt, challenge, or be anything other than their future selves as their challenges are naturalized as inevitable, and therefore neutralized as potential social critique”

This quote reminded me of a point made in Lesley Bogad’s framing youth. She explains how dominant discursive frameworks help to shape what we think we know about youth today, and influence is reflected in policy, practice in schools, families, and youth spaces. Preconditions are imposed on teenagers living in a society where others understand them to be a certain way, producing a common sense in American culture. For example, a parent’s teenage years are different from their child’s, yet they impose the same ideas to their child based on their own experiences... often not listening to or understanding their child. In fact, the discourses about teenagers is a damaging way of understanding young people because it is not the “truth” of every adolescence experience.

Raby explained how adolescence is seen as a stage that requires a degree of self-reflection. Reflecting into my past, I believe there are some choices that I made that required some reflection, but that is the case in anyone's life not just [adolescents]. In my teenage years, there is things that I regret and things that I am proud of. I do agree with the act of rebellion, some teens experience and some do not. I do believe that most of your NEW experiences are done when your a teenager. Looking back, I realize that not too many people shared times of their teenage years with me (including my parents).. is it because we feel silly for things that we did or feel like those times aren't worthy compared to their status in life now as an adult?

Question:

Have your parents ever told you about their teenage years?