Stephen

Although I have not really ever thought about conducting a study about

this particualr subject, it was hard for me to pass up the chance to be

able to study the behavior of adolescent prejudice.

Being an former student of the a large school system, I have seen that the

adolescents in smaller communities seem to be a lot more differnt in the

way that they conduct themselves.

But, being that this is a small town with hardly any violence, or

"difference" in the community, that different behavior might be expected

from the youth here.

I have noticed that the youth seem to be very "predujice" or "biased" if you

will of people that are differnet from them.

For example, homosexuality is one of the major things I see that the youth

are very discriminate about.

Today, I saw a youth wearing a shirt that read "God made Adam and Eve...Not

Adam and Steve." And it had the 'stickfigures' of a man and a woman, and then

stick figures of two men.

Because I am indeed a christian homosexual, in seeing that, it offended me

greatly. But of course, there was nothing I could do or say.

The youth are entitled to their own oppinion.

I have also noticed that the youth seem to like using the words "fag" "queer" and "gay"

all in very derrogitory ways.

In example, one of the choirs started a new song today.

When they got done singing it, a youth said "That song was so gay..."

THey also call each other "gay" or "queer" if someone says something that

they consider "stupid" or "unintelligent".

The only cause for this behavior?

I would have to say that this kind of discrimination originates from the home.

It has been shown in studies, the 89 percent of the youths prejudices

starts from the techings of their parents.

Not to say that the parents are to blame for all of it...But a mojority of it is.

They are teaching their children that these things are wrong.

Which, in my oppinion, there is nothing wrong with loving somebody.

And of course, they don't see anything wrong with it either.

What they do see wrong, is loving a person of the same sex.

Why? That aloneis something that really nobody knows.

I say it is from the techings of the parents.

A young man was just recently 'kidnapped', tied up to a fence, and brutally

beaten and tortued... Why you ask?

Because of his sexual prefrence. The young man was gay.

So these other youths saw it fit that since he was gay, that it was

appropriate to hurt this boy.

Somebody found the boy in time to get him to the hospital...But not soon

enough.

The young man died hours later.

You see readers, it is stuff like this that really angers me.

Do you think that just because someone is different from you, that they

should be subject to death?

I mean think about it...

A hypothetical situation:

Parents:

You have been raised in a town that has been mostly 'white' all of your life.

One day, you notice that a 'black' family has moved in to the town.

What do you do?

Youths:

Lets say that you have been going to school with the same people all of

your life...THen one day, a friend of your comes out of the closet and

says that he/she is gay.

Would you just shrug it off, and treat them like you always have?

OR would you beat them up or be-friend them?

Just because they are attracted to the same sex?

Think about it people...

Conclusion:

I have found it true that indifference in society is just unacceptable.

Why? Simply because people don't want to live with things that they have

been brought up to believe wrong.

How do we fix this problem?

That is something that has to be totally up to you...the readers.

In short...

The population is just not ready to deal with something differnt outside of

themselves...

I ask that you please forward this messagee to everyone you know.
 
 

-Adam J. Shoffner

Freshman at Danville Community High School.