Younger members getting blamed for things

[Vela]

Alyssa, try not to be hurt or take the comments personally. I personally think "immature" is a better word to use than "young people" because people of ANY age can be immature . The reason people say such things about young people, and school starting again, etc., is not because they believe all young people behave immaturely. But the fact is a lot of younger people, especially those with parents who don't set any rules and boundaries, become bored and look for mischief. So unfortunately this generalization ends up with the thought of "oh it must be some kid" when a troll shows up causing trouble.

Try to think of it this way maybe. You know how there are responsible dog owners, and then the owners who are terrible, irresponsible, and thus their dogs are holy terrors. The same goes with kids and parents . There's nothing I like being around more than a happy dog of a responsible owner. The dogs are obviously more secure and happy, better behaved, you want to be around them! Same often goes with younger people. When they are responsible, mature younger people they are happier, more pleasant, and I'd choose their company over many adults I know!

When someone goes to a nice peaceful park and suddenly a couple dogs are tearing around, leaping on them, biting or acting aggressive, pooping all over, the person will likely get upset and leave, may even complain to the city that dogs shouldn't be allowed there. A good analogy can be made with kids with irresponsible parents. Go to a late movie and a parent is there with kids screaming and running around uncontrolled, and a person is likely to wish kids weren't allowed at the late movie at all. Unfortunately often a whole group gets "blamed" in a sense because of a few.

Kids are most often the culprits of being trolls, because the kids who do this probably have little structure in their life, may be horribly insecure or mistreated themselves, or purely lacking in attention. Adults can be trolls too, yes, but more often they are looking after families, homes, working jobs, and are less likely to be bored and seek that kind of entertainment.

So try not to take such comments personally. Know that you are one of the intelligent, mature, lovely young people that most of us, myself included, would prefer to spend time with than many people our own age! Stereotypes are frustrating and hard to deal with, but you can't let them get you down. Keep proving that stereotype is wrong, that there are wonderful, pleasant, responsible younger people out there like you. Many of the younger members of Pet Talk are some of the most pleasant younger people I have "known." You should be very proud!

Sorry for the long-winded post . But I hope it helps you to feel better. I hate seeing you down! {{hugs}}

You saved me a lot of typing, thanks! LOL I agree with what K9Soul said. There are jerks of all ages, there are wonderful people of all ages, I don't have a problem with anyone's age on this board, only behaviors at times, of which all, adult and teens, are sometimes out of control with. Many of the teens on this board are very nice people and I respect and value their opinions. Maybe it's all in how it's presented, but there are several on here I'd rather speak to than some adults I know!

[finn's mom]

I think the problems on pet talk are well mixed. I don't think it's the younger or older crowd who is always to blame.

I love that quote, Karen.

[Alysser]

Thank you guys for posting..they made me feel better about what's going on around here. I truley can't stand seeing anyone gettign blamed for something they didn't do, I guess my main purpose was to really stop everyone from blaming everyone else..

hope that made sense..

[Daisy and Delilah]

First of all, Jess, you've said everything I would have said and done such a beautiful job of explaining it(as always).

Alyssa, You're one of my favorite people here. I have always loved your posts, both written and pictorial. I always remember the captions you've used on Sassy's pictures. From the beginning, I would laugh so hard and think of how incredibly clever you were/are.
I am so sorry that anyone has upset you in any way. I think you're a great person, and a lovely and gracious lady. Like Jess said, be proud of yourself and don't let anybody here bother you!!

p.s. I'm really going to miss you while you're gone so I hope we can count on you to keep us posted on how you're getting along. Take care.

[GreyhoundGirl]

I agree Alyssa. I think it must sort of be partly stereotype. Maybe they think we are all like... gothic-emo-cutters or something. It is pretty annoying, but don't let it get you down!

(((HUGS)))

[Giselle]

Speaking as a "young member", you should also utilize everything you see on this board as a growing experience. I think Jess said it beautifully when she suggested to keep proving the stereotype wrong. My life is dedicated to battling stereotypes and age is just another check on the list. Maturity does not come with age, unfortunately. Age is not the bringer of wisdom. Age is simply a number. However, with age comes more responsibility and more realization. Just as you have grown with this board, you've realized how others are sometimes blaming younger members for trolling, and that's a wonderful thing, Alyssa. It's wonderful to be able to open our eyes and to see the world from multiple view points. But, as you've noticed, some view points can be critically wrong and the best we can do is to correct those wrongs against us, be it passively or aggressively. When it comes to public forums like these, the best way to combat these unfortunate stereotypes is to keep posting with maturity, composure, and dignity.

I once spoke with a man who studied human behavior, and he told me that companies attract more customers when their employees are *sincerely* honest and willing to help. This shows us that people are attracted to dignity and respect. When you have respect for someone, you open your mind to them and you listen to their advice with earnest intrigue. So what does this prove to us? This tells us that the best we can do is to keep posting. Keep maintaing your dignity in all your posts. Keep your composure. Keep maintaining your maturity, and, soon, the stereotypes will fall away. Don't let a couple troll-ish posts ruin your experience. Look beyond that and find a higher goal in helping others with sincere dignity and respect. Like anything else, it will always repay you in the end

[Flatcoatluver]

Alyssa I felt the same way until last night, I couldn’t sleep and started thinking. I think a couple members in here (including you) are a great role model of how teens and adults should act on PT. It’s not just us “children”, but of coarse this discussion on this thread has already been brought up.I also think I have grown and matured with PT. I was looking at my post last year and I am so embarrassed. I really can’t believe I typed and spelled like that. I know I am not perfect right now. But Geesh!

At work, I am always treated by my clients like I know nothing until I open my mouth. I get a lot of response of how mature they think I am. Also “children” can accomplish almost anything adults can do, and I just proved it to myself when I was asked to teach basic agility class.

I really thought I wasn’t really supposed to be here on PT. That people don’t accept me, and that I am one of those teens who annoy other members. But a couple days ago, some members that I thought didn’t like me started to become friendly and caring to me.

I also have a natural voice that sounds kind of babyish, and I used to try and talk in a lower voice to change my voice, so people don’t think of me as immature, I will answer the phone at work, and people will ask me if my mommy’s there. But once I educate them on dogs, they then ask me how old I am and there always is a shock when I say I’m 16.

Everyone posted great responses and I enjoy reading them. I really think it’s great to post these kind of things, it strengthens are community on pt. I could go on and on about this topic. To bad I can’t type a lot about my English essay I am trying to do right now.