Are Today's Teenagers as Bad as We Think?

In nationwide surveys for Frame Works, a Washington research firm, only about one in six adults said youths today share their ethical values, such as honesty and hard work. However, when youths are polled, large majorities rate those same traits highly. Adults in one survey were asked what words most applied to today's young people, compared with young people 20 years ago. They chose "selfish" and "materialistic" for today's youth, "patriotic" and "idealistic" for youth in the past. "People are absolutely convinced that teens are dangerous and in danger, silly and self-absorbed, lazy and corrupted by consumerism," said Susan Nall Bales, a communications analyst who runs the Frame Works Institute. "We need to tell ourselves a new story about youth," Bales concluded. James Youniss agreed. The developmental psychologist has examined national behavior data on teenagers from the 1950s on and said: "I was surprised. The present generation of youth is remarkably healthy."

In a well„organized essay, answer the following question:

Do you think that today's teenagers are more selfish and materialistic, and less idealistic, than teenagers of the past? Support your views with specific examples.

Laura Sessions Stepp. "Are We Giving Teens a Bad Rap?" Washington Post. February 5,2002 (http:// www.latimes.com /features/klifestyle/la-000008922feb05.story)