Teen Rebellion and Violence

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Teen Rebellion and Violence

Teenagers these days have become more violent than ever. It seems like everyday we hear about yet another high school shooting in which innocent people are being killed. In all this chaos I ask you this: What causes these adolescents to rebel?, Why did they resort to violence?, and why does it happen more now than it did when our parents were adolescents? If they are only teenagers and are already using guns to resolve their problems, can you imagine them as adults? Just the thought of it is frightening.

I'm sure we all remember the Columbine High school shooting that was so terrifying, the whole country was in shock. Not too long ago, there had been another shooting in Santana High school which shook us a bit but not as much as Colorado's Columbine incident. There have been many other incidents like these that haven't gained much recognition. But why do these teenagers rebel? The Denver Post interviewed an 18 year old Trench Coat Mafia member who says that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (shooters in Columbine), were outcasts. He explains that they were loners and weren't accepted by their peers. According to Cnn, Andy (Santana shooter) was bullied by bigger kids because he was skinny. With all the information attained, I would have to conclude that young people rebel because of peer pressure. Whether they were rejected, bullied, out casted or thought of as loners, they did not have to resort taking other people's lives.

I believe the shooters resorted to violence because it is all around them. According to the Denver Post, Eric Harris played violent games such as Doom and Duke Nukem in which you use guns to kill creatures. Above that, he had associations with the Trench Coat Mafia who were into a lot of violent crimes. Before Andy shot people in Santana High, he told over 20 people about it (including his parents), and they didn't pay much attention. (CNN) Maybe teenagers resort to violence because of the lack of parental concern: "Where young people find a lack of interest and understanding in the home, they may seek it elsewhere, without finding satisfaction. They may end up hostile and rebellious toward a

world they feel cut off from." says Dorothy Gordon (Who Has The Answer? 20) I have come to the conclusion that these teenagers resort to violence because they are exposed to it everyday.

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