Melodrama

Have you ever been a young, dumb, broke high school kid? Have you ever been eighteen, still living with your parents? If so, you can problem relate to Khalid’s extraordinary debut album, American Teen. Released in 2017 this R&B album is one that encapsulates the joyous, carefree, happy-go-lucky freedom of an American teenager making bad decisions with friends and experiencing young love.

The first song, which shares its title with the album, sets the tone as one that is exuberant and turbulent. This song is about the bliss in being young, partying, and graduating high school. He begins by singing, “Living the good life full of good vibes…Saying I don’t wanna come home tonight / And I’m high up, off what? / I don’t even remember / But my friend passed out in the Uber ride.” These lyrics may seem mundane, but they capture the magical feeling of being a teenager, being irresponsible with friends. It’s almost its own sort of high—not drug-induced, but coming from the intense emotions of being young and feeling wild and invincible, while simultaneously knowing that you’re not at all. Khalid continues this sentiment in the chorus: “So wake me up in the spring / While I’m high off my American dream / We don’t always say what we mean / It’s the lie of the American teen.” These lines solidify both the song and the album. Khalid is admitting that these emotions are temporary, as is youth, by telling the audience to “wake him up” from being “high off his American dream.” It’s like the scenes in the coming-of-age movies that are perfectly melodramatic, with the over-sensationalized young love—it’s ordinary, yet in the moment, feels incredibly magical. The song ends being sung by Khalid and his friends, admitting “I’ll be living this dream with you / We don’t always say what we mean / When we’re high off our American teen / My youth is the foundation of me / I’m proud to be American.” About this, Khalid said, “We’re still young, and our opinions are constantly changing. We haven’t even found ourselves as individuals yet, we’re in the process of finding ourselves,” which is why these feelings are compared to being a “high,” and why they don’t “always say what they mean”—is this young love real love? Are these friends life-long? Is the partying life the one for me?The other songs on this album explore the nuances of the experience as an American teen. “Young Dumb & Broke” has a more nonchalant vibe, with lines such as “We have so much in common / We argue all the time / You always say I’m wrong / I’m pretty sure I’m right / What’s fun about commitment? / When we have our lives to live / We’re just young, dumb, and broke,” and in “8TEEN,” “Damn, my car still smells like marijuana / My mom is gonna kill me…Because I’m eighteen / And I still live with my parents / Yeah, they’re not like yours / Well, yours are more understanding.” These songs emanate immaturity and disarray, but in a way that is still lighthearted and optimistic. On the other hand, there are songs like “Hopeless,” “Cold Blooded,” and “Winter,” which explore the gloomy, even heartbreaking letdowns that occur during young love, as you’re figuring out what and who is right for you.

Can teenagers make an impact? I’m going to skip the niceties and say yes, because this is my blog and I can do what I want. I think that it’s fairly obvious that teenagers can influence their communities, politics, and societies—and that they should try to do so. Learning how you can make your voice heard at a young age is, from my perspective, one of the best ways to guarantee that you won’t grow up believing that you simply have to accept whatever comes your way. This could be in terms of work, politics, relationships, diets, or basically anything—I’ll be focusing on general activism, and introducing some teenage activists that prove a person can create the change they want to see, no matter their age. 

1. Greta Thunberg: Climate Change Awareness Activist Greta, who’s currently eighteen years old, is a Swedish environmental activist who founded the School Strike for Climate. She has gained international recognition for her dedication to climate change awareness, and has even spoken at the United Nations Climate Summit

2. Sophie Ming: Black Lives Matter Activist Sophie, who is eighteen, is the founder of the New York City Youth Collective, which focuses on education about issues pertaining to the Black Lives Matter movement. She has also organized large protests in Manhattan.
3. Malala Yousafzai: Women’s Education Activist Malala is a Pakistani activist who, after surviving an assassination attempt on her way to school at the age of fifteen, has become globally recognized for her work to ensure that all girls and women can have an education. At age seventeen, Malala became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.
4. Sameer Jha: LGBT+ Activist At the age of fourteen, Sameer founded The Empathy Alliance, which works to make schools safer for LGBT+ youth. He is also a youth ambassador for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Sameer has even published a book that suggests how to create welcoming classrooms for LGBT+ students
5. Parkland shooting survivors: Gun Control Advocacy After the horrifying shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, which claimed seventeen lives, the surviving students stepped up to demand change. Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, Ryan Deitsch, Carly Novell, and Sari Kaufman have sparked the March for Our Lives movement, encouraging local and national legislation to protect students from mass shootings.
6. Karolina Farska: Anti-Corruption in Slovakia’s Politics At the age of nineteen, Karolina is one of the most prominent activists in Europe, who has organized marches and protests that call for the protection of democracy, one of which spurred the prime minister to resign.
7. Millicent Simmonds: Disability Representation Advocate Millicent, who is seventeen years old, has been fighting for disability representation. She played the role of a deaf child in A Quiet Place, has spoken on numerous panels, and even helped design a clear mask that allows those who rely on lip reading to communicate with others during the pandemic.

This is just a sliver of potential—there are so many more teenagers out there who have and who are creating real, tangible change, whether that be on small scales such as in their schools to events that will go down in history. After all, Joan of Arc was only seventeen when she turned the tide of the Hundred Years’ War. Hopefully this serves as a reminder that you can create the change you want to see in the world.

Decades ago, a smoking epidemic plagued America. Luckily, an anti-smoking movement that focused on educating the public about the addictive power of nicotine and the alarming health effects of cigarettes eventually dropped the number of regular smokers to something still dangerous, but better. 

The number of teenagers that smoke in the United States has also been declining throughout the years—but it is unfortunately being replaced by a new epidemic: vaping. Vaping, the colloquial term for using e-cigarettes, is a common practice amongst those attempting to quit smoking, because e-cigarettes are supposedly better for one’s health than traditional cigarettes, and can help provide an easier transition into a life free of tobacco. However, there has been a concerning rise in vaping amongst young people that had never smoked traditional cigarettes. 

Although vaping may not technically be as harmful as smoking traditional cigarettes, the bottom line is that it’s unhealthy. In fact, vaping is even more risky for teenagers than it is for adults, for reasons including an increased chance of brain damage and of becoming addicted. In the past, there was little information on the dangers of smoking available to the public, and while a lack of education on the topic is definitely still a contributing factor to teenagers smoking, it does not entirely account for the number of teenagers who vape. According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory, in 2018, one in five high school students vaped. So why exactly do teenagers vape?

Well, as mentioned, lack of education on the health risks of vaping is certainly a factor. Many teenagers aren’t even aware that nicotine, which is highly addictive, is in e-cigarettes. For example, the majority (above 60%) of young people who had used JUUL e-cigarettes weren’t aware that all of their products contain nicotine. Another similar reason is the flavoring in e-cigarettes, which critics say make them more appealing to children. 

But it’s more than just this. I personally have known numerous peers who are at least partially, if not completely, aware of the risks of vaping, but still choose to do so. One reason for this is that teenagers are far more susceptible to peer pressure and addiction. Vaping is seen as normal and “cool” by young people (very similar to how traditional cigarettes were portrayed, and to how binge drinking and using drugs is glorified amongst teenagers), and this is reason enough for many to ignore what they know could be bad for their health. Additionally, teenagers are naturally more impulsive and less likely to think about long-term problems when there is an immediate benefit. E-cigarette advertising targets teenagers for this reason specifically.

Because nicotine is so addictive, it can be extremely difficult to stop vaping, especially for a teenager, which only furthers the issue, leading to more regular vapers and the normalization of vaping amongst teenagers. One example of this is the popularity of high schoolers vaping in school bathrooms—speaking from personal experience, and what I know my peers have also said, this is a common occurrence. 

But does this really matter? As a teenager myself, I’ve definitely fallen susceptible to the “I’m here for a good time, not a long time,” mentality, but I find it interesting that America’s nicotine epidemic has been repackaged and rekindled. I’m not one to preach or judge, but I would encourage my peers to at least be aware of the risks before vaping, and to refrain from vaping (or doing anything, really) to appear “cooler.” I get it, but also, anyone who would actually judge you for choosing to not do something (whether that be vaping, smoking, drinking, having sex, breaking the law, etc.) isn’t a true friend, and likely won’t be in your life long enough to help you through the lung damage you’ve potentially caused yourself. So, in conclusion, have fun, just don’t be an idiot!

Previously, I’ve discussed the relatability of Lorde’s music to the modern teen—which she largely achieved by simply conveying her own experiences as a modern teen—as well as HBO’s Euphoria, which depicts many of the harsh realities of what today’s teenagers face. Now, I want to mention a favorite movie of mine that has managed to remain prevalent to teenagers since it was released in 1985: The Breakfast Club. Warning, this will contain spoilers!

The Breakfast Club is an American coming-of-age comedy-drama that was written, directed, and produced by John Hughes. The overarching plot involves five high schoolers, all portrayed as clashing teenage stereotypes, spending their Saturday morning in detention. At first thought, this most likely sounds awfully mundane and shallow, but that’s precisely the point. 

The main characters are: John, “The Criminal”; Claire, “The Princess”; Andrew, “The Athlete”; Brian, “The Brain”; and Allison, “The Basket Case.” These characters are introduced as one-dimensional cliches. John is the troublemaker. Claire is the pretty popular girl. Andrew is the popular dumb jock. Brian is the nerd. Allison is the weird girl. They all come from different cliques—they’re the students that would never hang out with one another.

The school’s assistant principal instructs the students  to sit in the school library without moving, talking, or sleeping until 4:00 p.m., and to write a thousand-word essay describing “who you think you are” in this time. Instead, they end up arguing, smoking marijuana, and opening up about their lives. Through this, they discover that they all have a lot more in common than they previously assumed. One similarity they all share, for example, is having unhealthy relationships with their parents, albeit in different ways. They discover that their first impressions of each other were wrong, or flawed, gaining empathy as they learn of each person’s struggles, such as John’s abusive father, or Brian contemplating suicide due to a bad grade. 

At the end of the movie, the students have gained a new perspective of each other and their peers in general, realizing that, despite outward appearances, they share many issues that are typical amongst American teenagers. Beyond the characteristics they share as students that attend the same high school, they also all endure the toxic expectations held by authority figures in their lives, such as their parents and teachers. Realizing that the boxes they are forced to fit into aren’t realistic or healthy portrayals of who they are, they begin to step outside of their comfort zones—such as when Claire, an “innocent girl,” kisses John. 

Brian writes a singular essay to leave for the assistant principal, in which he proclaims: “Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you’re crazy to make an essay telling you who you think we are. You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.”

What I love about this movie—beyond its comedy, comfort, and overall entertainment—is how its themes pertained to teenagers in the 80’s, and still pertain to teenagers today. Despite some major differences that have changed many aspects of the average teenager’s life, The Breakfast Club still provides an insightful and relevant look into how teenagers navigate identity, authority, stereotypes, peer relationships, and the expectations they face. In my (correct) opinion, The Breakfast Club is both a classic and a staple for American teens.

Let me begin this post by saying: I am extremely grateful and privileged to have the education I do. There are billions of people who don’t get the same opportunities as I have had, or at least not as easily, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that. I love learning, and I truly believe that higher education should be much more accessible.

That being said, let me talk about part of the reason why it’s not so accessible. I don’t want to sound like just another teenager complaining about homework…but I suppose I am. The main issue with homework is that it very rarely serves its purpose. Teachers often assign homework in order to help students reinforce what they learned in class, and this is absolutely a good reason. For subjects like math and physics, for example, practice makes perfect; for history or language, working on memorization for a few minutes a day can greatly improve a student’s understanding. 

However, this isn’t what homework accomplishes. Instead, it becomes a burden. High school students come home after six hours of learning, and then have to sit through several more hours of homework. And often, they also have extracurriculars such as sports or clubs, and many have to work or have household obligations such as caring for a younger sibling. And let’s not forget that an ideal day would also constitute spending at least an hour or two with family or friends, and relaxation and sleep. 

What I often find is that homework is busywork—meaning it’s an unnecessary amount of problems that I attempt to complete as quickly as possible, and it teaches me absolutely nothing. I’ve experienced this in basically every subject there is. For example, let’s imagine you’re assigned a worksheet for your biology class that’s based on the textbook. Usually, assignments like that require that you read at least five textbook pages, which can take a while—especially if the content is new, you don’t understand it, or just considering that textbooks are extremely dense and require a lot of focus and energy to dissect. On top of the reading, you then have to go through a worksheet, which let’s say is eight questions that require written answers. To truly understand and learn this material (which is the purpose of homework), you would probably spend at least fifteen minutes reading, then spend about five minutes per question to attempt to recall the information yourself and then double check using the textbook, and then answer the question. Added together, this would be about an hour of work, and that’s for a single assignment from a single class—and it’s likely that this is considered an easy assignment that counts for very few points. But considering that you likely have at least four other classes with similar assignments, as well as other obligations, it makes more sense that you would skim the passage as quickly as possible to look for keywords to quickly jolt down half-coherent answers that the teacher probably won’t even read. This will only take about fifteen minutes. Will you learn anything? Probably not. And this is the dilemma with homework, which is very often busywork. And if it’s not busywork, and genuinely helps you learn, it’ll likely take you at least two hours to complete. But it’ll only really be helpful if you understood the material in class, or you’ll spend an extra hour or three attempting to learn it yourself, before putting the bare-minimum effort into it and walking away frustrated and confused.

For the past three years (since eleventh grade), I’ve had at the very least an hour of homework a day, but oftentimes would spend more like six hours doing homework. I’ve sacrificed sleep, family time, activities, and meals to do my homework, and that’s not healthy at all, but it’s extremely common amongst teenagers. Although it’s recommended that teenagers get about nine to ten hours of sleep a night, your average teen receives about seven, which can have detrimental impacts on their cognitive development and ability, mood, and performance. Ask any teenager why they’re stressed, and it’s more than likely that school will be one of the first things they mention. 

So what’s the solution? Well, for one, the National Education Association recommends that students receive 10 minutes of homework a day per their grade level, meaning that a first grader would have 10 minutes of homework a day, and a twelfth grader would have two hours. Furthermore, teachers often underestimate the amount of time an assignment will take, and the effort that students will put into it—if it’s going to take more than fifteen to thirty minutes (and it’s due in a day, or it’ll take more than this amount of time per day before the deadline), teachers should seriously reconsider if it’ll actually help the students at all. Because likely, it’ll only contribute to extra stress, a lack of sleep, or a lower grade. 

In college, one of the biggest things I’ve struggled with is the work I’m required to do outside of class. Of course, I understand that in college, I’m obligated to learn more by myself—my professors won’t hold my hand. And I’m okay (well, sort of) with having to study for a few hours a day. But the issue is, I also have several assignments a day. And, likely thanks to the pandemic and also just the difficulty of college in general, I rarely retain much information from class, so I have to spend hours teaching myself the material, along with the several assignments I have due each night. Since college students should have or develop the skill to complete any extra necessary practice themselves (meaning, required homework assignments shouldn’t be necessary for these students to spend time learning outside of class), it doesn’t make sense to me that I’m assigned so many things. What happens is that I spend all of my time finishing assignments that help me very little, and then I don’t have nearly as much time to study productively.

Making this full circle: why does homework make education less accessible? Well, I just listed many reasons why homework can be damaging. For an affluent student who “only” has to worry about extracurricular activities, sleep, spending time with family and friends, exercise, eating, and maybe some chores, excessive homework can cause stress, sleep deprivation, and more. For a less privileged student—for example, students with mental or physical disabilities, students who have to work, students who don’t have the money to afford things like SAT prep, and students who have to take care of someone—this amount of homework can make school nearly impossible.

With an increase in the amount of homework teenagers have been receiving, and the amount of competition (to get good grades, and to go to good colleges), it’s no surprise that homework and it’s necessity is a hot topic. I hope that at some point soon, our education system changes and becomes more accessible, so that every child has the opportunity to learn and actually enjoys it. 

Amidst anxiously awaiting the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, which has the highest voter turnout in American history, I’ve been thinking a lot about my peers’ participation in this election. It’s no secret that young people (around ages 18-29) have a significantly lower voter turnout than every other age group. Considering that the youth tend to be more progressive, and to vote for more liberal candidates, it begs the question of what our elections would look like if more young people voted. I know that personally, I was relieved to be able to vote in this election. I began high school, and my involvement in politics, watching my country elect a man who I disagree with on a moral level. It was painful. I hope that, beginning college, I will see him lose his place in office.

I’m one of millions of teenagers that are invested in politics. For my generation specifically, it seems like the stakes are higher than ever before. Many current issues in government and politics, such as social security and climate change, won’t affect the current leaders, but rather my generation. 2020 alone has brought a global pandemic, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, and a historically tense election, and I believe that this year (and the ones surrounding it) will hold many defining moments for today’s teenagers growing up in this time. 

Although our voter turnout is abysmally low, many teenagers have shown dedication to our future by sparking and leading some of today’s largest movements. Young activists such as Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafazi, and Emma Gonzalez have fought for climate change awareness, women’s education, and gun control respectively. Our passion is clear through our posts and petitions shared on social media, and our faces at the forefront of massive protests. 

For some, this level of activism from people who have lived for less than two decades may seem naive or silly. To me, it’s inspiring—and it makes perfect sense. I believe that we should have more leaders who still have hope for the future, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), who is popular amongst the youth but often criticized for being overly idealistic or even immature, despite her extensive qualifications and achievements. We should have more leaders whose futures will actually be impacted by the decisions they make, because currently, many of the people in charge have proven to only care about themselves—such as Donald Trump choosing to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord, which will have incredible repercussions in the future.

But really, becoming involved in politics as a teenager demonstrates at least some level of maturity, intelligence, responsibility, and awareness. It means that you realize that our lives are political, whether we like it or not (which many adults have yet to learn)—the roads we drive on, food we eat, people we can marry, wages we earn, water we drink, and rights we have are all political. It means that you are responsible enough to take a fraction of time out of your life to learn about current events and issues and form opinions on what should be done to better this country in order to participate in democracy. It means you are independent and intelligent enough to have your own views based on the facts you have consumed, rather than blindly trust what your friends or family tell you to believe. And for many of us, it means constantly pushing for a better future, and refusing to settle and say that our current society is “good enough.” So if you didn’t vote, shame on you. Do better. Do the bare minimum, considering you have the power and privilege to help other human beings through an act as simple as taking a few hours to educate yourself and then filling in a ballot. And for everyone else, continue using your voice. In my opinion, there is nothing more patriotic than criticizing your country and using your freedoms to demand, protest, and vote for a better nation. Don’t let some seventy-year-old tell you that us young people shouldn’t be fighting for our future.