Featured CPYU Resource:

“YouthCulture @ Today” is the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding’s quarterly 24-page newsletter that is full of up-to-date information and in-depth analysis on today’s youth culture. “YouthCulture @ Today” is available for a donation of $15 a year. Sign up by either calling CPYU on the phone (717-361-8429), or by using the downloadable order form found on our website at http://www.cpyu.org/ycorder.htm and faxing it to CPYU at 717-361-8964. Order now and we’ll send you a copy of our recently released Spring 2003 edition featuring:

ü       Hot Light feature article on Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake (“Christina and Justin: Innocence lost or truth be told?”)

ü       Walt Mueller’s reflections on the joys and struggles of parenting (“Hey, This Isn’t Easy!”)

ü       MTV’s “Clone High USA”, t.A.T.u.’s “All the Things She Said”, and Austin Powers—Goldmember filtered through CPYU’s “3-D Guide: How to Use Your Head to Guard Your Heart”.

ü       Teen Sex (“Home . . . Alone?”) and Marijuana Use (Teen High Times: “420”)

ü       “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” (“Vice is not a game”)

ü       Resource Reviews, “Hang 10” Web sites, and more!

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The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding’s

Youth Culture E-Update

Edition #34: March 30, 2003

EASY way to SUBSCRIBE for FREE!

Go to http://www.cpyu.org/bboard.htm

Type in your e-mail address and hit “Submit”

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Contact eupdate@cpyu.org if you have any questions or experience any problems. 

Contents:

I.  Youth Culture Stats and Trends:

1) Seven Deadly Scoops

2) Teen Television

3) Youth Sports and Parental Violence

4) U.S. Households: Married or Not

5) Teen Homosexual Perceptions

6) Peer-to-Peer Porn

7) Teen Spending in 2002

8) Free to Fee Music

9) Hidden Eating Disorders

10) Inhalant Abuse

11) Teen Suicide

12) Prayer Candy Canes

II.  CPYU Resources

III.  Pop Culture Quotes: Benji from Good Charlotte, Billy Corgan, Art Alexakis, and others

IV.  Lyrical Expressions: Everclear and Juliana Theory

V.  Current Culture Image

VI.  Culture Links:

VII.  Walt Mueller’s “CQ” (Commentary/Quote)

VIII.  E-update & CPYU information

 

Youth Culture Stats and Trends:

1) Seven Deadly Scoops

German church leaders are berating the “harmless fun” marketing of ice cream named after the seven deadly sins (envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth and wrath).

                http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2868067.stm

 

2) Teen Television

According to Nielsen Media, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the top teen television shows for the 2002-2003 season through March 2, 2003 are:

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/entertainment/5400853.htm  (lists the top 25 shows)

See also: MTV & Nickelodeon infiltrate China

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=televisionNews&storyID=2456499

See also: “Oscar” Winners

                http://www.oscar.com/oscarnight/winners.html

 

3) Youth Sports and Parental Violence

SportingKids magazine, as reported by PRNewswire, conducted a survey of 3,300+ parents, coaches, youth sports administrators and youth. Some key findings:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-19-2003/0001910938&EDATE=

http://www.sportingkid.com/?cat=88

                http://www.sportingkid.com/survey/survey.php  (take the survey for yourself)

                See also: “Curse of the Foul Mouth” by Gene Veith

                http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110002958

 

4) U.S. Households: Married or Not

Analysis of the 2000 census, released March 13, 2003, reveals that married couples comprise 52% of the 105,480,101 U.S. households (54,493,232), while unmarried couples account for 5.19% (5,475,768), and same sex households account for 0.56% (594,391).

                http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/censr-5.pdf  (see page 2 of 16 page pdf file)

See also: “More couples live together, roiling debate on family”

                http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0313/p01s02-ussc.html

See also: “Marriage does not change outlook on life”

                http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=2388037

                See also: “Married by America” preempted by North Carolina FOX station

                http://www.fox50.com/marriedpressrelease.html 

 

5) Teen Homosexual Perceptions

A Gallup Youth Survey of 1,200 13-17 year old online teens, conducted between January 23 and February 10, 2003, reveals current perceptions regarding homosexuality. Of the teens who attended church in the past week, 71% said homosexuality is caused by upbringing and environment, while 27% said homosexuality is something a person is born with. Of the teens who did NOT attend church in the past week, 54% said homosexuality is caused by upbringing and environment, while 43% said homosexuality is something a person is born with.

                http://www.gallup.com/poll/tb/educayouth/20030318.asp  (fee to access)

                See also: “Lesbians, bisexuals may drop ‘label’, not feelings”

                http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=2370107

                See also: “Ex-Spice Girl Geri admits lesbian fling”

                http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2372064

 

6) Peer-to-Peer Porn

According to Palisades Systems, accessing pornography is the number one use of “peer-to-peer” file sharing applications, in a study of 22 million searches on the gnutella network.

http://palisadesys.com/news&events/press_releases/p2pstudyrelease.shtml 

http://palisadesys.com/news&events/p2pstudy.pdf  (6 page pdf file)

                See also: General Accounting Office report on Peer-to-Peer porn

                http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/fetchrpt?rptno=GAO-03-537T  (22 page pdf file report)

                See also: “Pornography goes from XXX to zzz: ‘Pop Porn’ now has become part of everyday lives”

                http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/876566.asp?cp1=1

 

7) Teen Spending in 2002

Teenage Research Unlimited reports that teen spending in 2002 dropped to $170 billion in 2002 from $171 billion in 2001 ($155 billion in 2000).

                http://www.teenresearch.com/PRview.cfm?edit_id=152

                http://www.cpyu.org/eupdates/eup8-02.htm  (see item #1 for 2001 spending figure)

 

8) Free to Fee Music

Reuters reports on another entry into the fee-based Internet music service market.

                http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=2454466

                See also: Anti-piracy pamphlets dropped on college campuses

                http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=2458049

 

9) Hidden Eating Disorders

A leading eating disorder treatment facility, as reported by PRNewswire, hoping to remove the veil of secrecy and improve the detection of eating disorders, released a list of possible signs of an eating disorder.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-19-2003/0001910794&EDATE=

See also: http://nationaleatingdisorders.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=337

See also: Hormone level linked to anorexia nervosa

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=2446024

See also: Exercise reveals heart problems in anorexic teens

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=2426882

 

10) Inhalant Abuse

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 77,000 of the estimated 141,000 people who abuse or are dependent on inhalants (“huffing”) are youth between the ages of 12-17 years old.

                http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/030313nr_inhalants.htm 

                See also: 2002 Monitoring the Future stats on inhalant use

                http://monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/overview2002.pdf  (see pages 14-15 of 61 page pdf file)

 

11) Teen Suicide

A Gallup Youth Survey of 1,200 13-17 year old online teens, conducted between January 23 and February 10, 2003, reveals current thoughts regarding suicide. Some key findings:

                http://www.gallup.com/poll/tb/healthcare/20030318.asp  (fee to access)

 

12) Prayer Candy Canes

According to a federal court, Massachusetts students’ first amendment rights were violated when they were suspended for distributing candy canes at school that had a prayer attached.

                http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/March/03_crt_160.htm 

 

CPYU Resources:

NEW MUSIC RESOURCE!!! If you want to know and influence kids in today's culture, you've got to know and respond to their music. In the “More Than Noise” video, CPYU's Walt Mueller takes viewers on an informative and practical journey through the confusing maze of today's popular music. The video is broken up into 5 parts for classroom use, and includes a helpful study-guide. Copies are available for a suggested donation of $15. Order your copy with a credit card by calling CPYU at 717-361-8429.

 

“How to use your HEAD to guard your HEART: a 3-D Guide to making responsible music choices” is a colorful 12 page resource by CPYU’s Walt Mueller. Prices, including shipping and handling, are $3 each for 1-5 copies and $2 each for 6+ copies. To order, contact CPYU at 717-361-8429 (voice), 717-361-8964 (fax), or e-mail cpyuinfo@cpyu.org

 

 

Newsletter:  “YouthCulture @ Today” is the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding’s quarterly 24-page newsletter that is full of up-to-date information and in-depth analysis on today’s youth culture (see promotional piece at beginning of e-Update for ordering instructions).

 

Website: Check out the CPYU website (www.cpyu.org), which is loaded with all kinds of current information and analysis on today’s youth culture. You’ll find a searchable database of back issues of “youthculture @ today” an extensive bibliography, culture facts, a youth culture bulletin board, links to dozens of valuable youth culture oriented websites, a listing of CPYU resources, and much more. The site is constantly changing so be sure to visit often. A searchable “e-Update” archive is available at http://www.cpyu.org/cultquest.htm

 

On-Line Discussion Group: Sign up for our youth culture e-mail discussion group (www.cpyu.org/bboard.htm). With one e-mail, you will be able to share questions, comments, and answers with youthworkers, parents and educators from around the world.

 

Speakers: CPYU Speakers are available to speak at your church, school or organization.  Our "Understanding Today's Youth Culture" seminars are presentations designed for parents, youth workers, teachers and others dealing with the specific challenges associated with understanding the world of pre-teens and adolescents.  To book a CPYU seminar, contact CPYU at 717-361-8429 or check out the seminar page on the CPYU website http://www.cpyu.org/seminars.htm

 

Pop Culture Quotes

 “I’m comfortable with who I am now, and my tattoos are a big part of that. It’s my entire identity. Every time I shake someone’s hand or pay a bill, people see the tattoos and react. I’m glad. Being this way separates me from everybody else.”

                - Good Charlotte’s Benji, Blender, April 2003, p. 96.

 

“We do have a lot of faith in God, and I attribute everything we have to Him, but there’s no way that either of us could do with going to church on a regular basis. We are not your typical Christians by any means at all, but I do try to do good by people. That’s my religious effort.”

                - Good Charlotte’s Benji, Blender, April 2003, p. 98.

 

“Faith is the great energy—as long as one has faith, you’re willing to try, to take another chance . . . I don’t think God really cares how you do it, just that you’re willing to do it . . . God wants you to amble toward the right spot on the horizon. You might f___ up, but the idea is that you’re willing to get up and keep moving toward that light.”

                - Zwan’s Billy Corgan, formerly of the Smashing Pumpkins, Rolling Stone, April 3, 2003, p. 37.

                http://www.rollingstone.com/features/featuregen.asp?pid=1592&cf=2045135

  

“The truth is, when everyone's happy, music is great. When everybody's sad, music's even better.”

                - Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, USA Today, March 25, 2003, 4D,

                http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030325/4985945s.htm

 

“Because I started in music so young, I’ve seen many adults drunk and violent, and I cannot be that.”

“I seek spiritual truth. I believe in meditation, but that’s it.”

                - Shania Twain, Blender, April 2003, p. 114.

 

“Sobriety comes up every day. It doesn’t just go away. I think about drinking and getting high, and it never stops. That’s why they call it obsessive-compulsive. For a long time, all I was good at was getting high. It’s sad but true.”

                - Everclear’s Art Alexakis, Spin, April 2003, p. 28.

 

“I remember the day I went in to get the report on my biopsy. It was a very stark room. Gloria and I sat there, but when the doctor gave us the news there was no doubt in my mind God was in control from the first moment. I thought the Holy Spirit was working within me. Under normal circumstances I would have fallen to pieces when they said, ‘You got four to 14 months.’”

Oates says he reasoned this was a trial that would grow “me and my family closer together and closer to the Lord. It has done that. We have gained because of that, the trial we're facing. I don't know how this is going to end up, but I know it will be for good.”

Oates’ suggestion to (Tug) McGraw “is to get right with the Lord. No one looks forward to the immediate consequences of death here on earth. But the eternal consequences are that you definitely want to be with the Lord. Time we spend on earth is so short compared to eternity.”

                - Former Major League Baseball player and manager Johnny Oates, USA Today, March 18, 2003, 6C

                http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030318/4956700s.htm

 

“I didn’t sign up to be a role mode. I understand that I am, and I’ll take that, but I’m someone who’s honest, even if it gets me in trouble.”

                - Avril Lavigne, ElleGirl, April 2003, p. 81.

 

“We sing about sex, we sing about drugs, we sing about all that s___. But we ain't blind! We're got the same turmoil in the air right now as in the 60's. We've got a president in office who didn't win the vote. The reason our band is doing well is because we're the only people saying the truth about things.”

- System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian, Blender, Jan/Feb 2003, p 53.

 

Lyrical Expression

 I wish I could come home to a life that looks like a TV show

I wish I could see my television family waiting for me

Where no one fights and no one screams, no one lies and no one leaves

I don’t care how the story ends I want to feel like I am living again

                - TV Show by Everclear from the Slow Motion Day Dream album

 

I won’t nurture and feed this bitterness: it’s worthless in any of this

Love and forgiveness are timeless and true

I know you’re full of fear, I hope I’m never like you

I won’t nurture and feed this hate: it’s empty and doesn’t change a thing

Love will endure when it comes to the end

I see you’re insecure, I know there’s hope for you, Why can’t I let go? I’m only the shell of a man

I won’t nurture and feed hostility, It’s pointless to dwell on my anger

Love is the answer, inane as it seems

I know you’re full of hate, I hope I’m never the same, I won’t nurture and feed this pain

Imagine the magnitude of love that is given the chance to prevail

I see you’re full of tears, and I can sense your hell . . .

                - Shell of a Man by Juliana Theory from the Love album

 

 

 

Current Culture Image

This long running Crown Royal (Canadian whisky) ad appeared in the October 14, 2002 edition of ESPN (p. 39), the Sep/Oct issue of Complex Magazine (p. 43), and the May 23, 2002 (p. 53), September 19, 2002 (p. 66) and March 6, 2003 (p. 54) issues of Rolling Stone. The ad shows a snake coiled around a bottle of Crown Royal with the tag line, “Tempted?” Youth leaders could use this ad to facilitate a discussion of temptation utilizing, among others, the following scriptures: Genesis 3, Matthew 4:1-11, 1Corinthians 10:13, and James 1:12-18.

                Another ad for Altoids’ sours (not shown here), which appeared on back cover of the October 2002 issue of Cosmopolitan, the inside back covers of the October 2002 issue of Spin and the March 24, 2003 edition of Time, and the April 4, 2003 edition of Entertainment Weekly, incorporates the Garden of Eden temptation story into its marketing pitch. The ad shows a naked couple, with the exception of strategically placed leaves and long hair covering the chest of the woman, holding containers of citrus and tangerine Altoids’ sours. A snake is coiled around a tree branch above while its head drops down towards the man. The tag line reads, “Forbidden Fruit”.

 

Culture Links

IvyJungle.org is devoted to those who minister to college students. Visitors can subscribe to a free and informative monthly “Campus Ministry Update” e-mail.

                http://www.ivyjungle.org

 

The creator of teenoutreach.com is a teen who writes, “I believe in God and the miracles He can do.” The site contains lots of resources and information related to teens.

http://www.teenoutreach.com/index.shtml

 

This web-site is dedicated to stopping gun violence in America by encouraging kids to “speak up” when they here reports or rumors of suspected attacks.

                http://www.pax.com/

 

Walt Mueller’s “CQ” (Commentary/Quote)

The biggest complaint of children and teens today is that adults—their parents, teachers, church, etc.—don’t listen and understand. If we don’t listen, we can’t understand. If we don’t understand, they don’t feel understood. If they don’t feel understood, they won’t listen to us. In (Good Charlotte’s) song “East Coast Anthem,” the band sings, “You’ll never understand.” Our prayer and resolve must be that the emerging generations would never be justified in uttering those words about us. If we want the Good News of the Gospel to be heard by the kids we know and love, then we must initiate connections by listening, understanding and loving.

- A portion of Walt Mueller’s “Hot Light” article on the neo-punk band Good Charlotte, from the Winter 2002 edition of CPYU’s quarterly newsletter, “YouthCulture @ Today”, p. 9.

 

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The CPYU “Today’s Youth Culture E-Update” is a bi-weekly e-mail resource on relevant topics of interest for youthworkers, parents, and educators. The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding is a non-profit organization providing information and analysis on today’s rapidly changing youth culture. To contact us, write to Eupdate@cpyu.org or PO Box 414 Elizabethtown, PA 17022, or call 717-361-8429, or fax 717-361-8964.

“Browser Discretion Advisory”: CPYU does not necessarily endorse, support, or condone the organizations/sites for which we've provided you with links, nor does CPYU necessarily agree with the conclusions and/or recommendations of studies cited. Some are listed for informational and research purposes only as they are prevalent in youth culture today.

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