Current Culture
ImageThe Center for Parent/Youth
Understanding's
Youth Culture
E-Update
Edition #54:
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Contents:
I. Youth Culture
Stats and Trends:
1) Top Teen
Magazines
2) T-Rated Video Game
Content
3) Media and Obesity
Connection
4) Teen Spending in
2003
5) Teen STD's
6) Ecstasy Use
Down
7) Upper-Ear Piercing
Concerns
8) Alcohol
Consumption
9) Race/Ethnic Youth
Smoking
10) Internet Search
Items
II. CPYU
Resources
V. Current Culture
Image
VIII. E-update
& CPYU information
Youth Culture
Stats and Trends:
1) Top
Teen Magazines
The top-10 teen magazines according
to magazine.com: 1) Thrasher, 2) Seventeen, 3) Listen, 4) Teen People, 5)
Guideposts for Teens, 6) Elle Girl, 7) Teen Ink, 8) J-14, 9) Cosmo-Girl!, 10)
Slap
http://www.magazines.com/ncom/mag?id=2776307280734&subject=2
2)
T-rated Video Game Content
Harvard researchers, reporting in the
Journal of the American Medical
Association, examined the content descriptors of 396 T-rated (13+ years of
age according to ESRB.org) video games and found that 94% were labeled for
violence, 26% for blood, 15% for sexual themes, 14% for profanity, 2% for
substances, and 0% for gambling. Researchers then examined a random sample of 81
games and found that 98% had intentional violence, 42% depicted blood, 27% had
sexual themes, 27% had profanity, 15% depicted profanity, and 1% involved
gambling..
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/7/856
(free abstract, fee for
article)
See also: The entire February 2004
issue of the Journal of Adolescence
is devoted to video games
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01401971
See also: Top selling video
games in 2003
http://www.npdfunworld.com/funServlet?nextpage=trend_body.html&content_id=780
See also: Computer gaming and
girls
http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/tlmag/v_31/v_31_3_feature.html
3)
Media and Obesity Connection
A Kaiser Family Foundation report
found a positive correlation between media exposure and childhood obesity.
According to the report, the average child sees nearly 40,000 ads on TV each
year.
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia022404nr.cfm
See also: Fatty kid-friendly
menus
http://www.cspinet.org/new/200402241.html
See also: Children under 8
years of age are vulnerable to marketer's influence.
http://www.apa.org/releases/childrenads.html
4) Teen
Spending in 2003
Teenage Research Unlimited reports,
from a survey of 2,000+ teens, that teens spent $175 billion in 2003 (up from
$170 billion in 2002 and $172 billion in
2001).
http://www.teenresearch.com/PRview.cfm?edit_id=168
5) Teen
STD's
The Alan Guttmacher Institute reports
in the Jan/Feb 2004 edition of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive
Health that 48% (9.1 million) of the estimated 18.9 million new cases of
sexually transmitted diseases in 2000 were for 15-24 year-olds. Human
papillomavirus, trichomaniasis and chlamydia accounted for 88% of new STD cases
among 15-24 year-olds.
http://www.agi-usa.org/pubs/journals/3600604.html
See also: CPYU article summarizing the
latest stats and trends on teen STD's
http://www.cpyu.org/pageview.asp?pageid=9337
See also: Heterosexual
HIV
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4398782
6)
Ecstasy Use Down
The Partnership for a Drug-Free
America released the results of its 2003 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study
conducted on 7,270 adolescents, which reveals a 25% drop in teens who have tried
the club drug Ecstasy between 2001 and 2003, from 12% to 9%,
respectively.
http://drugfreeamerica.org/Templates/pats_2003_teens.asp?
See also: Herbal Ecstasy, "Green
Hornet", warning
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2004/NEW01026.html
See also: Prescription drug
abuse study
http://www.casacolumbia.org/pdshopprov/files/you_ve_got_drugs.pdf
(22 page pdf file)
7)
Upper-Ear Piercing Concerns
The Journal of the American Medical
Association reports on the dangers of infections and deformities from
piercing the upper-ear cartilage.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/8/981
See also: Body piercing linked to
high-risk adolescent behavior
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2003.06.005
See also: Brain development and
adolescent risk-taking
http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=517628
8)
Alcohol Consumption
The
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/04facts/healthbehaviors.htm
See also: Teens seek out
alcohol advice online
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3485271.stm
See also: Vaporized alcohol
drinks
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/thisweek/story/0,12977,1150828,00.html
9)
Race/Ethnic Youth Smoking
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention released a report on smoking prevalence among 12-17 year-old youth in
various race/ethnic groups. The CDC analyzed data from the National Survey on
Drug Use and Health, which was conducted on 74,318 youth between 1999 and 2001.
Some of the findings:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5303a2.htm
See
also: According to a
http://www.gallup.com/content/default.asp?ci=10762
(fee to access)
See also: Smoking in movies between
1950 and 2002
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/2/261
(free abstract, fee for
article)
10)
Internet Search Items
The popular Internet search engine
Google™ reports on the most popular search items in 2003 from its 2003 Year-End
Zeitgeist: 1) Britney Spears, 2) Harry Potter, 3) Matrix, 4) Shakira, 5) David
Beckham, 6) 50 Cent, 7) Iraq, 8) Lord of the Rings, 9) Kobe Bryant, 10) Tour De
France.
http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist2003.html
See also: 39% of Americans used a
search engine in January 2004
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/pr/pr_040223_us.pdf
CPYU
Resources:
To order
resources from CPYU visit our "
All suggested donations include shipping and
handling.
Newsletter: "YouthCulture @ Today" is the Center for
Parent/Youth Understanding's 24-page, ad-free, quarterly newsletter that is full
of up-to-date information and in-depth analysis on today's youth
culture. The soon-to-be-released Spring 2004 edition highlights
the music and message of Outkast,
and much more. "YouthCulture @ Today" is available for
a suggested donation of $15 for one
year (4 issues). To order your copy go
to http://www.cpyu.org/pageview.asp?PageID=7265 or give us a call at 800-807-CPYU (2798).
"How to
use your HEAD to guard your HEART: a 3-D
Guide to making responsible music
choices" This colorful 12 page booklet is one
of our most popular resources. The "3-D Guide" walks you through the 3-Ds of "Discover," "Discern," and "Decide" as you listen to today's
popular music and media. The "3-D Guide" will help you to "mindfully critique" media and not "mindlessly consume" it. This is a great
tool to use in youth meetings as you discuss with your teens how to "think
Christianly" and make wise media choices. The suggested donation is $3.00 each
for 1-5 copies or $2.00 each for 6 or more
copies.
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, go to
http://www.cpyu.org/pageview.asp?PageID=7275 and/or contact CPYU at 800-807-CPYU
(2798).
Pop Culture
Quotes
"When I perform, this confidence and
this sexiness and this whatever it is that I'm completely not just happens. And
you feel it, and you just start wildin' and doin' stuff that don't even make
sense, like the spirit takes over. That magic, that's what I love. If you see me
on TV, I'm not a humble, shy person, but it's a transformation into that. It's a
job. In real life I'm not like
that."
- Singer Beyonce Knowles (Destiny's Child) talking about
her onstage alter ego, whom she names as Sasha, Rolling Stone,
"In my generation we were trying to
fight against a lot of stereotypical things where the woman wasn't supposed to
be aggressive sexually. But now it's gone all the way to where every woman is so
blatantly sexed out. Britney Spears is gorgeous, and she sure can dance. But
she's just a kid. Have a little substance
there."
- Veteran actress Raquel Welch, Time,
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040223-591321,00.html
"I guess you could say I was shocked.
I actually was disappointed. I thought, Uccch. It seemed like it was done for
controversy's sake. In a way, I think we've seen enough nudity. It's getting to
where we're all numb, and in a way, I'm against (sigh) all the sexuality that's
all over the place."
- Musician and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres speaking
about the Janet-Justin Super Bowl incident, Time,
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040223-591294,00.html
"A lot of people never interact with
a gay person or a black person, and TV does that. It humanizes them. [It] can be
a force for cultural change. "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons" -- those
shows changed people's minds. "Sex and the City" or "Queer Eye for the Straight
Guy" are just bringing different
perspectives."
-
Former E! "Talk Soup" host Aisha Tyler, USA Weekend,
http://usaweekend.com/04_issues/040222/040222aishatyler.html
"It's in the rock 'n' roll handbook.
Hit 40, get divorced and marry the young actress. I'm just following the
rules."
- Singer Melissa Etheridge speaking
about her recent "divorce" and "marriage" to 28 year old Tammy Lynn Michaels,
Associated Press, February 23, 2004.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PEOPLE_ETHERIDGE?
"I know this is going to sound cheesy and like I'm
trying to be Miss
-
American Idol TV show runner-up Clay
Aiken, Reuters,
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=4409878
"I don't see how anyone could smoke
pot every day and still have any sanity left in their
brain."
- The Vines frontman Craig
Nicholls, Spin, March 2004, p.
54.
"I'm talking about stuff I know, like
getting drunk, getting high, chasing women, selling dope and even my feelings
for God."
-
Afroman ("Because I Got High" song) speaking about his upcoming album,
Billboard.com,
http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000444804
"I started praying, and I said 'Lord,
if you let me find my way, I won't take another drop'. And there was like an
illumination, and I saw the (street) sign for where I was. I went home and told
my wife, 'That's it.' And I just
quit."
- NBA coach Paul Silas speaking about when he stopped
drinking alcohol, Associated Press as reported by USA Today,
"I clearly would not have had
anything to do with it if I felt it were an anti-Semitic film. I was concerned
that it was based on the Scripturesâ€"and it is. It's the story I grew up with.
I felt this is what we believe in the Roman Catholic faith and in Christianity
as a whole. We didn't take any money up frontâ€"neither Gibson nor me nor any
of us. I didn't do this for money but because I love my
faith."
- Actor James Caviezel (portrays Jesus in Mel Gibson's
The Passion of the Christ movie), Parade Magazine,
"I'm just searching right now. I grew
up being Baptist, and I started traveling the world. It's so weirdâ€"sometimes
you wish you had the naiveness to stay with one religion and go with it. But
after seeing the world and seeing all these different religions out there, who's
to say that I'm right, and who's to say that they're
right?"
- Britney Spears answering the
question, "Are you a spiritual person?", Seventeen, April 2004, p.
135.
"I don't think I missed out on my
teenage years. No, not at all. Right now I feel like a little bit of normalcy.
But what is normal, you know? What's normal to you is not normal to me. The
thing for me right now is just making things normal for
me."
- Britney Spears, Seventeen, April 2004, p.
135.
Lyrical
Expression
And what cannot will be done, for
every living thing under the sun
Forget color, forget race, and just
be one big happy face
Among this sea of people, live among
God's creatures, sharing love
That was sent down from above, here
to share with one another
Father, brother, sister, mother,
everybody sharing love, sharing love
I'm caught up in a dream, I'm gonna
wish for it all
No one's gonna tell me how, no way,
this is my dream now
I'm caught up in what seems simply
impossible
I ain't gonna change a thing, no way,
it's my dream, this is my dream
-
Caught in a Dream by Tesla from the
Into the Now album (due out
http://www.dapslyrics.com/display.php?sid=4801
To every broken heart in here, Love
was once a part, but now it's disappeared
She told me that it's all part of
the choices that you make
Even when you think you're right, You have to give
to take
But there's still tomorrow, Forget the sorrow, And I can be on the
last train home
Watch it pass the day, As it fades away, No more time to
care, No more time, today
- Last Train
Home by Lostprophets from the Start
Something album. The song was
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lostprophets/lasttrainhome.html
Through the rainstorm came sanctuary
and I felt my spirit fly
I had found all of my reality, I
realize what it takes, 'Cause I need love, love's
divine
Please forgive me now I see that I've
been blind, Give me love, loves is what I need to help me know my
name
Oh I don't bet [don't bet], don't
pray [don't pray]
Show me how to live and promise me
you won't forsake, 'Cause love can help me know my
name
Well I try to say there's nothing
wrong, But inside I felt me lying all
alone
But the message here was plain to
see, Believe in me
- Love's
Divine by Seal from the Seal IV
album. The song was the largest chart mover on the TopHitsOnline chart on
http://www.tophitsonline.com/lyrics.php?songid=2547
http://tophitsonline.com/currentchart.htm
[Chorus:]
If I traded it all, If I gave it all
away for one thing, Just for one thing
If I sorted it out, If I knew all
about this one thing, Wouldn't that be
something
- Chorus of One
Thing by Finger Eleven from their self-titled album. The song was #7 after
15 weeks on the Billboard Mordern Rock Tracks™ chart, dated
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/fingereleven/onething.html
Current Culture
Image
This Nissan XTerra ad appeared as a two-page spread on
the inside front cover and adjacent page in the
Culture
Link
Check out the latest version of the
free monthly Kid Power Xchange e-newsletter, which is designed for youth
marketers:
http://iqpc.nac.net/2003_nl/0204.htm
http://www.kidpowerx.com/cgi-bin/templates/0/single.html?topic=445
(sign up link)
Walt Mueller's
Commentary
The most-asked question after any
crisis experience is "Why? . . . Why did this happen?" This is certainly true of
teen suicide. But teen suicide doesn't just happen. There is always a reason.
Teenagers who commit suicide don't do it because they are fully intent on dying.
Rather, it is the result of an emotional tug-of-war between life and death that
is going on in their mind. In an effort to escape the reality of a painful
existence, many teens choose death not because they want to die but because they
want to get away from life.
- Excerpt from Walt's award
winning book, Understanding Today's Youth
Culture, p. 345.
(Check out the soon-to-be-released
Spring 2004 edition of CPYU's "youthculture @ today" for a "News &
Views" article on teen suicide.)
<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><<><
The CPYU "Youth Culture e-Update" is a
bi-weekly e-mail resource on relevant topics of interest for youth workers,
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
"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.
CPYU grants
permission to cite or quote the "CPYU Youth Culture e-Update" electronically or
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Understanding's Youth Culture e-Update - Doug West, ed."
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