Ephebiphobia, a human syndrome?

[karrie]

The idea of ephebiphobia came up in discussion with my husband today, sparked by the song title 'teenage dirtbag' (which, I know, has nothing to do with the actual issue of ephebiophobia, but the term sparked a discussion in me nonetheless). I posed the question, 'to what degree are teens really 'worse' today, rather than just living up to an increased expectation of bad behavior?'

Given modern media coverage, we hear of every nasty incident involving youth, and with hysterical coverage.


"It isn't a surprise to many young people or adults: There are people throughout society who refuse to go near youth, to the point where they move away, lobby against, and vote against anything positively affecting young people, with the idea that those actions will keep youth away from them.

These actions may be symptoms of a social condition called ephebiphobia. Ephebiphobia is the fear of youth. In the United Kingdom ephebiphobia is also called paedophobia. This term was coined 10 years ago to capture the society-wide panic that has gripped media, politicians, and even schools. It is generally based in negative stereotypes and bad experiences from childhood, and is perpetuated by the way popular media portrays young people. "​

"In 2002, author Mike Males wrote, "Ephebiphobia... is a full-blown media panic. Images of “ordinary” teenagers besieging grown-up havens are everywhere... Today’s ephebiphobia is the latest installment of a history of bogus moral panics targeting unpopular subgroups to obscure an unsettling reality: Our worst social crisis is middle-Americans own misdirected fear."

What are your views on ephibiphobia?

 

[CDNBear]

What are your views on ephibiphobia?

Over blown fear mongering by a bored and incessantly asinine media and people with little to no grey matter left.

Now, that's not to say that most teens don't need to be beaten within an inch of breathing, nor does it preclude the anti social behavior they produce that actually drives people away, as well as perpetuate the issues facing them.

 

[MikeyDB]

Children whether teenagers or infants don't pop spontaneously into reality.

Parents are not encouraged to parent and the double-speak hypocrisy of modern "democracies" and corrupt governments establish the "standards" of our times.

Society needs victims and it needs "bad-guys", so it creates them.

 

[Kreskin]

Kids today are nowhere near as bad as we were in the 70's and 80's. I saw a video clip on I believe CNN showing two kids blowing up something. The tag line was "Teens Caught on Video". A small plume of smoke. It made them out to be Al Qaeda terrorist wannabes. Whoopty do. I remember my friends and I blowing up a neighbours garbage can with dynamite. Didn't make the national news or even neighbourhood gossip. It sure as hell wasn't just a small puff of smoke.

Kids today are pretty good overall, at least compared to the way we were. No comparison really.

 

[MikeyDB]

Kreskin

Exactly! I won't address the issue of rank stupidity that follows from children playing with explosives...but...

If the world is presented as verging on anarchy, the "authorities" are well within their "rights" to demand more police and more guns and more laws etc. etc.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

I think the Bear's got it right, it's a delusion. Consider this little quote:

"The world is passing through troublous times. The young people of
today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for
parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as
if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is
foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest
and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress."


That's been variously attributed to Socrates, Aristotle, Hesiod, and a few others, almost certainly incorrectly, but the point is that certain elders have been fearful of the perceived excesses of youth for millennia yet somehow civilization has staggered on.

 

[karrie]

That's been variously attributed to Socrates, Aristotle, Hesiod, and a few others, almost certainly incorrectly, but the point is that certain elders have been fearful of the perceived excesses of youth for millennia yet somehow civilization has staggered on.

Brilliant Dexter. I was curious as to how far back we can reliably trace the phenomena.

As my husband pointed out (as wise as I could sound if I attributed his thinking to myself), most mammals are eventually usurped in their positions by younger, fitter, breeding specimens, and it's likely an inborn genetic fear. While we like to place ourselves above such irrational, genetic issues, I think they could play a larger role in this issue than we'd like to think.

 

[Tonington]

Brilliant Dexter. I was curious as to how far back we can reliably trace the phenomena.

As my husband pointed out (as wise as I could sound if I attributed his thinking to myself), most mammals are eventually usurped in their positions by younger, fitter, breeding specimens, and it's likely an inborn genetic fear. While we like to place ourselves above such irrational, genetic issues, I think they could play a larger role in this issue than we'd like to think.

Your husband thinks as I do. Younger members represent change, and generally change is uncomfortable to all age groups. Though it does seem that the older generations are more opposed to change than younger cohorts.

We can't divorce our genetic legacy, without missing key perspectives here. There will always be the youngsters who push the limits, testing them as as a proxy for themselves.

It's not just a human syndrome. Look at any social animals and you'll find it. Though I wouldn't say their phobic about it. They deal with it in a more seemingly direct fashion. Might is more right in that respect.

 

[karrie]

In calling it a human syndrome T, I wasn't so much trying to address it being unique to us, as I was trying to address it not being unique to our time or our society. So many seem to think that it's a new, novel notion. That it's a symptom of a problem with a society or with a time, rather than something that is common all throughout human history.

 

[Kreskin]

'to what degree are teens really 'worse' today, rather than just living up to an increased expectation of bad behavior?'

I think neither. They aren't worse, are probably better than recent prior generations, and they aren't living up to increased expectations of being behaviorally worse. Those who believe they are have short memories.