Adolescence Quote by C. Sommerville
“Ambivalence reaches the level of schizophrenia in our treatment of violence among the young. Parents do not encourage violence, but neither do they take up arms against the industries which encourage it. Parents hide their eyes from the books and comics, slasher films, videos and lyrics which form the texture of an adolescent culture. While all successful societies have inhibited instinct, ours encourages it. Or at least we profess ourselves powerless to interfere with it.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Commentary on Youth Violence, 1990s
The quote highlights society's contradictory stance on youth violence, condemning it while allowing media and cultural influences that foster it.
In simple terms: Society condemns youth violence but tolerates its sources.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and address the media influences on youth.
Themes
contradiction
violence
media influence
parental responsibility
youth culture
Mood
concerned
critical
Type
analytical
commentary
When to use this quote
- parental guidance
- media regulation
- school curricula
- community programs
Key Concepts
social critique
cultural analysis
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can parents actively counter violent media?
- What policies could reduce violent cultural influences?
A Different Perspective
Changing attitudes alone may not stop the underlying cultural factors.
![“Quintilian [educational writer in Rome around A.D. 100] thought that the earliest years of the child's life were crucial. Education should start earlier than age seven, within the family. It should not be so hard as to give the child an aversion to learning. Rather, these early lessons would take…” quote by C. Sommerville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cce/c-sommerville-39957_age_quintilian-educational-writer-in-rome-ar_1241305.jpg)
![“[17th-century] Puritans were the first modern parents. Like many of us, they looked on their treatment of children as a test of their own self-control. Their goal was not to simply to ensure the child's duty to the family, but to help him or her make personal, individual commitments. They were the…” quote by C. Sommerville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a63/c-sommerville-39957_17th-century_17th-century-puritans-were-the-first-mod_1946579.jpg)
![“I remember realizing, when I did Little Women [1994], that that was the only time girls that age were being written about. It was always boys - from David Copperfield to Lord of the Flies to Holden Caulfield. There were never young women going through adolescence or teen years; there were only…” quote by Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/666/winona-ryder-1469_adolescence_i-remember-realizing-when-i-did-little-w_41784.jpg)
