#Definingyouth

[tjohnssco]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/07/1158410/-ELECTION-2012-The-Power-of-the-Youth-Vote#

Youth Power!

The graphic above basically shows that Millennials have a fairly large influence on society. It shows we have strong opinions and we have a large influence on what we believe. The graphic above is from the 2008 election where young people represented 19% of the vote, which was the largest in history. I believe we were taught to speak up for what we believe and these graphs really stand out to that statement.

[cohenjo8-blog]

Photo 1:

After an uproarious night of promiscuity and alcohol consumption, it isn’t uncommon to play games with the friends of ours who went too hard-too quickly, passing out before the end of the night.

Through these kinds of experiences, our friendships grow stronger every day.

After these experiences occur, we usually would find ourselves closer than we once were, based on the ability to reference and remember (altogether fuzzy) experiences of glee and enjoyment.

Photo 2:

Usually following the consumption of alcohol, we proceed to turn ourselves into walking jokes, that we constantly repeat and discuss at great length, creating a foundation for the rest of our friendships to be based on.

This behavior helps us find a collective identity in that our absurdity is what we have based our friendship on. In being funny, we are connecting through a shared identity. 

The tomfoolery aspect plays a larger role, depending on the friends being exposed to this strategy. As we make fools of ourselves, we find that our inhibitions are lowered, and we are able to connect more freely with our friends, because they seem to know intimate details about our lives.

Photo 3:

As previously mentioned, most of my (male) friends play instruments, and we engage in practicing and performing music as a band called Sabertooth Fianc��e.

Since we share this hobby, we are able to connect quicker and more easily.

Arnett divulges that, “… Friends are likely to expect conformity among group members that is consistent with the similarities that drew them together in the first place…” So here we can see how we came together. We found each other based on our desires to play music!

Everyday, we set time aside to engage in routine activities that we all enjoy doing, and furthermore, that we all enjoy doing together.

We jam out, practicing music for a few hours, all the while utilizing social vehicles such as, but not limited to alcohol and recreational drug consumption.

Photo 4:

We play instruments, and we also go out to see local bands engaging in tomfoolery and instrumentalization that we all share in common. When we go out and meet people in other groups, it causes our bonds to tighten. We go out and do what we do best. We make fools of ourselves, consume recreational drugs such as alcohol, and we party very hard, thereby gaining a shared identity of foolhardiness that we share and discuss at length, later down the road.

Photo 5:

We don’t only go out to see shows. We also play shows on a frequent basis.

This allows us not only to gain interpersonal experiences together, but we also have the ability to share our experiences with the people around us, letting outsiders gain a glimpse of our collective abilities, that we have honed together.

Photo 6:

The article discussing the millennial generation in Time magazine describes the youthful generation as “interacting all day, but almost entirely through a screen...” (Stein, 29). I have experienced that to a certain degree, but when we get together to put on shows, we allow people to break their habits of digital life, bringing them together to experience something together.

This crowd of people came to see Sabertooth Fiancée at our very first show. We brought people out of their homes/shells, in order to meet each other and to strengthen their own abilities to make friends. As is the theme, this also allowed us to reflect on our abilities as musicians and friends, enhancing our socialization abilities.

Photo 7:

The way my friends and I socialize may be different from the way that most people entering adulthood behave. I believe there to be similarities to the behavior described by Arnett. He discusses the way “adolescent peers in the West encourage each other toward alcohol use… that is proscribed… by many parents…” I find these similarities because, as I became better friends with these peers, we would engage in alcohol-fueled activities that strengthened our bonds through bonding experiences.           

 In conclusion, I don’t believe my group of friends to be that different from most other groups, with my social context and background, my age and sex, in college.

I think much of social interaction between groups of friends in college depend on social vehicles such as alcohol and recreational drugs.

This seems to be a rite of passage in terms of the youth’s relationship with society, transitioning from college students to adults in the real world. With these experiences under our proverbial belts, we are able to enter society later in life, with the ability to slow down, to move on and to transition into adulthood more smoothly. I think this is a positive aspect of our rowdy lifestyles, and I, personally, would not change a thing.