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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-04-16, Page 25THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16,1897 PAGE 25. For Teens, By Teens _ _ —... _ . You bunch of barbarians!I___ By Mark Nonkes During the Roman Empire people would gather in massive stadiums to watch a lion tear apart someone's body, or to watch two people fight to the death. This was their idea of entertainment. Our society's values have changed since then, haven't they? No longer do we fill stadiums to watch people kill each other. No, today we fill stadiums to watch people pound the crap out of each other, until one is knocked out. But it's okay. They wear gloves and they have protection. Let's face the facts; society loves violence. Movies are making fun of human life, as if it's so worthless. In "action" movies, everyone is killed but the hero. Or after school, there might be some fight; someone was mad at someone for something, and the THIS WEEK'S TOP 1 0| 10 troubling issues for teens MICROTECH DOORS 887-6974 Blyth Brussels 523-9681 887-9661 By Ashley Gropp COMPUTERS Out Pizza After attending a political nomination meeting this past weekend, I realized that teenagers not only care about the future and politics, but they participate in them as well. If given the opportunity to express their concerns to a candidate, teens often present valid and important questions. The top 10 issues teens would like to discuss with a politicians Mouth Watering & Hot - Cappuccino Shakes - Battered Vegetables and more - Fish Dinners - Poutine Fries - Rib Burgers ^rin^jn^his^ad^oryourFr^HolChocolate solution is to slug it out. The entire school rushes to watch. For days after people will be talking, "That was a good fight, wasn't it?" And our sports. The saying, "It’s just a game," or "It's just in the name of fun," are false. Very few team sports are played just in the name of fun. In hockey, if you want to get the puck, you skate quickly up to the player with the puck and slam all your weight into his body. It's called a check. But it's okay; they all wear protective equipment. And oh, how the crowds cheer when there is a fight And my wish... "I wish for peace throughout the entire world." How can we ever wish for this when we love violence so much. Of course, we don't like hearing about someone dying violently. But fighting for entertainment; well that's okay. No, we're not like the Romans at all. given the opportunity are: lack of future financial security native confrontations Quebec separatists health care racism having a job determine where you live AIDS research increase in post-education costs jobs for the future education cuts 143 Josephine, St., Wingham (519) 357-2191 Just what you will be looking for this winter Peer pressure made me do it By Erin Roulston Each year in Canada a quarter of a million people start smoking. Eight-five per cent of them are younger than 16. A 1994 survey of 25,000 Canadians, aged 10 to 19, showed that 27 per cent of 15 to 19-year- olds smoke, and 16 per cent of 14 and 15-year-olds are also smokers. What is it that is driving teenagers to light up? Why, when they know all the dangers, do they take the risk? The excuses I see on TV, and in the papers, the ones my parents believe, are that smoking is "cool". And if a teenager smokes they suddenly are transported to popularity. I cannot believe that. I refuse to believe that thousands of teenagers are becoming addicted to a fatal and expensive habit merely to fit in. So I, like many before me, set out to prove my parents wrong. I spoke to about 20 people at my school. (There is bias in my findings because 85 per cent of the people I spoke to were girls, and girls always have different reasons than boys.) Some were addicts, some had just tried it a couple of times, and two had resisted ever taking a puff. Both of the non-smokers said they didn't try it because they had seen someone they loved die from the nasty habit, and refused to do the same thing to themselves. All of the people who had smoked said the same thing about their first cigarette: they smoked it out of curiosity. All of those anti-smoking ads, CANON - HEWLETT PACKARD 10 KING STREET CLINTON ONTARIO 519-482-3363 AUTHORIZED IPC DEALER Available through your local MDL Dealer and by-laws, the stories your parents tell, the talks against smoking in health class; they wanted to know what all the fuss was about. What was it that all the adults were so adamantly against? The problem is, by the time a teenager finds out what it is the adults are so against, it's too late to turn back. Why teenagers keep smoking, I will admit, has more to do with popularity. The smokers I spoke to said that their habit is a great social crutch. When they are at a party with strangers, it seems easier to talk with a cigarette in your hand. The smoking section is a great place to meet people, and of course you'll have something in common. One of the occasional smokers commented that when they are with a group of smokers, they feel as if it's an insult to them, if you don't smoke, as if you think, as a non- smoker, that you are superior to them. Other reasons for smoking were things like, "I did it to tick off my mother," and "It helps keep my weight down". People said it helped to calm their nerves, and of course some said simply, "I liked it." I asked two smokers if they thought about health risk when they started smoking. One said "yes", the other "no", but both agreed that it was so far in the future they didn't think it mattered. Lung cancer doesn't strike until you're close to 50 years old, and they plan to quit long before that. The effects of smoking begin to reverse themselves within a week after you MDL ® _ _______ Keep the ‘Doors to the future Open Beautiful Styles to Make your House a Home quit; they consider themselves perfectly safe. Despite everything ^positive, these smokers had to say about it, and trust me, they said a lot, every single one of them said they wish they'd never started. Many have tried to quit, only one had succeeded, and they were all shocked to find how hard it is. They said that the scary thing about it is that you have no idea how much you need your cigarettes until you no longer have them, and then it's too late. RADFORD AUTO j FARMAND INDUSTRIAL PARTS WESTWARD 2.5 TON SERVICE JACK Regular Dealer Price $169.95 HD 1/2" C.P. AIR WRENCH Regular Dealer Price $210.06 The Best Take for miles Watch for the "General" Deluxe Pizza Coming soon to the Blyth General Store 523-9785