Урок №30. Молодёжь в современном обществе.

Generation gap

It’s a gap between the views of the younger generation of teenagers and the views of their parents. It causes them to argue or to be unfriendly to one another. The most common reasons for their arguments:

• The teenagers attitude towards other family members

• The parents want their children to help more about the house

• The quality of the teenagers’ school work

• Problems with smoking, drinking, going to night clubs, etc.

• Different ideas, different styles, different thoughts…

School life and future career

• Having no close friend

• Pressure at school

• Lessons at school are too difficult

• Bullies at school

• Planning the future career (to enter a good university and find a good job afterwards)

• Having pocket money

Suicide

• Loneliness or bad conditions of life

• Love without reciprocity

• Constant failures

• Gang-violence

• Death of close people or serious disease

• Loss of money or financial problems

• Drugs and alcohol

Drugs

• Young people take drugs to escape from worries at home or at school. . They think that smoking and alcohol can help you relax and feel more confident and sociable. It causes addiction or dependence after regular use.

• Some young people think you’re more attractive to the opposite sex after a few drinks. It’s nothing but illusion. The sight of a person with a silly smile, zigzag walking and slurred speech will have the opposite effect.

• Everybody talks about drugs. Young people hear bad and good things about them. So they get curious and want to see themselves if drugs are good or bad. Some drugs may depress or stop breathing. They can cause unbalanced emotions and serious mental disorders.

. Homelessness

• Unemployment (Parents can’t find a well-paid job ; they don’t have enough money to feed their children)

• Parents are too busy with their work and they don’t have time to look after their children

• Unsatisfactory living conditions (they are no longer able or willing to live with their parents)

• Some families have lost their homes which they owned themselves ( due to fraud )

• Some children do not have their own flat or room ( sometimes homeless children live in empty houses)

• Some children have problems at home and at school, so they want to escape from them

• Refuges (most of them are from the former Soviet republics)

• Most of them leave home because they want to get work and experience of the world

Д/З: подготовить мини-проект на тему «Проблемы молодежи в современном обществе».

Урок №31-32. Молодёжные субкультуры. Участие молодёжи в социальной и политической жизни.

Today the life of many young people in Russia as well as in other countries of the world is influenced by popular culture. The young follow certain stereotypes that are imposed on them through TV, movies, and music. In their lifestyle they try to imitate the images of their idols. Other young people are sports and music fans. They frequent stadiums and huge concert halls. They follow their idols in their tours and support them. Unfortunately they are intolerant to those who don't share their view. It's a specific aspect of the youth subculture that can't be ignored. But many young people have other interests. For some of them getting knowledge is of primary importance. They are fond of reading serious books, listening to serious music. They go to the conservatory and theatres. They are engaged in Hi-Tech through the Internet. They are fond of stories and novels written by Victor Pelevin, Boris Akunin. The novels by Strougutsky's are best read even today, because it is science fiction, which is very popular among young people.

I think that subculture is the culture of those who are dissatisfied with their place in society. Different subcultures have their own beliefs, value systems, fashion, and favourite music. For example the subculture of Rastafairians was based on nostalgia for a lost world. They idealized Africa. Rastafairians were Afro-Caribbean immigrants in Britain. They began to wear distinctive clothes, camouflage jackets, large hats in the red, gold and green colours of Ethiopia and put their long, uncut hair in dreadlocks. They brought to us such tapes of music as ska, reggae and hip-hop. Many subcultures developed as a result of music fusion of black and white cultures. For example skinheads, which wore heavy boots, jeans and braces and shave their hair or cut it very short. Skinheads dreamed about the revival of the traditional working class culture. Skinheads were identified with extreme right wing views. There are many other subcultures such as Hippies, Punks, Mods, Rockers, Ravers and many others. Generally they were young people with low self-respect, who did poorly at school. They opposed the traditional world in which they where settled as fiasco elements.

Subcultures are not that bad as they are thought to be. Teens want to show off. But at the same time a lot of teens think about changing the world to the best. Subcultures are for teens. Then, I am sure, teenagers become good citizens. Some who were punks became the main editors of famous newspapers. A subculture is a way of life. It is not a fan club, it is a real life for us.

Д/З: подготовить презентацию на тему «Виды субкультур», составить топик на тему «Молодежные субкультуры и участие молодежи в социально-политической жизни».