Poll: What you were like (or are like) as a teenager.

[The Eggplant]

I'm closing in on the end of my teenage years, so taking a somewhat premature retrospective look...I fall pretty squarely in the middle. Especially compared to the behavior of a lot of my peers, I was(and am) quite reasonable to those immediately around me--aside from a certain affection for bitter melodrama (and honestly, who doesn't love a little of that every once in a while?) I had a reputation at my former high school for being calm, level-headed, and generally a good person to go to in times of emotional trauma. I tried to be respectful to my parents, and even when we did get in fights it was almost always me who would end up trying to defuse the situation. It just seemed easier that way.

That said, in terms of my actual attitudes during my teen years, they've been fairly dissident. I've been an enthusiastic explorer of alternative religious, social, and political viewpoints, and in the last year or so have become a devoted follower of the anarchist movement, specifically the syndicalist and pacifist portions thereof. I have absolutely no problem loudly voicing my approval for the writings of such figures as Kropotkin, Thoreau, Jefferson (who was, in his early days, an anarcho-meritocratist), and Bakunin, and I'll happily spend hours telling you exactly WHY God cannot exist.

So I suppose "rebellious" versus "reasonable" isn't quite the right set of descriptors...maybe "level-headed" versus "free-thinking" in my case would work better.

Oh, and my sense of humor is also jet-black and very acidic. That doesn't always win me friends, but what the hey.

 

[|Ookami]

I'm quite rebelious, but I can see reason and can understand other people's points of view. What do I vote for?

I'd say you'd be fine with either inbetween or rebellious...

Snip.

Well, I would call you reasonable in the sense that you were willing to explore such subjects when many young people are content to listen to pop music and whittle away time on websites like Facebook (in other words, the people whom I would consider to be indifferent). When it comes to one's outlook and relationships, reasonable people seek to understand, rebellious people, whether figuratively or literally, fight, and indifferent people just go with the flow--that's the way I see it when it comes to fitting various ideas into the poll (which was mainly intended to reflect one's relationship with authority). Thus being level-headed and free-thinking would still fall under the category of "reasonable."

To be off-topic for a moment, you sound a lot like a person I know (though perhaps much more rational) who is quite the atheist and anarchist. Also, black humour is the best humour.

 

[spadeattack]

I think it's more like "usually just insane."
Maybe I need a new poll option.

Ah, yes. One that would fit those like me better. Us "others".

 

[thylasos]

I liked a drink from when I was about 14 or 15, but I wasn't particularly one to stay out until all hours. I'd let my dad know if I was heading down the pub, and the landlord wouldn't mind, if we stayed in the back room and weren't making mischief; it was just a few pints and a game or two of darts. Only time the parents were aware of any particular "rebellious" stuff would probably be the time I came home after the first two hours of a colombian mushroom trip, which got progressively worse for five hours; they were legal at the time, it just wasn't a great idea...

My researching various religions the parents didn't particularly like, either, given the rather strict Catholicism of my mum's side of the family.

I was a good kid, really. Decent marks at a good school, never called up for bad behaviour in class besides falling asleep in English every once in a while.

 

[no oneder]

Rebellious. And was worth it.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Technically I still am a teenager (just). I'm sensible (always have been), I drink a lot (puking my guts out on a friday night down the park... oh the memories (or lack of them)), I listen to music that pisses of my parents (mostly).

And I am very, very lazy.

 

[Buizel91]

I class 18 as a teenager, if 13 is the beginning, 20 should be the end =)

Anyway im pretty much off me block, always act myself and never let "reputation" get in the way of what i want to do =)

 

[Blueruler182]

Hidden. I have depression, had it since I was eight, I hid from the world until about half a year ago. The only time I'd ever really get shit done was when I was bored or incredibly intruiged. For some reason or another, whenever one of those two come up, I become incredibly coherent and insightful. I'm 18, btw.

 

[Sir_Tor]

I'm like my father in some ways and my brother is more like my mother. SO I don't know where to put myself. I don't agree with everything my parents say but I don't all "Fuck you" on them...