Teenage Runaways :: Journalistic Essays

Teenage Runaways A news bulletin flashed across the television. Interrupting my favorite program, a news reporter announced, "Missing teenagers." The reporter went on to state that a group of young teenagers had been reported missing for the last twenty-four hours. It was later reported that the teenagers had run away, and they had left a note demanding more independence. The teenagers were from wealthier homes; therefore, the parents of the missing children could not understand the reason their children left home. The teenagers later stated, "We are almost grown; give us our space." Teenage runaways are becoming a problem in America. Each year, many teenagers run away from home because of troubles with discipline, communication, and attention. The first girl that the news reporter interviewed said, "The discipline in my house is out of control." The girl continued to give examples to back up her statement. She said that she couldn't be two minutes late for her curfew. She would be grounded a week for every minute she was late. There were to be no phone calls after 9:30 p.m. She couldn't talk to boys on the phone at all. If she was caught breaking the rules, she lost all of her telephone privileges. She had to have an adult with her at all times. Her last statement was, "I know my parents are doing all of this out of love, but give it a rest. Let me grow up!" The reporter asked another girl a few questions. The girl began the interview with the statement, "My parents do not understand me. I know they are trying, but give me a break. They want to talk to me all the time. Our communication is outrageous." The girl continued to tell the news reporter about the problem. She said that her mother wanted to know about everything going on in her life. Her mother wanted to talk about her sexual experiences; she wanted to know how it felt to be drunk, and her mom would ask her daughter to share her spiritual thoughts with her. "My mom wants to be my friend. I understand that, but some things are better left unsaid," the girl said in closing. The last teenager that the reporter talked to was a young boy.

As anger overpowered me

Despondency overpowered me when I learnt that my final annual assessment has been forwarded to higher management with a pessimistic note on my performance.When I investigated the matter to locate the factors responsible for such a poor appraisal of my performance, I learnt that my time management skills were badly reported.This changed my earlier feeling of despondency and dejection into anger as all the charges labeled against me were based on misconceived notion and falsehood. As anger overpowered me, all my mental faculties were subjugated to it. I use to cherish my behavioral competency of self-awareness[1] because I used to apply this competency to find remedies.But in that incident the feeling of anger was so powerful and pervasive that I even forgot this ability of mine. So, instead of locating an appropriate way to find out a proper solution to this dilemma, I started nurturing anger against my line-manager.But this period of anger was transitory as when I read the remarks of line manager and started contemplating on the issue, I came to realize that actually my first perception of time management was wrong. Previously I was of the view that time management included coming to office on time and completing the prescribed daily hours.This raised ecstasy in me to know more about the true meaning of time-management. My inquisitive and curious nature further motivated my ecstatic emotions. My reflections on this particular issue suggested that time management comprised of effective utilization of time according to the task and precedence.When I looked around on my other colleagues, a feeling of superiority crept down into my mind. The reason for this feeling of superiority was that how quickly learnt about my mistake and had utilized my learning and thinking capacity to learn new aspects of time-management within minutes.Second reason for this superior feeling was that unlike them, I did not retaliate at my line-manager with false accusation of prejudice. Al though I had that feeling in me but I further thought my ego will not permit me to acknowledge my mistake.I started thinking to pacify my egoistic emotion or to redirect them toward a positive direction. This helped me greatly as I thought a bad performance assessment will ruin the pride I take in my work and job.  So I forwarded an e-mail to my line-manager to forward an explanation on my performance assessment. I further asked to understand the proper context and situation. I received no reply from him. Anger again overpowered and I reverted back to my past emotions of anger and jealousy.I thought that he was consciously disregarding my e-mail. I called on his extension but he did not pick it up either ( I was later told by my lead-manager that he was busy.) This converted my anger into fury.But after half an hour I received a call from him for a meeting. This cheered me up again. I had meeting with during which there was I explained my position to him fully an addition to displ aying strong emotions. My justification bore fruit and he decided in favor of me.Later on an emotion of thankfulness overshadowed all the previous emotions and feelings and I felt myself obliged to my line-manager in true sense of the words. I never thought for a moment that I had hundred thousands of malicious feelings about this person just some hours ago. I was only an epitome of gratitude. When I reflect back now, I wonder how these paradoxical feelings existed at the same time.The last set of emotions was related to different aspects and intensity of happiness. I was happy over my success in making my line-manager recognizing strengths and ignore my weaknesses. I was happy over my recognition of true concept of time-management.I was completely overjoyed by the decision of line manager to forward an-email to chief executive about awarding me the exceptional rating.[1] Self-awareness is an understanding of your own emotions and ‘triggers’ and how they impact on your own behavior and/or the behavior of others.   It is also about understanding your own strengths and limitations.

Masculinity - 1025 Words

Masculinity A cowboy, the strong and silent â€Å"man’s man† is the iconic figure of masculinity. The same cowboy also has a certain fragileness. The perception of a man usually does not reveal the fragile side. However, Gretel Ehrlich reveals this underlying soft side of cowboys in About Men (1985), and Paul Theroux explains in Being a Man (1985) that the idea of manhood is pitiful because there is a fragile side to every man. Ehrlich talks about the rugged lifestyle of a cowboy. He paints this picture of a man who loves what he does. The long days of work with little payoff, the courage of acting spontaneously in the field, and the physical punishment is often underplayed. Most movies containing a cowboy role show a bold individual who†¦show more content†¦The article begins by saying, â€Å"Men arent obsessed with breasts, beer and ball games, new research claims† (HALF). Typically this describes the norms of manhood. But as it explains, times are ch anging. â€Å"Instead, they like and respect women - and nearly half would like to be one. Forty-six percent of men aged 18 to 35 questioned for a survey said if they could be born again; it would be as a woman† (HALF). It seems as though masculinity, or the idea of, isn’t as appealing as it used to be. The survey claimed men only behaved badly in stereotyped TV shows and advertisements. The publication used the information in a survey taken from Cosmopolitan magazine and states â€Å"There is a definite soft side to the 21st-century British male† (HALF). Masculinity is all about strength and toughness. But behind every man is a soft, tender side. For many years, and even still today there is a social standard for men to be manly. Rugged outdoor work and sports are commonly associated with masculinity, but behind the scenes nurturing and delicacy are just as much part of men as women. To some, the fact that I am writing this paper and I am a male would discredit my masculinity. However, that is not the case. Surveys are beginning to show that males are gaining more respect for females, which is allowing them to open up and reveal their own softer side. Just because a man doesn’t play a sport doesn’t mean he isn’t masculine. Genetics determine male or female. Manliness isShow MoreRelatedMasculinity : Masculinity And Masculinity1850 Words   |  8 Pagesin which femininity and masculinity play a role in society. At the end of World War II, there were many interpretations on what it meant to be a man† most no tably for soldiers returning home from the war whom were either unemployed, handicap and/or suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Film and television acted as pivotal agents that influenced a change in the way masculinity was defined. 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My understanding of masculinity, and as technically defined, is having customary qualities attributed to or usually applicable to a male. My position is that society encourages hegemonic masculinity thu s forming basis for males to exhibit traditional masculine qualitiesRead MoreHegemonic Masculinity : Masculinity And Masculinity926 Words   |  4 PagesMultiple Masculinities The certain qualities a man processes plays into how masculine he is rated to be. The way he portrays himself in his looks, actions and everyday life paints a bigger picture for the type of male he is. Connell argues that hegemonic masculinity is the ultimate goal that men strive for. Hegemonic masculinity is the idea of men being powerful, strong and dominant. Not many people actually live up to this theory, but nearly all men strive to achieve it. 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Building on Lynch s (2009) claim that hegemonic masculinity is toxic to both the men and women left in its wake this essay aims to explore the relationship between hegemonic masculinity and violence. Placing a specific focus on acts of intimate partner violence and mass shootings, and exploring the works of Lynch (2009), Keith (2011), Baugher, GazmararianRead MoreHegemonic Masculinity : Masculinity And Masculinity1092 Words   |  5 Pages‘hegemonic masculinity’ and ‘the field of masculinity’ depicted in this film. ‘Hegemonic masculinity’, which is proposed by Connell (1987), is assumed to ‘the pattern of practice (i.e., things done, not just a set of role expectations or an identity) that allowed men’s dominance over women to continue.’ (Connell and Messerschmidt 2005, p.832) However, hegemonic masculinity h as strong influence not only over women, but also over other men as Demetriou (2001, p.341) states. Hegemonic masculinity dominatesRead MoreMasculinity And Masculinity, By Michael Kimmel Essay1976 Words   |  8 Pagesmen are often subject to extreme methods of proving their masculinity, and to reinforce what it truly means to be a man. Michael Kimmel, famous sociologist said, â€Å"Masculinity is the relentless repudiation of the feminine† (Kimmel, 2015), which not only reflects how men think about themselves but how North Americans as an entire culture think about masculinity and manhood. The following pages will be centered on issues of the lens of masculinity in contexts such as the sphere of education, the predominanceRead MoreToxic Masculinity : Substance Masculinity1921 Words   |  8 PagesAs a boy grows into a man he faces the ever-raising mountain of masculinity. In regards to the occurrence, he finally reaches maturity he has no choice but in order to fight to re tain his measly sense of manhood. 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