The moral decline of western civilization has been observed and predicted for hundreds of years. Numerous attempts have been made to place the blame on any definable culprit in the last century, but to no avail. I, however, have discovered the true answer, and that is that teenagers are to blame. The evidence for this view abounds, whether it be the content of their popular culture, their own behavior, or statistics on their generation. Surely I face opposition to my view, but the irrefutable proof I plan to set forth is more than enough to show that the slings of society are caused almost solely by teenagers.

The influence cultural icons exert on today's teenagers is overwhelming. Stars such as Britney Spears (who, it is to be noted, is also a teen), Korn, or Puff Daddy can influence the style, outlook, obsessions, slang, and innumerable other cultural elements of their fans and even casual listeners. Britney Spears has not only supported a newfound fascination among females from elementary through high school in heavy application of makeup, but continues to fuel the sexual fascinations of male teenagers. A poster of her quite exposed figure leaning against a pole can be sighted in regular haunts of many a teenage male. The influence of Puff Daddy and fellow rap stars is undeniable, evidenced by the regular addition of new words to teenage slang, such as "phat," which is even now considered somewhat outdated, "shady," and "off da hook." It is quite clear when wandering the halls of any high school in the country that swearing is much more accepted than it used to be. The so-called "F word" is used in casual language, with listeners to a conversation in which it is used not even batting an eye. In the recent hit rap song by Eminem, "Guilty Conscience," nearly ten seconds in a row of lyrics had to be censored by MTV. Additionally, there are numerous other obscenities in the song, 27 total in just over three minutes. Also, the songs "Monsta Mack" by early-90s rapper Sir Mix-a-lot and "F*** tha Police" by Rage Against the Machine embrace a mentality of defiance toward the older generations. For example, a lyric from "Monsta Mack:" "Now the right wing wanna test me/but if likin' sex is a crime, then you arrest me/But don't tell me who to sing to, Jack/'cause at thirty your life is in the sack…" Their targets include members of the US government trying to protect teens' minds, the dedicated police of this country, who try to protect their lives, and many other important protectors of society. With such influence obviously held by such popular "artists," it is little wonder that teens adopt such inflammatory attitudes. This fact creates an ever-expanding circle of influence, when performers attempt to push the bounds of accepted good taste by taking even more outrageous stands. Up to this point I have neglected the realm of film, but let me assure you that the content teen movies get away with these days is simply frightening. While many are R-rated, no one can deny that movies like "American Pie" and "South Park" are directed toward the adolescent community. For example, the entire plot of "American Pie" centered on sexual experimentation of a wide variety by teenagers. The educational negativity and ignorance displayed by today's adolescents is yet another indicator of their lower state of existence compared to earlier generations. Students remain unmotivated and unlearned, and some go so far as to flaunt it as being "cool." A study by the US Department of Education showed a drastic decrease in science proficiency in 17-year-olds between 1970 and 1996, as well as a smaller decrease in writing proficiency overall between 1984 and 1996. The culture of rebellion in which today's teenagers thrive has spawned movements in outrageous hatred, the two most prominent being neo-Naziism and Satanism. The types who engage in these activities do so simply to go against the reasonable beliefs of their elders, whom they profess to view, respectively, as left-wing extremists or "right-wing Christian fundamentalist wackos," as one student of State College Area High School eloquently expressed. However, their behavior shows that their motivations are not based on a reasonable pursuit of truth, as their superiors', but instead simply for shock value. Neo-Nazis caused the Littleton, Colorado massacre, and, no matter your stance on the cause of their outlash, the evidence in recently-recovered tapes they made before their killing spree shows a purely superficial understanding of the beliefs of Adolph Hitler and a morbid fascination with death, fostered by their peers and culture. The fact that they did not take time to truly inform themselves of Hitler's regime clearly shows they simply followed what little they knew in an attempt to alienate older people. Satanism is the same situation, in which juveniles find the sensitive point of their parents and community, religion, and rebel as thoroughly as possible against it. An ability to control one's impulses is an established measure of maturity, and, according to this yardstick, teenagers are as immature as ever. It is very obvious that senseless violence (think: school shootings) is on a drastic rise of late, and it goes without saying that withholding from killing people is a form of controlling one's impulses. Likewise, drug use by high school seniors has jumped from under 30% in 1992 to over 40% in 1999. Even 30% is an unreconcilable number, but for the rate to shoot to nearly one half of America's incoming workforce using drugs is simply outrageous. Again, the inability to resist using substances incorrectly, in potentially dangerous ways that one has been informed are dangerous, shows not only a lack judgment and common sense, but also an easy submission to one's impulses. Teens' views on sex have made it an extremely casual subject, in which they engage freely and without abandon. Data on teen pregnancy show that their culture has created a generation of sexual excess. In the mid-1980s, there were about 52 teenage births out of 1000 teens. By 1991, that number had raised to 63 per 1000. Clearly, an inability and unwillingness to abstain from dangerous sexual practices equates to an inability and unwillingness to control one's impulses. With all this information before you, you almost doubtlessly agree that the disgusting teenage culture that exists today is the cause of most of modern society's ills, including drug use, disrespect and vulgarity directed toward all members of society, useless citizens, and a volatile and aggressive environment. But if you are not yet convinced, please allow me to show you why defense on the behalf of teenagers simply does not stand up to reasonable analysis.

I can imagine very clearly the argument against the points I laid down in the previous paragraph. A teenager, while reading them, would say to themselves there own argument against each, and so these are the counter-arguments I will document and address. The first utterance from our phantom reader would surely be, "what about teens who don't listen to popular music?" One would argue that without negative behavior being patterned after music stars, these people ought to be perfect role models. However, it is important not only what I included, but also what I didn't. Even students who distance themselves from popular music behave with the deplorable social skills I listed. The fact that this is true shifts the mass of the blame for teens' behavior off the musicians to whom they listen, and onto other teens. The majority, that is, that population that decides what "popular" music is, control the general direction of teen culture in general. Instead of profane music, teens' problems with vulgarity (vocal and otherwise) stem from there own weak characters; a willingness to follow either musicians or peers leads to a reception and imitation of the bad habits they display, or even flaunt. The subsequent argument one would hear quietly passing the lips of the imaginary reader would likely be a stammered denial of the educational facts. All the data point to a lazier generation of students, who are determined to keep school from both being a place of learning and serving any non-social function. For further proof, simply visit a high school and observe a college-preparation-level course. "But what about students who engage in extracurricular academics, like Science Olympiad or Yearbook?" These students merely have a less negative view of education. While they may seem to be a perfect student after school, if you were to follow one through their day (as I have), you would certainly find that they hold the same stance on the normal school day as any other student. Also, while their outlook on school may be better overall than average, they also tend to embrace the vulgarities of popular culture, such as excessive and shameless swearing. In response to my description of Satanism, one would jump on the chance to bring as evidence the recent Christian teen movements and other religious revivals in teens. The entire situation began with a Christian response to the coming millennium. In a last-ditch, and quite superficial, effort to get on their savior's good side, millions of teens began going to church and putting up the façade of religiosity. This fever of apparent religious consciousness sparked teens of other religions to behave in a similar fashion, but certainly not to the same extent. This said, it is obviously clear that the Christian teen movement will quickly die out in the next few years, just like any large-sized fad, and teens will go back to honestly showing themselves as they are. Again, one might try to show data from the same study on teen pregnancy indicating that the rate was higher in the 1950s and 60s. However, you must be careful to read everything in a study; the data also include the fact that the majority of pregnant teens in the middle of this century were in married, while the majority today are not. Therefore, with every point against my argument exhausted, one must come to the same conclusion I have. Any argument in defense of teenagers simply has no stable ground on which to stand.

While there has clearly been a problem for quite a while with the standards of society, no one has been able to place the blame satisfactorily. However, one can easily show that the roots of a culture steeped in disrespect, aggression, sloth, vulgarity, and moral laxity lie almost completely with teenagers. From the mutual encouragement between media and teens to further stretch and break the bounds of good taste to intentional attacks on virtuous behavior, teenagers go constantly against the reasonable views of their elders. Teens currently cause problems by being incompetent, uneducated burdens on society, and as they age, their influence, and therefore these problems, will undoubtedly increase. Never before has it been so clear that this single group can be pinpointed as the cause of society's vast problems.