The Road to Whatever : Middle-Class Culture and the Crisis of Adolescence

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Analysis of a Real Problem
Review: After spending many years studying history and politics, I've come to the conclusion that a strong, stable, and relatively prosperous middle-class is the key to providing a strong, stable, and relatively prosperous society and its accompanying political organization. We will always have the very wealthy and we will always have the poor. The rich and the poor, representing the two extremes on a social spectrum, must, however, be the minorities in any stable society. The middle-class represents what we ordinarily refer to as the "mainstream." It seems obvious then that the future of a stable and prosperous society must always rest with the generation coming of age and that middle-class adults, particularly those who are involved in the raising of middle-class youth, should be nurturing these younger members, preparing them to take their place as responsible adults in the larger society, thereby guaranteeing the continued stability and prosperity of that society.

But, according to sociologist Elliott Currie, not all is kosher among middle-class youth in America and he provides an interesting investigation into the core causes of the epidemic of violence, drug abuse, and hopelessness among those American teenagers who are part of what is generally called "mainstream America," that is, these teenagers are true members of the middle-class and do not represent the impoverished young people of the poorer class who are generally thought to be responsible for most of the antisocial behavior in our society and who are considered to be "disadvantaged" and "alienated" from the larger society as a whole.

The title of Currie's book, "The Road to Whatever," I initially found to be very curious and I wasn't quite sure what the author really meant. It didn't take long to discover why he was using that particular title. Indeed, if the current crisis among middle-class adolescents is to be marked with a single word, the word "whatever" is about as good a word as one can use. "Whatever," in the sense which seems to be used in this book, is full of meaning and embodies an expression of carelessness, heedlessness, despair, thoughtlessness, riskiness, and so on, behaviors and attitudes which are not considered desirable attributes to be fostered in our young. Too many middle-class youths in America are not on the "Road to Maturity," or the "Road to Success," or the "Road to Prosperity." They are, well, on the road to "Whatever."

What, asks Currie, has brought this phenomenon about? What is going on in American culture that appears to be the catalyst for this circumstance? What are the root causes, if any? The author rejects the usual answers we hear all over the media from the pundits, partisans, and self-declared experts. Some say it is violence and sex on television that is responsible. Others claim it is the new "permissiveness" in our society which causes these young people to behave and feel as they do. Still others point to other causes and suggest solutions, some of which can easily be described as "Draconic." Currie discusses these issues, provides a critical analysis, and dismisses them.

There are a number of points the author makes which I found right on the mark and, although I may tend to interpret them in a slightly different way, he and I are basically in agreement (I think). Currie says that many of our middle-class youths are living in a "culture of exclusion." I suspect he is correct. The communities our young people are growing up in today are not as supportive of the young as those of the past. Today, even simple and unintended mistakes made by teenagers are not overlooked, but seem to generate a social outcry for an immediate solution, even to the point where the punishment for infractions far exceeds the consequences of the infraction itself. The recent "zero tolerance" policies, so beloved now by public schools, are an example of the unforgiving nature which has come to dominate interactions between "authority" figures and adolescents.

Another important issue raised by Currie is the widespread use of medications to control young people who don't meet societal or parental expectations, or are otherwise "out of control." For over twenty years, I have been trying to draw attention to this abuse of pharmacology, beginning with the overuse of the drug Ritalin back in the 1980s. I've also been critical of the tendency among so-called "mental health" professionals to "manufacture" diseases and "syndromes" where none can actually be objectively shown to exist, but it is easier to label and categorize, then "treat" and medicate, resulting, of course, in profits in somebody's pocket. I am in complete agreement with Currie, if I rightly understand his position, on the matters of behavioral medications and adolescent psychotherapy.

In general, Currie does an outstanding job of analyzing, dissecting, and criticizing contemporary middle-class society in America and the crisis which has resulted for teenagers growing up within the current cultural milieu. Much of the material he presents is anecdotal, actual interviews with middle-class adolescents involved in various forms and degrees of self-destructive behavior. These are not the kids from the other side of the tracks. These are not the disadvantaged or the impoverished. These are, however, the future of American society and culture. These are the kids who will determine what sort of communities this nation has in the years to come.

The concluding chapter of the book, entitled "Toward a Culture of Support," suggests some reforms which Currie thinks are important to implement in order that the present problem be resolved. Most of them are well thought out and reasonably supported. A few I would want to discuss with him further because they involve philosophical issues with which I might take issue. I can think of one or two suggestions for reform I might suggest, but he doesn't include. Be that as it may, I hope the book is widely read and discussed; the problem is out there and Professor Currie's work is an excellent place to begin the conversation.

Rating:
Summary: Drive this road with your eyes wide open
Review: What does "whatever" mean in this title? A sizeable number of today's teens are so frustrated--like rats who get shocked no matter what part of the cage floor they step on--that they just give up on themselves. They "can't do anything right" or can't be perfect (as demanded by parents or others), so they give up.

Their situation is like that of a wage earner caught in the machinery of the IRS: a culture of punitive attitudes supersedes practical considerations, common sense, and even basic human decency. In such a situation, the only possible outcome is destruction. And it's this culture that many teens must deal with. Because of the intense frustration, they grow apathetic. A resigned "whatever, dude" becomes the new mantra.

The key to motivating people is the same as the key to having a good relationship with anybody: treating that person with dignity and respect. Yet, we find a total absence of dignity or respect in the way many parents treat their children. Elliott Currie brings us one chilling account after another of troubled teens. In these accounts, we can see it's not a "lack of toughness" or a "life of privilege" that drives kids into drug abuse and other self-destructive behaviors. It's a lack of respect and dignity. The cure parents and social workers normally offer for this is often disrespect and humiliation.

The social (governmental) institutions that our hard-earned tax dollars support tend to compound the problems, with the attitude that the teen is the problem and/or the problem is within the teen. The philosophy is that if the teen can would correct his/her own behavior, everyone can be happy. These people don't realize a fundamental point upon which psychologists base talk therapy: self-destructive behaviors are often coping behaviors.

Until you correct the environment a teen is in, the teen is not going to successfully correct his/her behavior. This, also, comes out clearly in accounts Currie brings the reader.

Another attitude that comes out is that all sins are equal. So, a kid gets into minor trouble--perhaps a string of things. A bad grade, sassing to a parent, staying out later than agreed upon, forgetting a chore--and suddenly, this teen crosses the line from human to evil incarnate. There's often little distinction between typical teen problems and real problems. I went through this myself, as a teen. I had long hair, and my dad wanted to throw me out of the house. Forget that I had straight As, held a job, was active socially and in church, and was an athlete in school. Of course, I could have simply cut my hair--but, I needed to make a statement and that was my statement. Both of us were stubborn. We resolved our problem--but many kids and parents don't.

Sometimes when parents encounter one small thing they "can't abide," the kid is "no good." Or, they get frustrated over many minor things and see their child as "lost." They forget their kid isn't out selling drugs or robbing liquor stores. This myopia is prevalent, and it's causing massive destruction. This is what Currie shows us in account after account.

The book does contain a couple of odd threads. One is Currie's negative remarks about the Reagan era. He doesn't make clear what part of ending Jimmy Carter's malaise, producing the longest peacetime economic expansion in history, ending the Soviet nuclear threat, or massively increasing job opportunities he objects to. Another is he proposes that we entrust our healthcare system to the same "geniuses" who use our hard-earned tax dollars to purchase $750 toilet seats and $900 hammers--he wasn't clear on how this would benefit teens or anybody else.

But if you can set aside the minor sprinkling of outdated left-wing politics, you will find this book is provocative and insightful--even helpful. If you have teens, you may find that reading this book to be one of the best uses you've ever made of your time. If you have bought into the simplistic theories of "tough love," "teen boot camps," and other half-baked measures that humiliate teens instead of accord them respect and basic human dignity, then you are on a path to failure. Thinking through what the kids in this book have to say can help you go forward with your eyes open. 

This book doesn't expound yet another behavioral theory. Instead, Currie looks at real situations and takes us inside the minds of the teens. He reminds us that teens are basically good. They are people with feelings. Teens are not equipped to handle the demands placed on adults, and that puts some responsibility on the shoulders of adults. Teens have their own needs and if we will simply listen to them and try to understand, then we have a good chance of providing teens with what they need to succeed.

Understanding these few facts--on the part of parents, neighbors, friends, mentors, employers, teachers, and social workers can help--can help adults involved with teens do a remarkable turnaround. And help nearly any teen from becoming "troubled" in the first place.