01 August 2010

Frustration

Frustration. I'm sure we're all familiar with it. For me, it goes hand in hand with unfairness. For example, if a parent yells at you for something that is not your fault or asks you to do something totally unreasonable... but you can't do anything about it because they're in charge. Or when a teacher gives the whole class detentions because of just a few obnoxious people. Or (my personal pet peeve) when an adult talks down to you and belittles you, when you know that if they listened to what you said, they'd find you an intelligent individual. You know the feeling, right? When it seems that you're stuck in the mud, with no clear way out? I certainly do.

I think one of the reasons it's frustrating to be a teenager is because of stereotypes. I walked into a bakery today and the lady at the register glared at me and said, "Can I help you, miss?" in a threatening sort of voice, as if she expected me to pull out a gun and initiate an armed robbery. For heaven's sake, I had just biked five miles with my friend Sam so she could talk to the manager about selling her body products there! Why must every teenager be seen in the same light as the idiots who cause school shootings and join gangs?

Sadly, yet another stereotype is that teenagers are mentally equivalent to very tall third-graders. (Though being a student of accelerated learning, I had to deal with this allll through my life. I know that sounds stuck-up, but...) I find this especially frustrating because I despise being underrated. I took an online high school course as part of my eighth grade curriculum, and had to turn in a short story as part of it. My teacher (a woman who taught 10th grade English in Ohio) gave me a stern lecturing on how I really needed to give credit where it was due, because whoever helped me with the assignment was obviously a gifted writer who had worked hard and probably gone to college for it.
I pretty much flipped out, and so did my real teacher. I find nothing as insulting as a slur on my writing ability.

Of course, other frustrations abound in teenage life... zits are a big one. Unhelpful hair. Getting landed with babysitting (free of charge) for parents' friends' kids I don't even know and usually end up destroying my carefully accumulated collection of vintage stuff.

Anyway... that's my take on it. Please, link up with YOUR posts about frustration... I'd love to read them! And after all... it's really helpful to just vent sometimes.

(Of course, there can never be a HorseFeathers post without a photo, so here's a quick snapshot of me looking frustrated. Grr!)
(And yes, I know it's totally geeky. And unflattering. And for some reason there's a white dot on my nose. And you can see my arm holding the camera. But... that's how I feel! Rawr!)

15 comments:

  1. Erg, I SO know how you feel! I would be SO mad if someone got mad at me for my own writing piece. I feel that way too, and though I'm not *technically* a teenager, people act like I am. Yes, I'm twelve and that is almost a teenager, but is that any reason to treat me like I'm some nutter with a gun? I think not!

    ~SofieRose

    ReplyDelete
  2. That sucks. I have to go though the same stuff ( except the writing part, teachers are baffled that I'm in AG when they see my writing, I mean we mostly just read anyway so I guess it's fine ;)
    The only way I handle the parent stuff is because of my older sister it's kinda akward, when we are together and my parents are making a big deal out of something or whatever we give each other a look and burst out laughing! It's pretty awesome to have someone know exactly what you're going through. Outside the family stuff no one treats me any different. At least I don't think so...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I totally know what you mean! Just today, I experienced that condescension you mentioned. And afterwards, I said to my parents, "I wish I could wear a sign on my shirt that says: I am 21 years old! I am an adult!" Well, I'll be 21 in a few months, but I still get treated like I'm 15 and a few times at restaurants I've been asked if I order off the kids' menu.

    Unfortunately, it's the way society is today. But it takes just a few to stand out from the crowd and make a difference. So, while it's frustrating... ok VERY frustrating, stay strong and prove society wrong! It's really fun :)

    Stella Velox
    Scribe of the King

    ps: I enjoy reading your posts. You have a very eclectic style that makes it fun, interesting, and thought provoking all at once.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ugh. You never told me about the writing thing but I know I would probably flip out in a similar fashion to when my SS/LA teacher picked up my trumpet....

    I hate being frustrated. It gets me stressed and annoyed and it makes me completely lose my concentration. At that point I usually just call you and have a nice hour-long phone conversation.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I HATE that!!! And when they're talking to you (adults) and then you try to explain, THEY DON'T LISTEN!!! I HATE that! It's the most frusterating thing EVER!!
    Oh, check out my story! It's at my blog. :) It's starting to heat up!
    + I joined Anecdote! Well, I'm almost exepted. Conet' hasn't finished exeptinng me yet.

    It's too cool that you go 'Rawr!' when your mad. When most people ar emad they say: Errrrrg, Grrrrrr, AARG, EEEEEIGH or something. But I have always gone 'Rawr!!' Small world isn't it? (Ha ha!) Anyhow, when is the Music video coming out? And what part are you in? (Taylor Swift) are you alowed to say?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I know how you feel. The state premier came to my school and my sister got part credit for something that was mainly mine. Grrr. But getting mad at you for your own writing?...

    ReplyDelete
  7. I hate frustration. No one ever seems frustrated with adults, just teenagers :( It sucks. You're 13/14, right? The age where you're a sterotype magnet :(

    By the way, nice lighting in the picture ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I totally understand.

    And RAWR to you too!

    ReplyDelete
  9. what a lovely blog to stumble upon! love it! ah I feel inspired now!

    xox

    polli

    ReplyDelete
  10. I know exactly what you mean. I hate it when people think I couldn't handle something or that I'm automatically stupid because I'm a teen. To make matters worse I look a year or two younger than I really am. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm 20 and oh my God it was good to get out of my "teenager" status! I'm with you on that one! I was always a lot more mature than most of my peers and it sucked to be always judged by their standards! But I also realized that parents will ALWAYS be parents no matter how old, mature, married, moved out and all of that good stuff you are... So think that they do it cause they care, maybe it will make you feel better... :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love the design of your blog and your photos!

    I have something for your over at my blog:
    www.theprettybee.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hah. YES! I totally get what you're saying. And the whole collage thing really irks me too. It just seems like some people think to be smart and to get a good job you have to go to collage. NOT. Especially in this economy. Who do you think is gonna get hired, a newly collage grad nurse or one who has more experience and is competing for the same job? The latter will almost always get it. There goes the collage thing for you.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, i know i know i know i know i know!!!!

    ReplyDelete

because comments = ❤

read about