October 14, 2006
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Political Opinions
I wrote a post last night about a 14-year old girl who posted “Kill Bush” on her myspace account.
The Secret Service paid her a little visit. In the discussion, a lady left the following comment:
“Little 14 year old girl is ignorant. No way she can fathom the world’s problems at age 14.” (I did not link this lady for a reason. Don’t go spam her).
After that comment there was a great deal of discussion about what a 14-year old could know about the world’s problems.
Can a 14-year old fathom the world’s problems?
Comments (257)
Can anyone?
Yes!
haha..
sdfsdf
Most 14 year olds are not at a place where they can fathom the world’s problems at a significant level. The chances of a 14 year old with a myspace that says Kill Bush would be even less. That would indicate a pretty superficial understanding of the world’s problems.
a 14 year old knows when a person is a complete moron
hahahhaa
Yes and shame on that person for being so ignorant as to say that she couldn’t.
i think so… there are some 14 year olds who are a lot more informed on worl issues than 40 year olds i know!
Tshh. Little white girl living in a gated communtiy wanted to be a “rebel” and hate Bush. They can, but I severly doubt this one did.
yes.
my friends and i are very politically aware of the world and whats going on.
we know what we’re talking about. we look at the news. we have opinions. i don’t like bush for many reasons. and i’m very aware of why i don’t like him. her parents also might play a factor in it.
even though a lot of 14 year olds are kinda stupid and do stupid things, there is a percentage of kids that actually care about the world
Fourteen year olds can. She probably doesn’t.
i’m presently sitting next to a 14-year old… hold on a second, let me ask her if she fathoms the world’s problems….
she’s said the problem with the world is people are dead without God; Jesus came to restore life to people, but people don’t want His life because they would have to re-think their lives and start living for Jesus; instead, they’d rather stay dead and in their sins. You have to know you need to be saved before you can be saved…. that’s a pretty good grasp on the world’s problems…
Possibly…
I have know some very intelligent 14 yr olds. (My self NOT included.)
But I highly doubt that MOST 14 year olds can fathom or comprehend the worlds problems…
~*RoXy*~
“we know what we’re talking about. we look at the news. we have opinions. i don’t like bush for many reasons. and i’m very aware of why i don’t like him. her parents also might play a factor in it.” ChickarooO831
There is alot more going on in the world than what the news wants to tell you. It takes more than watching the news to understand what’s going on in the world. You need to investigate and find out what’s going on that the news is not telling you. For example: late last year a major terrorist attack against the U.S. was stopped by Italy, through wire tapping. I doubt if you heard that on the news. Why? Because it wasn’t talked about here, just everywhere else in the world. The news didn’t want to report that story, it would’ve promoted President Bush’s case for wire tapping.
Is it possible for a 14 year old to understand what’s going on in the world? Yes. Is it likely? No.
I loved how you said “don’t go spam her”.
Just because you’re 14 does not mean you’re not aware of the world. You learn to form your own opinions at a young age; it just means you can think for yourself.
But then again, there are some teenagers that say random things such as “Kill Bush” to blend into the crowd even if they don’t know what they’re talking about. So I can understand why that woman says fourteen year old teens don’t think because a majority can’t. That doesn’t mean EVERY teenager can’t though.
Yes, for the most part she copuld fathom them. There is a difference from being able to fathom the world’s problems and totally comprehending them.
P.S. It’s hard enough for alot of adults to understand what’s going on in the world.
I think a smart 14 year old (there are A LOT of those out there) can understand the problems of the world. Sometimes they are more in touch than adults.
I’d like to think I knew of the world’s problems when I was 14. Of course, 9/11 happened the day after I turned 14, so the problems were pretty obvious then. But, yes, I think that there are some extremely intelligent and aware young teenagers out now. However, there are also some very immature teens who don ‘t even know the name of our Vice President (happened in my US History class last year).
how can a 14 year old understand what grown men can’t even solve.
Yes. In fact I had a better world view at 14 than I do now.
Yes.
But are you talking about a normal, fairly well off American 14 year old?
Because there are a lot of 14 year old’s having bomb sirens go off nightly by their homes.
not to the extent that an adult can…
Being of the same age myself, its possible. People of different ages, etc take a different approach towards certain situations.
A 14 year old can understand better than most, but most are completely ignorant. And not anywhere near as well as those few that actually do educate themselves
“how can a 14 year old understand what grown men can’t even solve.” she isn’t trying to solve the problems, she is just saying she hates bush for how he is running the country…
That depends upon their maturity level. There are some adults in this world due to their maturity level and sometimes intellectual level cannot fully grasp the world’s problems. I have a 13 year old daughter who in so many ways is such an old soul and understands more than I ever thought possible. Yes, she does understand many of the world’s problems. Maybe it’s because of how much and what exactly she’s been exposed to in her 13 years on this earth. I don’t think anyone should ever make a blanket statement that teenagers cannot grasp the world’s problems. It all depends upon each individual teen, their maturity level, their intelligence, and their capacity to care about issues beyond their own little teeny bopper bubble. Some teens are capable of such things.
They can. I have my doubts as to this particular one, however.
of course – they may not understand things in their entirety, but they can have a general understanding
I think it depends on the 14 year old. I was a pretty naive, unworldly 14 year old who was into makeup, boys, and myself. However, I have seen quite a few mature, wordly youngins.
Probably not as much as an adult, and some more than others, but yes.
Appears that she personally does not have a grasp on the world’s problems since her comment was immature and extreme, but there are several aware and intelligent 14-year-olds that do have an understanding of the world around them. I personally believe that vast majority of teenagers are mindless, apathetic drones, which causes the stereotype among us.
Basically, people should really stop grouping and generalizing. It only causes arguments.
Yes, 14 year olds are capable of understanding things going on in the world. It doesn’t matter where they grew up, it is an individual thing. There are some 14 year olds that are more capable of understanding the world than some adults are. Kids understand and are aware of more than people give them credit.
I think it definitely depends on the fourteen year old. Honestly, I don’t think that this particular girl doesn’t quite understand what was in her statement. I am fourteen, and I don’t agree with the president, but to put something like that randomly on a myspace… not only is it dumb, it’s extremely cruel. I believe the world’s main problem is hate, in any way shape or form, and even if you disagree with someone in power, you should never hate them…
Yes, she had/has a good point.
however i have a good point too. Frack Bush, Frack the USA, frack 911, frack me, frack everyone who reads your blog, frack Dan, frack you, Frack Coke, and frack the world. frack off.
Sadly a 14 year old can tell the president is a stupid-fracker.
is this girl a terrorist because she doesnt support the war?? so what nore does 33 percent of the US popualtion. she is just one out of many. its just she used God and she was young and it offset her opinion and made it louder.
truth from the baby mouth of youths.
using God to set a point is perfect since most people believe in God. I believe her and frack the sercet service.
shes a kid; and the serect service should come under attack/investigation by Homeland security; and you know what; it just might.
Just because they’re young doesn’t mean they’re ignorant. How many of us at 14 could’ve sworn we knew everything we needed to survive in the world? And granted, we didn’t know much about keeping jobs or managing relationships or things like that, but I had a pretty decent hold on world events at the ripe old age of one four. Give the girl some credit. Now, granted, she probably doesn’t know all the details, and she’s most likely operating on the propaganda of her peers. Most middle- and high-schoolers don’t support Bush and make a big statement of criticizing him daily. There are very few people under the age of 18, from what I understand, who support our president with any conviction…and as far as the people aged above 18, I’d say that assumption holds true for them as well.
Yes. She understands. Maybe not fully, but not everyone understands fully, and still they are entitled to their opinion (however rash). Not a good idea to threaten the life of a public official, and I’m glad the secret service intervened on behalf of presidential protection, but there are principles at stake here…and Constituional ones at that.
deviouspersonthing, frack you. you are wrong. the president is the key faction of whats done and who kills. he can recall our soilders. he is the commander and even this little girl understands that. the president single handed has the power to make changes and people hate him because he kills people just because he can; all over oil.
ever notice whenever a bunch of soilders get killed gas drops about half a dollar????
im sick of commenting and talking down to people about this.
Yes, i’m fifteen and I can understand completly.
We need love, not God like cotaroba said.
What about the other religions? We need respect and love.
Yes.
At that age you tend to live in a “bubble world” - own thoughts, music, own room, friends, sometimes school. It doesn’t go much past that unless your parents are forcing you to take in the world’s views through “Current Events”.
I think it’s possible. Depends on the 14 year old.
some can. i’m 14, and i know i understand more than a lot of others my age. the average 14 year old is an idiot (at my school anyway). that’s why i can’t stand 90% of the people in my grade…
I’ve met a couple very mature 14 year olds with a better handle on world conditions than their parents.
Not any more or less than any other age.
It’s just all perspective.
At the time, I thought I did… but then I aged just a year and I realized who wrong I was… then I aged a few more years and I realized what a fool I was when I was 14.
i think we can all agree that kid’s see alot about what’s going on around them, more than we do sometimes….
I’m the youngest in the family, yet i see alot of things that my siblings and parents don’t
they might think your young and stupid, but you never are.. when we lose our youth we lose our innocence and sense of right and wrong… this girl still has that, but the thing that sets her apart is that she’s not afraid to show it…
maturity isn’t measured by your age.. i think once we realize that a lot of good will happen… don’t beat up on some one if they can be smarter than you while still being younger…
Of course we can. At least the few smart ones can. She was not smart. You shouldn’t put something that morbid on anything. To think of killing someone because you disagree with their policy is barbaric.
not very sure i’m qualified to…
HA! a 14 year old? Who remembers being 14? Cocksure lil sons of bitches weren’t we? We never know enough, and the worst thing a 14 year old can do to him or her self is be so sure of his/her convictions that they are unwilling to change! The older you get the more information u will recieve. Its best if u take a look at both sides through no lense. It will help. If u have the sam opinion as a (lets jstu say) 18year old as u did when u were 14 then u have not grown or learned a thing. So no i dont think a 14 year old cna grasp it, there are some things u are just taught later on that help explain ALOT! like economics, and how the Americna system works on paper.
I don’t think most can. They just haven’t had enough education and experience to truly grasp what is going on.
I think they can form opinions, which are most likely very much influenced by their parents, society, and television (especially MTV).
When I was 14 all I cared about was girls, sports, arguing with my parents, and hanging out with my friends. Which taught me a lot more than I would’ve learned trying to keep up with what was going on in the real world. I didn’t watch the news when I was 14, is was boring then. I didn’t read newspapers or anything like that. The only political views I had are the ones overheard from my parents while at home. My lack of knowledge was from being 14. I truly didn’t care. I cared about my peers and what they thought of me. And I cared about trying to figure out what was going on in my life, because that can be a very difficult age.
Show me a 14 year old that is well versed in politics and what is going on in the world as a whole, and I will show you a 14 year old that needs to get some friends and start living life a little more.
Those are supposed to be the “carefree” years of a person’s life.
I actually remember seeing that ladys comment. I thought her comment was ignorant so I didn’t say anything.
Can a 14 year old know as much as an older person? Not usually but they can realize some things and see how they are affected by others. One thing about being older it makes you forget how you were at that age. I’m only 19 and I can’t remember much about being 14.
Eh, so some what she can, yeah. Some more then others.
Age is just a number. And ‘fathom’ is just a word.
Sidebar:
freedom of speech and all that…
but what about here? i don’t agree with the extremists point of view. either of them.. but freedom of speech is freedom of speech.. they can excercise it here too..
what i hate is people bammng up on them…yelling at them,swearing at them, and ridiculing for their ideas… i don’t agree with what this woman said, but neither do i think some of the comments that were posted after hers should have been so mean. you yell “freedom of speech” yet how free is that when you yell at someone else for their views?
i got yelled at last weekend for posting a test score from last year. we can say freedom of speech in political documents, but does that apply to society at all? I have yet to say something that won’t be weighted and judged and condemned. Have you?
Just because she is 14 doesnt mean shes ignorant!
one thing i will say, taht girl has cool color eyes… are they green or blue? or both? or is it possible for something to be 2 things at once to different people? hm… I wonder.
I saw a girl with purple eyes (contacts) once, it was really cool.
No
Christ, yes they do! I just turned 15 and most of my friends and I discuss politics frequently and think and listen to each other and debate just like adults too. We’re NOT stupid and ignorant. And someday the world might just realize that.
And regarding someone’s comment above, I actually form my own opinions (though I’m 15). I read the newspaper and I involve myself with what is going on. I don’t agree with everything my parents believe and I don’t even watch MTV. Clearly you do not know many competant teenagers.
I know 21 year olds that cannot fathom todays problems. Knowledge (for the most part) does not always depend on your age. It depends on how much you want to know. Granted, she could be totally ignorant and just being anti-bush to get attention, but just because SHE is 14 and ignorant does not mean all fourteen year olds are ignorant.
As jmarszalek said, all taht yelling cuts of fother freedom of speech, like that lil stunt those college kids pulled when they rushed the stage at some damn minute man speech, Grant it the kids have a good point, but rushing the stage and shouting the mant down? TActless. I invite and shamelessly endorse the book “The J curve” by ian bremmer, It amazing. Read it and it will give incite into the stability of nations and really and insite into american policy.
And in repsonce to “
Age is just a number. And ‘fathom’ is just a word.
Posted 10/14/2006 at 11:46 PM by ThePresidentsCafe”
i say your stament is jsut a phrase, but knowledge through experinece is priceless. I doubt i will have the same views in 5 years as i have now. Some might stay about the same, some might change, but I remember being 14 and i was a quick thinking lil whipper snapper and as i got older more and more things became more complex where as they used to seem so simple and well laid out.
You know… Kids aren’t stupid. Kids aren’t innocent creatures with cotton in their ears who see nothing, hear nothing, and know nothing. They understand a great deal more than anyone gives them credit for. That woman has no idea what she is talking about. I was watching the news at a far younger age than 14, and understood it. I wanted to know, and did know. I’m not some great exception either. When will kids get some damn credit?
And chathog needs to read about this country’s system of checks and balances. The President doesn’t have the power to singlehandedly do very much at all. This is not a dictatorship, it is a democracy.
No one branch of the government can exercise the authority of another branch, and each branch has some power to limit the actions of the other two branches. Through this system, no one branch of the government can accumulate too much power.
no way, i’m a very intelligent 16 year old, and i can’t even fathom my town’s problems. i agree with youroutercritic.
You cna debate politics wiht your friends, but there is a reason 14 year olds have 4 more years of school left. I am nto saying they are “ignorant”, after all WTF does that mean anymore? its used like the pill now adays, by everyone. But i am saying i was 14 not so long ago and I know now i did not know nearly enough, i debated politics and whatnot with my buds, but thats like having Bush and cheney debate politics, its pretty much gonna be on the same level. She will get older (i hope) and she will learn more things about the world and she might find that impeachment is better then murder, after all if she advoactes a killing does that make her nay better then him? no.
Now i dont particualry like teh Iraq sojourn but I know its not only for oil, if it were out defict would not be so big and oil woild be what it was when i started to drive, 1.50! Damn i miss those days!
majority of them…no.
Most of them, no.
I’m more concerned about the secret sevice visiting her and makeing her say that
i understand everyone is eager to put their two cents in and talk about when they were fourteen, but can we honestly apply that here? Isn’t everyone different? I agree with age comes wisdom, but with age comes forgetfullness as well…
Absolutely. Or not. A fourteen-year-old can be smarter than a sixty-two-year-old. Or a fourteen-year-old can have no idea what they’re talking about. It depends on the person.
I would like to think that some can…but I like esch99′s answer.
It does not matter. It only matters what she thinks when she is 18, at that point she can vote. Oh, and be tried as an adult.
I think some can, but not most.
yes. An educated 14 year old would form better opinions than most adults due to less biases within their view and children often can percieve obvious things that adults can’t.
i really doubt it.
yes
we live in this world too
As good as a 60 year old
any day
-Jacob
I’m 14 and I fathom a hell of alot more than Bush does.
No. That girl is just spewing what her parents tell her and pretending she understands shit. I know I don’t understand anything. I know I am ignorant.
It depends on the 14 year old. There are adults my age who have no clue about the world’s problems. There are 15 year olds that I teach who can tell you more about politics, and know what they are talking about, than most adults. It depends on the person we are talking about.
I’m 14 and I fathom a hell of alot more than Bush does.
I know you don’t. For one thing, you don’t get the intelligence briefings that he does. He has so much more of a big picture perspective than you could imagine. I’ve been in the Army for twenty years and I see more of the big picture now than I did when I was a brand new second lieutenant. Your world gets bigger as your sphere of influence gets bigger. It’s hard to imagine right now, but you don’t really know everything… trust me on this. I used to know everything when I was your age too. I wish I had written it down then… hee hee hee
Oh God yes. I’ve seen them. They’re just as realistic thinkers as anyone in general, you just have to look for them.
QUOTE: Frack Bush, Frack the USA, frack 911, frack me, frack everyone who reads your blog, frack Dan, frack you, Frack Coke, and frack the world. frack off. I believe her and frack the sercet service. Posted 10/14/2006 at 11:16 PM by Chathog159 END QUOTE
LMAO!!! Wow! A fellow Battlestar Gallactica Fan! Frack Yeah!
A 14-year old can experience them.
ehh im 14 and i still dont understand the world. so i would say no. and her saying something stupid like “kill Bush” is just retarded. and people who clearly understand the world wouldnt say retarded comments about people.
Yes. The younger the child, the more innocent the concept of the world and people in general is; they have more insight than most. As we age, our minds tend to get diluted with other people’s opinions i.e. the media, friends/family, our religions, etc. So I think a 14 year old can fathom the world’s problems more so than their elders can.
Yes, however that doesn’t mean that they all do…
…then again, there are fully grown adults who are still incapible of grasping the problems of the world
better then most adults a great protion of the time…
I could at 14. I had lived on 3 continents by that time, could speak 3 languages, had already seen the darkness of the world, had seen poverty at its worst, and was about to lose a child.
I was a very wise, very callous, very old 14-year-old.
in my opinion…….==”…i think it’s impossible.
many people think that 14-year old is negligible.
so…..i really doubt it!
Somewhat. I think a lot of 14-year-old kids are just mirroring their parents’ political leanings. Tell me that kid’s parents are rabid Bush fans, though, and I’ll admit she’s an exception.
I certainly didn’t understand (with any depth) the world’s problems when I was 14. My opinions have developed as I’ve aged.
Hmm…probably not.
RYC on Xcholo4u’s site: Why yes, Dan, I do!
I guess it’s one topic that I have had a lot of experience with, even not having had my very own. At least not my very own attached to my body. 
I don’t think anyone, of any age can completely fathom the world’s problems
If they could, why not do something to solve them?
Very much so. I believed that then, I believe that now many years later.
14 is a number, not a level of fathomability
NO one can fathom the world’s problems. Can you? (To everyone, not just to Dan.) Seriously?
Anyone that can read can fathom stuff
not usually…
…..lets elect one and find out!
some can…most can’t.
ofc she can. in canada history, a teen ’bout 13 traveled around the world stopping child labour. amazing?
The later it gets, the funnier the word fathom tends to get…
why not. she can probably do it better than congress and the white house combined.
all i will say is that there is a point where age can be very deceiving…
and that point is different for everyone.And oh yes. there are adults out there who can be brought down to the level of a 10 year old in a matter of minutes (emotionally and mentally speaking) with relative ease.
i agree with Cotaroba about old people getting more experience as they grow up. However, that’s the way things SHOULD be…not what things ARE right now. haha
Might i lastly add that ANYONE at ANY AGE…thinks that they know everything. this is just a normal human condition. Everyone from our god forsaken president down the baby that was just born as I finish typing this sentence. Soooo…….
Maybe she knew what she was talking about…maybe not. My money is on the fact that she did…for the most part =p
correction: about people getting older getting new experiences at they age—sorry I’m a horrible proof reader.
yes, WE can! haha.
we’re a lot smarter then you give us credit for (:
(but i don’t think she does. she just sounds like an ignorant kid who was going along with what everyone else was saying about bush.)
The mind and maturity depend on different people. Some people claim that some 14 y.o are quite intelligent and know a lot, while some say they’re just MTV junkies. We can’t always assume that age equals a thoughough understanding of current world events and politics. Caution would tell someone to word your opinions a bit carefully, however.
’nuff said…
A 14 year old can fathom how the world’s problems affect her world as a 14 year old.
It really depends on the fourteen year old. This one may not have understood what she was talking about (not on a very deep level anyway), and probably learned to dislike GWB from her parents discussions over the news, but I can think of a few fourteen year olds I know who can understand the world’s problems better than some adults, so it’s a little ageist to say that no fourteen year old or maybe most fourteen year olds don’t have a good grasp on what’s going on.
Then again, I’m 18 on Monday, so I guess in that lady’s book I probably don’t know anything, either (worse, she might be right).
They think they can…I did when I was 14. But then when I left home, suddenly I realised that I knwe very little. Hence, no, they can’t.
Yes. I really, really think a 14 year old can understand the world’s problems.
Kids these days are far more intelligent than adults. They display behaviors and acts of love, compassion and courage that we, adults so often lack because we are either too timid or too indifferent.
That “Kill Bush” thing might not mean exactly that Bush should be killed. Go deeper into what it really means. It could probably mean that she thinks Bush is being too violent on account of those he sent to Iraq in the war, etc.
I might not be American, but I love kids. And sometimes, i think they really have deep perceptions about life than adults.
One example: My sister cried when she saw my papa about to strike me because I sort of interfered with the fight/disagreement between my papa and my other sister. She said she loves her sisters and she doesn’t want any papa to do that. That came from an 8 year old.
as I’m 15, I hope that either the answer is yes or one year makes a hell of a difference!
not entirely yet…
Yes many of them can. But they do not have the emotional maturity to deal with them. Thats why they can’t get married, own guns or join the army in the west. But in the east and Africa they often are allowed to.
Anna_Lanche fathoms the world’s problems better than probably 75% of your adult readers. I didn’t have a clue when I was 14, though.
Yes she can—though as am American, her life has probably been very sheltered and cushy compared to the say a 14-year-old in the Sudan who was just sold into slavery. Obviously she isn’t able to handle her beliefs in a mature manner as saying “Kill Bush” is evident that her coping skills are immature.
I am not a huge fan of Bush–but I don’t believe a mature person would wish death upon anyone—her statement was that of a child—not an adult.
If they are so smart, why do us parents have to feed, cloth, drive, bail, and make sure they brush their teeth and eat right. If a person couldn’t do the simple things without supervision why do I think they can some how put world politics in perspective and formulate their own opinions. Some one else is doing that also. Check the politics of her parents and I bet you see an ultra liberal bias also. Her parents are probably nuttier than her.
Today “MySpace” tommorrow a leader of a terrorist group.
i think it depends, i mean, some can, but not all..
She may not have the intracacies of espionage or have an appreciation for the diplomatic arts down, but as far as what problems are common to everybody, it’s not a hard concept for anybody to understand. One of the quotes I have floating about a computer program: “In America, anybody can be president, but it’s a risk you’ll have to take,” another, “Five fourths of all people are against everything all the time.” I’ve seen fourteen year olds make the same decisions and mistakes as eighteen year olds, and we don’t go around telling them they know nothing. Anyway, fathoming is just like imagining with a little more thinking.
I’m 17 and I can’t fathom the world, the problems there are and if Bush makes them better or worse… so I’m not sure a 14 year old could…
I mean when I was 14 I didn’t care about the polotics, I barely knew how they impact people… even those who don’t want to be impacted.
A 14 year old could understand. They could understand better than most adults. But I don’t feel that a 14 year old who truly understood would make a site called, “Kill Bush”.
Hey, I’m 14. I think we can, but it’s not common. Most 14-year-olds wouldn’t want to anyway… We can. Maybe not the same way as an adult, but we have a view of the world and can tell when there’s somthing wrong. Then again, I know a whole bunch who can hardly understand their classes…
I think 14 year-olds would be able to best distinguish who’s a moron, but world problems? They’d have to be very interested in it, which I doubt many are, including myself.
Most people are ignorant fucks.
a fourteen year old can fathom the problems. People seem to forget that our generation has all of the worlds information at the end of our fingertips by means of internet. The news is watered down, but the internet is completely uncensored. You all know that. Now whether the girl was just saying that or if she had good reason is an entirely different question. but i believe in general that 14 year olds can fathom the worlds problems,but wether they take the initiative to do the research or not is a question in itself. They are capable, but are capable of laziness as well.
Probably a 14-year-old can fathom the world’s problems, but can this same teen comprehend them?
-Guru on the Hill
This fourteen-year-old girl posted “Kill Bush” either because
A) Her parents don’t like Bush.
B) She thinks he is ugly
C) He creeps her out
D) Her mom’s SUV costs too much money to take her to hang with her friends everyday
I don’t believe this girl understands the world.
I don’t believe that Bush understands the world.
I don’t believe that I understand the world.
I just believe that the older you get the more thorough your understanding of the world.
So, no, I don’t believe that this girl understands the world.
I think so. I’m 16. We’re not stupid, we are exposed to the same newspapers and news channels as adults. We see and hear the same things. We’ve got opinions.. just because we’re not adults doesn’t mean we’re stupid
No one truly can, but a 14 year old can fathom a lot more than most people think.
i am 14. age shouldn’t define one’s experience.
there are some very well-educated, worldly 14 year olds who’ve seen more warfare, hate, tragedy in the world than a lot of sheltered upper-class people running America.
Yes, I believe a few can. It depends on what they’re taught at home and the mental capacities of their brainwork. I know at 14 I understood a lot of what was going on. However, I didn’t really know what I personally thought about a lot of it.
some of them; however, if a 14-year-old pulls a “kill Bush”, I’d say she’s ignorant–and misunderstood as educated.
By posting things like “Kill Bush” it shows her ignorance in my point of view. So she (or her parents) think Bush is lousy, since when does that mean wishing death over his head? Its possible for people her age to understand the world, sure, but I doubt she really has legit reasons why she hates bush. I am 18 years old and just now getting to the point where I can assosiate myself with polliticians and their views, I am just now getting to the point where I understand the issues.
Secondly, I take offense to the commenter above me talking about “little white girl in a gated community” not knowing anything. Since when does being white or being middle class mean you do not have problems in your life or mean that you cant understand worldly issues? How ignorant.
*the commenter on the first page talking about the girl in the gated community
of course they can..
some people may think you have to be a certain age to be taken seriously but it’s not always true.
She can understand probably about as much as anyone else does.
Honestly though… if she had killed someone we would charge her as an adult. If she had sex with someone 18 and up we’d probably call it statutory rape (but most of us would think… hey she consented). 14 year olds may be irritating and they may not think their consequences through as much and they may be ignorant on some things but I feel that is mostly because society still thinks of them as children. In another country or yesteryear in our country she may have been married and tending to a household already. I just think we treat them like they are less intelligent than they really are. Besides most of the stupid stuff they do is not because they are ignorant… it’s because they are little hormonal shits and far too many of them are spoiled little hormonal shits.
And one day I’ll have one of my own ;_;
I’m sorry to all the 14 year olds I may have offended… I don’t like 14 year olds, and I didn’t like them when I was 14.
I am 61. When I was 14, my friends and I couldn’t even fathom the social dynamics of our own school. I think kids today have a pretty good grasp on many of the world’s problems. The 14 year old who posted that comment on her website made a mistake…..I hope the Secret Service don’t compound that mistake by doing anything more than educating her on our laws that pertain to what she did. Her only real crime was being stupid and using poor judgment.
Can Most? Hell No we seem to be worried about being depressed and cutting ourselves. Are Their some like yours truely? Yes
“So she (or her parents) think Bush is lousy, since when does that mean wishing death over his head?”
Hey, I’m sure people have wished other people death for less than that. But honestly, most people who wish death on someone don’t mean it literally. Course someone who live in Iraq who thinks that Bush is more than just “lousy” might wish him death literally. Comes with the territory of being president… someone probably wants to kill you even if you aren’t lousy.
As well as anyone ten years older. It depends on the person. I think it’s ignorant for the lady to underestimate the 14 year old.
It wasn’t neccesary to wish death to Bush, though.
This girl is obviously not one of them
i find it interesting that people assume because of this one very short statement this girl has no clue what’s going on… maybe she doesn’t maybe she does, I have to admit that I was much more up on the current events when I was 14 then I am now, as it was required of me to be so for school… we were required to read the paper once a week choose a “news” article and write about it… now w/ 2 small children I’m lucky it I can read the paper on the internet…
the answer is yes a 14 year old can fathom the world’s problems, thou not fully, which is why the parents and teachers and other “adults” around then can help… we don’t know why this child said what she said, not from just reading what is here… so how can you judge her…
aw well as any other rational being. most 14-year-olds can’t know everything (many adults don’t either!) bt to generalize and say that no one of that age could be so aware as to care: that’s a lie. I cared more when I was 14 than I do now. but I don’t think I understood significantly less.
Hellz yes. I’m 15. I fathom the world’s problems and have been able to for quite some time. Some younger people are more informed than some adults out there.
well, even my 5 yr old brother can see that bush is an idiot. maybe 14 year olds cant fathom everything in the world but then can do the most obvious things like bush. she’s not ignorant, she was just giving an honest opinion on how she felt.
Now everyone’s saying things like, “Yes they can, but obviously not this one.” Gr, yo. Just because you have different opinions of this 14 year old, does that mean she is ignorant and stupid? NO. She gets her information and bases around that, her own opinion. Don’t call her ignorant, or I could go in the same direction and call YOU ignorant for calling her ignorant. Bah!
it’s definitely possible.
Yes.
of course!
It depends on the 14 year old.
Depends on the person. I try to know everything and understand it. I know theres a lot of problems. The woman was ignorant a bit. She probably thinks all teenagers think the same way. Did she forget the time she was that age?
I think some may have a grasp on whats going on the world, But apparently, she didnt get the memo that if you write something like kill bush on an internet site that is being widely looked at all the time, the government will come kicking down your door.
Lucky for her, shes not old enough to get arrested. Because if she was…wow. It would be game over for her.
<3
I’ve met 40 year olds that couldn’t…I’ve met 14 year olds that could
I don’t think age has anything to do with it.
I cannot comment on this individual girl and what her knowledge of the world is, mostly because I do not know this girl. I believe that those of you that have made judgment against her with out knowing her have no box to stand on.
As to the question to if a 14 year old can truly know the world’s problems, I would answer yes and no. I do not think they are dumb and clueless to what happens around the world and often they have a different and fresh look at things then adults do. However, I have learned both by my own life and working with teens, that they don’t always know the full picture and usually that full picture can only come with age and experience. If teens really know everything, they would run for senate and running the government and we would have no age requirements. They are not dumb, just young.
I’ve never met a 14 year old with the maturity to understand what’s going on in the world. It’s nice though to see a kid who isn’t more interested in MTV or the latest clothes or whoring herself out and doing crack. I still find it kind of silly that the Secret Service paid any attention to her though, when I’m sure there are fully grown adults making the same statements as she is.
I’m her age and I looooooooooooooooooooooathe our world’s issues.
I can’t speak for all of my youth, aside from sports, makeup, shopping, and the general stupidity they lead, only few of us really come from somewhere.
She’s not ignorant.
She is telling her God-given opinion.
NO. A 14 year old cannot possibly understand what is gonig on. They pick up their limited understanding from what they hear their parents say, snipets from the news (what 14 year old sits down and listens to news shows?) They have no experience with the history of conflicts (do they even teach that in school now? I doubt it), so I’d say No, they don’t understand at all……it is all emotional to a 14 year old.
Yes!! Sometimes they understand it better than adults do.
Nowadays teens have to be able to fathom world issues. This particualr one, however, couldnt. I hate Bush as much as the next guy, but killing him would do more harm than good. He would become a marter to his cause. He would have more power in death than in life.
Teens have to understand the issues more than ever because the world is becoming more and more jaded.
And to Lead_more, You would be suprised how many teens actually sit down and listen to the news. You are holding the typical adult view of teenagers, as if we are all the same. Do you really think we are in capable of thinking for ourselves? In many cases, the children understand more than their parents. Please just reconsider your views on teens.
i doubt it, in fact most people either dont or cant and i think that is because we are all so heavily influenced by the media that when we make political statements we are simply reflecting what the media is telling us. Americans have lost the ability to reason.
Yes, but are quite likely to change their minds with experience.
What good does it do for our country to call a sitting President a “moron” or “idiot” or other such terms? The former President degraded the office to it’s lowest point by having sexual liaisons with his staff… Yet while he was in office, out of respect for the Office of the President of the United States, I wouldn’t dare call him an idiot or a moron. I thank God for the fact that we currently have President Bush and not President Gore. I wonder how many more attacks would have occured after 9/11 had it been the other way around.
Yes, I do believe in Free Speech and I do believe that we have every right to say and think whatever we wish, but to wish death upon a sitting President should be taken seriously by the Secret Service for it is their job to protect him.
I really wish people would actually have decent comments to say about how they could actually improve the situations, rather than resorting to name calling. Sounds like the majority of our political system has reverted back to the 3rd grade.
dude, i could when i was about nine.
Don’t think anyone can really truly understand all the problems of the world.
At least I don’t think God has a xanga account.
You don’t have to be an adult to realize our world’s going down the drown. And this fourteen year old knows as well as anyone. And it doesn’t take being able to “fathom the world’s problems” for her to hate Bush. Knowing tons of men are dying everyday on his order is all it takes.
I have no specific feelings towards Bush, I’m just saying, age has nothing to do with her opinion on Bush.
I’m 14 myself, and I’m Gifted and well above the intelligence level of normal 14 year olds, and I think I have a somewhat good grasp on the world.
But then again, I do know 14 year olds who don’t really know anything about what the bush administration has done at all; they’re just taught and pressured by peers to hate Bush.
yes. there is so much information out there and now it is easier to get then ever. a lot of kids are more savy with computers and the internet than many adults are.
In 1994, No. In 2006, most definitely.
Yes, but I doubt that this has happened in this situation. Normally in these situations the kid has had their “political opinion” injected into them by an adult. (the picture sorta agrees with me…note the leering mother in the background)
Go to a grade school and ask the kids what they think about Bush. You’ll probably get a lot of “He stinks”s and “Get rid of him”s and “He’s stupid”s. Then ask them why they think that; ask them to cite occurences that support their opinions. Their accusations fall flat.
Only a worldly-wise kid can craft his own political opinion.
maybe not “fathom”, but certainly you can know and understand something about them.
I’ve been educating myself as best as I can about the world and its issues since I was fourteen. I still can’t fathom all the world’s problems, but I really don’t think anyone can.
Fourteen year old girls CAN have opinions though. I had mine, and I still have them.
Most are ignorant. But not all are. And not all of us young people dislike Bush do so because it’s “cool”. It’s way “not cool” where I lie. But I do anyway.
I would have to say yes…. or at least they can as much as anyone else… I don’t think anyone really can truly though.
yes, a fourteen year old can. if they watch the news, if their parents discuss it, if they look things up on the internet, they can understand a great many things.
of cpurse!i think adults dont give enough credit to teenagers.they think that all we care about are zits.im sorry to say that they are WRONG.
Few can
I don’t think anyone fully understands what is wrong with the world. That girl is about a year younger than me, so I can safely say she is probably about my intelligence. I don’t know everything about the world, and neither does any other person. I think she simply should have kept her tongue in her mouth, or not voiced it that severely.
Eva.
The very young are way more aware and intelligent than adults are willing to give them credit for. Saying that they “can’t possibly understand” is just a shallow tactic employed to marginalize them.
I agree with everyone who said that it depends on the person, not the age, as to how informed someone is about what is going on in the world. There are stereotypes out there that teens are just into the opposite sex, their immediate circle, etc., but if the same anyone else, if they have an interest, they’re going to follow it. While life experience does help you view things in a different light, you’re doing that b/c of different things you’ve heard along the way, etc., so being younger means you have also had fewer influences upon your own thoughts.
Don’t judge someone unless you actually know them.
As for everyone who’s saying this girl is stupid and/or ignorant for writing “Kill Bush,” have you honestly never made an off-hand remark? I will fully admit that I have. Making an off-hand remark doesn’t mean you’re serious.
perhaps not your average 14 year old but they might well be some out there that can…and nowadays kids are becoming aware of things that should be way beyond their age but hey its all goooooooood. meh. actually makes me feel all the more dumber.
NO. A 14 year old cannot possibly understand what is gonig on. They pick up their limited understanding from what they hear their parents say, snipets from the news (what 14 year old sits down and listens to news shows?) They have no experience with the history of conflicts (do they even teach that in school now? I doubt it), so I’d say No, they don’t understand at all……it is all emotional to a 14 year old.
Posted 10/15/2006 at 12:13 PM by lead_mare
Ha ha ha…I love how this lady assumes that every single 14 year old is uninterested in news programmes, or knows nothing about world issues. Lady, by the time I was 10 I had lived in Europe, Asia, and N. America. I had seen children literally starving to death in the streets and knew more about international politics than you probably do.
Is there really any need to ask the question? If it were possible for a 14 year old to understand all this, there would be no reason to keep them disenfranchised.
yes, becuase she’s old enough to relize stuff. She’s young yes, but she’s not stupid. 14 is a number not a blockage to anything.
I hate it when people seem to think kids are stupid because of there age. There not, believe me on that.
im 14…i watch the news most of the time im watching TV && try to get as much out of the problems in this world that i can…though i dont understand everything, i understand a lot of it. im with the 14 year old girl, even though Bush is possibly one of the greatest presidents in the world. a 14 year old can know just as much as somebody from an older generation, its just that older generations look down on the younger generations.
I’d like to think I can, but probably not. ): Can anyone, really? Especially in the U.S. >>;;
also, theres a little something in the constitution called freedom of press….
Yes, she can potentially fathom them.
Yes. I’m 16, and when I was 14 I was completely aware of what was going on in the world, and had a really good understanding of it.
I don’t think anyone can completely fathom the depth of the worlds’ problems, and if they did they wouldn’t go around making ignorant, useless comments like “kill Bush”.
Yes. But some choose not to.
……
To a small extent, depending on her intelligence and ability to think. If it is some stupid child, then no. But perhaps she could begin to fathom some of the world’s problems.
[ariana]
bahahahahahaha
Yes. The reason most don’t is because their told they cannot.
Age does not equal wisdom.
I’m fourteen and I probably know more about the US and World’s problems then most of the politicians.
The 14 year old girl is ignorant meaning that she is uneducated. Obviously so if she went as far as to right something like that on myspace, thinking that it was okay. She doesn’t understand whats going on in the world, she may see that there are problems but her words are coming from someone older and influential in her life. so of course she will begin to connect the problems of the world with our sucky president. When i was 14 I was sitting in my world history class watching the twin towers fall to the ground, I say the problem, but could I fathom the problems of the world, No. She’s only expressing what someone else has made her think.
Yes.
its possible.
it depends what that 14 year old has gone through, if she has faced many of the problems of the world. If she has, then yes, she can. If not, then no. As easy as that.
I don’t think anyone no matter what age can fathom this world’s problems.
eh – it’s not likely. but possible.
amanda
Of course.
its possible, but outside influences make their mark on most of a person’s beliefs at 14.
yes, a 14 year old can fathom the world’s problems, and often come up with reasonable solutions, or solutions at least as reasonable as some older people. however, sometimes 14 year olds are not so good with the self-censoring, but then neither are some adults….
Absolutely. Anyone can understand that the world is screwed up. It bothers me that adults assume that (children/teenagers/young people) cannot form their own opinions and simply absorb what people tell them. More often than not, young people understand what is going on better than most ‘adults’. They don’t have to worry about being PC and don’t feel the need to walk on eggshells to preserve everyone’s feelings.
Being fourteen years old isn’t the same as the old sterotype.
Not many fourteen year old girls play with dolls anymore and play dressup, as so many of you assume.
A good percent of them are incredibly mature, more mature than a sixteen year old. I would know, I’m fourteen years old.
I’m not trying to rub it in other people’s faces that I’m mature; this girl is probably just some idiotic girl who wants to be an Anarchist or be a rebel.
But think for a minute, if a fourteen year old shouldn’t TECHNICALLY be able to fathom the world’s problem, then what’s Bush’s deal. We’re talking about a man that ran away from mother nature. If a fourteen year old can’t fathom the world’s problems, then I guess Bush is acting as a fourteen year old would.
I wouldn’t like to be in his position, but I know that I could do a hell of a lot better job than he is.
she’s probably another one of those people that has no clue what they’re saying, like 99% of young teens, but maybe she’s that %1… but probably not.
I hate it when people seem to think kids are stupid because of there age. There not, believe me on that.
Posted 10/15/2006 at 3:31 PM by proud_biotch
hahaha she can’t even spell “they’re”. learn grammar. more like “dumb_biotch”
YES!!
I’M 12, AND I UNDERSTAND IT
absolutely, I’m 15 and I like to think I have some grasp on what’s going on. but most don’t and don’t care to. and that’s very sad.
It depends on the person entirely.
Some fourteen year olds are ignorant to the world’s issues; others, not so ignorant.
I believe that if they want to, anyone can fathom the problems going on.
I’m 17 (as of Thursday) and I’ve got a decent understanding of it…so I don’t think it’s impossible at all.
yes.
she probably understands it just as well as most adults don’t.
The world’s problems affect everyone.. everyone plays a part. Of course “14 year-olds” can fathom them.
The real question is, why don’t older people?
“Tshh. Little white girl living in a gated communtiy wanted to be a “rebel” and hate Bush. They can, but I severly doubt this one did.”
what does that crap mean? No one knows her life, and plus, where she lives and your assumption of her does not answer the question posed. Even if what you say is true, and I doubt it is, that does not at all diminish her ability to comprehend the world and its problems. I know the issues, facts, and stigmas associated with our dear president, and while posting “Kill Bush” may not be the brightest plan for voicing an opinion, the thoughts behind that feeling are sound. Not everyone finds the need to post huge long explanations of how they feel. Some just make it short and sweet. Geesh, way to be harsh when you don’t even know….
Not most but yes, 14 year olds are indeed capable of grasping the world’s problems. I think that teenagers in general just sometimes have willful ignorance, they really don’t care. But I think it was ignorant of that person to judge and say that 14 year olds couldn’t fathom the world’s problems, I mean come on, what do you thik we do all day? Talk about boys and nail polish and music and who’s going out with who? There are some teenagers who give a damn about the world and it’s many many problems, don’t underestimate the brain power and will of a 14 year old, or any teenager for that matter, they know more than you think.
Of course she can. “Fathom” ing is not difficult. Solving is the real challenge. 14 year old girls big challenge is to keep their legs closed until they’re 18+.
I think it’s possible. Now, whether this girl can…I don’t know.
ya completely im 15 and i know whats going on. thanks to TV and the computer the news is everywhere.
Most is not the same as some. Some 14 year olds are wise beyond their years. Some 14 year olds are babies. Some 14 year olds are positively evil. As a group, you cannot define them all with one label, same as any other group. How does this old man know such a thing about 14 year olds? 24 years teaching middle school English.
yes. age has nothing to do with it, it’s how much you pay attention to the world and what’s going on in it. just because you’re older, it doesn’t make you automatically wiser.
no, much less should she judge whether our president deserves to live or not.
ok, so maybe some 14 year olds can be “wise beyond their years”, but having been told myself in the past that i was the same, i know that when i was 14, i knew a lot less than i do now.
i think it says a lot about her parents.
besides, there are many goings-on that the general public may think they know about, when in reality there’s way more to it than what the media tells us (since they are just playthings of the liberals). only the inside gov’t people know the full story, and rightly so, because it would be a foolish security risk for ALL gov’t information to be open.
so no, she has no right to judge like that.
and i want to echo Lionsgrrr1: even if someone could fathom all the problems, they’re far from being able to solve them. ‘specially a 14 year old.
moreso than anyone over 18 who refuses to vote.
I don’t know about everyone else. But I can and I do. (And I am not 14. I am 13)
And I make up my own mind.
I hate the Bush presidency because he has completely ignored his responsibility to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. He has attempted to usurp (great word!) the power of the other two branches of the government, and he has shamelessly prostituted the Christian religion and pretty much made Jesus Christ the mascot for the republican party the way the EverReady Bunny is the mascot for the stupid batteries.
I don’t think Jesus Christ is any too pleased with that. Expecially since the Bush presidency pretty much pisses on every one of the philosophies of Jesus Christ.
I may have to write a journal entry enumerating them. Enumerating is such an awesome word. I use it whenever I can.
no, much less should she judge whether our president deserves to live or not.
Posted 10/15/2006 at 10:20 PM by webhead345
An interesting comment, since Bush felt completely qualified to judge whether or not innocent civilians in Falujah and Bagdad got to live or not…and completely qualified to judge whether or not poor and elderly people without incomes get to have medical care or not.
I don’t judge whether Bush deserves to live or not. I’m not sure that any of us do, considering the mess we’ve made out of the world.
However, I do feel qualified to judge whether or not he deserves to be president. And the answer to that is a heartfelt NO FREAKING WAY–primarily because he shits all over our constitutional rights at every opportunity. The primary role of the president is to DEFEND and PROTECT the constitution. Not find ways to wiggle out of having to honor it.
I would bet you every dime I have to my name that her parent(s) and/or an influential adult figure in her life is/are also anti-Bush. Or she’s really a 30-year-old democrat incognito.
All of these people saying, “I’m 14/17/12, and I get it” are people I don’t necessarily agree with. Yes, some of us have a basic understanding of what’s going on, but I really doubt these people know the intricacies of foreign issues/policy, or really have any idea about the political structure of our society and the societies and cultures of the world. Just because you know the basics doesn’t mean you know everything. Saying that you understand everything that goes on in the world just proves that you have absolutely no idea how vast and intricate the world’s issues are yet.
Whatever she is viewing as the world’s problems is her own reality and therefore FEELS real to her. It doesn’t matter if I think that she has “fathomed” the world’s problems accurately or not. It is all about perception, you know. . .
If they were mature enough….? It depends on what’s going on in their lives and how they act. Fourteen year olds can be very intelligent, they’re not all the same.
I’m 14 (granted, I’ll be 15 in like ten days). I’m not ignorant. A lot of people my age are ignorant, and I do my best to not be around them just in case ignorance is contagious.
And yeah, there are kids who get things a lot better than adults. Adults are worried about looking good in public and being politically correct. Younger people worry about what’s important. Like getting things done.
Young people are too idealistic to percieve the world’s problems in a rational manner.
yes. i was fourteen a year ago and i did and still do understand and care about them. most people just assume that teenagers don’t care about anything but themselves.
I don’t see how the woman has a right to criticize a girl she doesn’t know. Ageism is as annoying as any other form of prejudice. Most high schoolers are ignorant on the subject, but there are always exceptions. Individuals take on different interests, and she can intensely dig politics. She might even be more informed than the ageist commentor!
And history teachers discuss current events too, so it’s not like anyone’s entirely ignorant.
maybe … but comments like “kill bush” are stupid and unnecessary im almost 13 and this is my oppinion!!!
I was 14 last year…and I was pretty sure I wasn’t so well informed of world issues. So no, I seriously doubt a 14-year-old (or any age close to it) can fathom the world’s problems. The only way to know it is probably going through the real world on your own.
I’m not saying all 14 year olds are stupid, many are smart for real…but then there’s also a lot of them that just claim to be smart when they’re not.
All of these people saying, “I’m 14/17/12, and I get it” are people I don’t necessarily agree with. Yes, some of us have a basic understanding of what’s going on, but I really doubt these people know the intricacies of foreign issues/policy, or really have any idea about the political structure of our society and the societies and cultures of the world. Just because you know the basics doesn’t mean you know everything. Saying that you understand everything that goes on in the world just proves that you have absolutely no idea how vast and intricate the world’s issues are yet.
Posted 10/16/2006 at 12:12 AM by TheNumber357
Well, no shit Sherlock. I freely admit that I don’t understand every intricacy of every foreign (or domestic) issue, but who the hell does? Not a majority of the adults I know. Most of them don’t know the difference between Beruit and Bagdad or Iraq and Iran. Not Bush, that’s for sure! If he did, he wouldn’t act like such a arrogant prick with other countries and treat the world like the U.S. was somehow beyond being held accountable for our own bad behavior, while nailing other countries for doing things that we have done or are doing all the time. (Like testing nukes, for example–I find it highly amusing that we are criticizing North Korea for testing a nuke when not too many months ago, we were discussing dropping some on freaking IRAN!!!!!
WTF????
Can we say “god complex”?
What I’m saying is that I at least care and at least TRY to understand–and I read and I listen and I talk to a lot of people who are on both sides of the fence.
That’s a heck of a lot more effort than most adults I know put into the whole thing. Especially a lot of right-wing, ultra conservative religious fanatics, who basically would eat a log of shit if Bush said it was a brownie because “he’s a Christian.”
I say bullshit! And anyone who’s ever actually READ the Bible and compared what Bush DOES to what Jesus SAYS in the Bible knows that IT AIN’T SO.
Who would Jesus torture?
Who would Jesus drop white phosphorus on?
What would Jesus LIE about in order to invade another country?
Who would Jesus deny health care to?
The thing that pisses me off the MOST about Bush and the current Republican regime is that they use the name of Christianity to justify the most unChristian, repulsive, hideous acts imaginable–and somehow “Christians” suck it all up like morons.
THIS, I cannot fathom. WTF is wrong with people like this?
Yes. Doesn’t mean that all 14 year olds can, though, or that they do 100% of the time they think they can.
Yes. Hell, look at me. I can point out hypocrisy better than the average 40 year old.
And I’m only 15.
Not entirely. I’m 20. I look back to when I was 14, and I had so many questions at that time, it was ridiculous. Through the years I’ve learned a lot, experienced a lot, and have come to this conclusion: I STILL can’t fathom the world’s problems. In 10 years, I expect to look back, and realize that even then, I won’t be able to fathom the world’s problems. Rather, I think that anybody who has not experienced the entire world first hand, and says that they understand the world’s problems, is a fool. There is simply too much that we do not know. We can understand SOME of what’s going on, but never entirely. We Americans think that we know everything, but in reality, we’re probably the most sheltered people on the planet.
It depends what you mean by “fathom the worlds’ problems”. Real understanding has nothing to do with age and everything to do with experience… for example, I was still 13 when ketusha rockets started falling on Haifa last summer, but since I was there at the time I understood more than any adult sitting in a living room in the US, no matter how many hours of CNN they watched. I’m sure any Iraqi teenager would laugh at an American who thinks they understand what’s going on in Iraq because they watched some media coverage on a plasma TV. By the same token, teenagers can’t really understand the effects of tax legislation and domestic problems on their families because they don’t deal with finances. Still, people of every age can try to get educated… it’s just that a lot of teenagers would rather spend their time hooking up with cute guys and listening to such edgy, rebellious bands as Panic!At The Disco (god I hate them!!!).
Of course a fourteen-year-old can “fathom” the world’s problems, although the extent to which they can understand those problems is questionable.
Yeah. I mean, most 14 year old girls are pretty ignorant, but there are some that I know that watch the news every day and read the newspapers and all that stuff, and they could very well “Fathom the world’s problems.”
-KrIsTiN-
i remember an 8-year old reciting MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.
Yes we can. Iread the Economist, watch the news, read the paper. People shouldn’t demean us by thinking that just becaue we are young we cannot “fathom” the world and politics. (*v*)
No.
I don’t know that anyone can realize the extent of the worlds problems until they have experinced them directly. That being said, I’m sure most people can “fathom” the world’s problems if they choose to.
Since I’m around the same age, I definitely think teens can… kids these days are growing up much faster than they used to in such a modern world of television and technology, etc. However, of course not all 14 year olds can… some of the people in my school.. (sigh)…
Very stereotypical. I’m 14 and a bit offended. I can carry myself better than most 30 year olds. You are just judging me and my fellow people of age because of those inept, immature “pre-teens” who just care about which movie star just took a crap. I have opinions just as any other person would have. No one would bother to ask though. Why would they? I lack the compasity to hold such opinions. Right? Wrong.
Some 14 year olds can fathom the world’s problems. Most can’t. Most are concerned with other things and this kid seems like she’s just saying this because it’s the “popular belief”. But you got to give the kid some credit. She has an opinion, which a lot of kids these days don’t.