The Misunderstanding of Adultism   by:Haylyn Almond

    The echo of the stale words being told to an adolescent from a cruel stranger dragged them down like an anchor.  The weight of the tension put among their shoulders as if it were meant to tear them down. Stillness of the air as if the 21% of oxygen disappeared into oblivion.  All this is but a ghost to the rest of the world.

     Children and teens around the world feel this effect from adultism. Adultism is often misunderstood as harmless while in fact it could cause suicidal thoughts even. Not all human beings are affected but you can compare it to a virus . It can spread and mutate. Adultism is when the legal adult considers themselves superior. It changes a teens life. They just began trudging through stress of responsibility and changes in everyday life. Becoming a teen is like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly; it’s the same world they’ve lived in but totally new eyes.

       The playground is off limits ever since you turn thirteen (13). You pay the same price as an adult at most places but still the workers and occupants treat you as if you’re five(5).

“One day in the middle of September my cousin who is not but 21 years young said i shouldn’t be acting as an adult. At that moment he gave me a lollipop and told me to go play with the other kids. I never felt the same about him again,” The reporter describes their personal encounter with adultism.

     This may not seem important in a big city like St.Louis  but imagine 5 people in a small town in Illinois. Here is another story of a St.Louis suspect; “ My parents friend put himself above children. At one point I was innocent watching tv and he told me not to do anything but just sit there.” There are different examples of adultism but they should all be taken seriously. Never judge a book by its cover.

     Explicit language bouncing off the walls from corner to corner. The lost feeling of almost possession. Blood churning through the veins at the speed of light. Heart thump thump thumping to the rhythm of a drum. Yet still no one sees the demon.

  No one ever looks past the outside and how people look beautiful or ugly. They don’t look at their pain and how serious it could be.