Journal Article Analysis 1-3

The intended audience for this article is mothers, fathers and students. The article addresses dating violence, the use of drugs and date rape at colleges and places that attract our young adults. The intended message in the article is finding a better way to communicate these dangers to our youth.
The article is another attempt and plea to educate young adults about the dangers of binge drinking, drug use, unsafe sex and internet predators. Similarities used were damages of riding a bike without a helmet, riding in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt or water rafting without wearing a life jacket.
The article is a realistic view on these subject matters. The article deals with the basic idea of finding a successful way to educate our young children about the dangers of partaking in these types of activities. Each time a teenager tells a fascinating account of participating in these undesirable dangers someone else wants to try them out or do not know how to dismiss the appealing desire. The author of article is not convinced that appropriate and effective messaging is getting out to our children. Messaging is out there for our teens but why is not being understood?
The frustrating feelings of the author are expressed because there is much time being spent on resources for presentations, ads and after school specials to spread the word. If these were affective then the actives of these damages would not continue to rise. We know that there are more victims day by day because they are growing by staggering numbers.
What most know is that nationwide teens are sharing their story of “fantastic and freighting” encounters and the lifelong scar that will be left but no enough are listening. The article advises that many times teens take unnecessary chances when having sex and taking drugs that lead to doom and gloom yet others still want to have this experience.
The article is well written from a mother’s perspective that can relate to the authors concerns. The main idea was presented and explained well. The article was easy to read and written for an adult audience. The words used to articulate her feelings were very calm and informal.
The author is astonished that in today’s society with the mass amount of education and information out there that it would be virtually impossible not to the get the appropriate word out to our young adults. The messaging is there it just is not getting heard or absorbed like we would hope that it would. The author expresses that “imminent disaster” is going to continue to happen if we do not find away to educate our young adults about these dangers and have it heard and understood.
The key ideas I took away was a plea for parents to talk and communicate with all children openly and honestly about these matters. Do not talk at your children talk with them and to them at their level. Children not only need to hear the gloom and doom of a danger they also need to hear why they might try something new. Discuss the “fantastic” part of why they might try and the pleasure they can get from it on the front end but what happens on the back end is “frightening” and why.
There are times when parents need to entertain a young audience. This may help young adults understand what is being discussed at an adult level. It is a matter of how and when we will find a way to communicate effectively at all levels to reduce the number of victims.





References:

Quindlen, A. (2006). Frightening-- And Fantastic. Newsweek, 148(12), 72-72. from Academic Search Primary Database. Retrieved March 9, 2008.