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A book for adults |
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| Lots of questions: | ||
Why
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are grand-parents better parents? |
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...and lots of honest answers in this book. |
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I’d like this book to encourage others to
listen to young people |
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I took the photographs and recorded the
conversations during interviews. |
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| Author’s foreword: In recent years, our kids have been getting into the headlines increasingly often. More and more worried parents, teachers and other people in responsible positions who are in some way affected have been asking, “What’s wrong with our kids?” As a teacher at a Hamburg grammar school, I’ve been observing future generations grow up for years. As a photographer and writer, I’ve now devoted myself to this topic which affects me so immediately. The children and young people were very open with me and this is exactly how I’ve portrayed them, both in my photographic portraits and in the texts. The authority of parents, the state and the church has continued to lose credibility since the anti-authoritarian movement began. The permanent representation of violence in the media has completed the task: it has become a real and frightening part of the daily lives of young people – and there is no end in sight. High unemployment, political, economic and environmental scandals dim the future prospects of today’s younger generation tremendously. But are our kids really as bad as public opinion would have it? The majority of children and young people seem to me to be surprisingly normal and, in comparison to earlier generations, considerably more mature. They see right through parents, teachers and other role models and don’t really take them seriously. The eternal question posed by adults, “What’s wrong with kids today?” should therefore be, “What’s wrong with us adults?” instead. From the numerous positive and negative descriptions given by the young people I portrayed, it’s clear how they would like their adult role models to be: a father they can rely on; a mother who doesn’t shout all the time; a teacher who has a sense of humour but is strict as well; a policeman who doesn’t turn a blind eye on violence; a politician who keeps his promise ... |
Contents The underlined
names correspond
Cheeky or diligent Puberty and first love On the way Girls, strong and
thoughtful Society, sex and
religion In conflict with
themselves |
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Main menu | Youth menu | German | Top of page |
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© Joerg Otto Meier, We're alright |
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What makes a good teacher?