Our Youth Should Be Allowed Civil Rights

Thank you for keeping the debate going by the way. I do not see giving children their rights as 'free housing and food'. The thing is, from the get go, parents owe it to their children to provide for them. Food, housing, clothes, education, and financial assistance, these are a given when caring for your child. Anything less and you aren't a very suitable parent to begin with. Giving children civil rights highlights the difference between providing for and guiding your child and not dictating your child's lifestyle and pursuits. As a black woman writing in this debate... Nope, it isn't racist for me to compare two comparable plights. Racism is the reason the civil rights movement began. And ageism is the reason children/teens require civil rights as well, they are humans too, with needs, wants, feelings, and desires like their adult counterparts. Please stop seeing our youth as properly and start seeing them as the developing young adults that they are, who need to be taken seriously. If by "crack down and take the reigns back" I hope you mean that in regards to the freedom and wellbeing of our youth. The ills that I mentioned aren't just happening because of lax parents, they are happening because of parents who are incapable of parenting or who don't know how to parent, because of parents who cannot provide for their children in the first place, because of parents who are mentally and emotionally unstable, because of parents who are dysfunctional or abusive, and many more types of unqualified people who choose to bring children into the world and don't plan on treating them with respect or care. I mentioned gay people so that you would hopefully understand how our youth and gay people share an equal plight of a lack of respect, recognition, or rights; at least gay people finally have their rights, but some people are STILL reluctant to give some gay people their rights and are thus breaking a law (Kim Davis). And nope, gay people aren't created by "anything goes" parents. Their experiences and loves in their life shape them, study has even proven it to be genetic, it really depends on the person. But it is not the cause of their parents. And "anything goes" parents aren't necessarily negative, as you've painted them out to be; as long as their child is being cared for, protected, guided, taught, and loved, I believe these types of parents have the right idea of letting their children develop into who they want to be. Hm, I don't know about marx... I'm only speaking from my heart and voicing what I truly believe, sorry if that sounds too scary for you; the truth usually freaks people out. Hopefully the people reading this and you, my debating friend, can realize the power and healthy change of accepting the truth of this matter: our youth deserve civil rights. There is nothing 'agenda' about recognizing that our youth deserve as much respect as any adult receives and to be treated like the individual and competent human beings that they are. Sir, I do not wish to fool anyone. Fooling is not the mission. It's not a trick or deceit to suggest a child be owed their rights. And I make this debate, not for defying 'the tea party'. Because I don't care for the ego the tea party, I only care for the gratification of our kids. They deserve it. That kind of thinking is ageism at it's finest. Children should speak when they want to, like any person is allowed to. Children are not out to step on your ego, that's what goes through YOUR mind. But an articulate child who has something worthy of adding to the conversation, wants to do just that: add to the conversation. Adults need to check their own fear and egos. Because apparently it's the fear of being shown up or looking less intelligent by someone who happens to be younger than them and getting your pride wounded, that is the problem. We need to change our perspectives on kids. Let's be grateful for their contribution instead of feeling threatened by it. Speaking of threatened, the way you went on about said "rude punk kid", shows me that you yourself could feel a little threatened and even jealous by them, too. This could be the case for many other adults. Us adults need to check ourselves. It's like the saying goes, age is nothing but a number. This makes a lot of sense, since there are ten year olds who are fascinated by politics and immature forty year olds who love playing video games (no shame, lol). Children are not somehow supposed to shut up so adults don't have to feel threatened or insulted; it's just plain immature if you think about it. No different than some big kids who don't like having the little kids tag along, thinking they'll ruin all the fun. As a final note, drugs and marijuana is irrelevant to this discussion. By saying that our youth should be allowed their rights, I'm not somehow suggesting we automatically allow our kids/teens to partake in harmful substances. What civil rights entails is that our youth's autonomy, through relationships, emotions, mentality, personality, individualism, beliefs, ideas, and sexually, be recognized and respected. You know, recognizing and respecting them as HUMANS in their own right. The thought is scary for some people for some reason; I cannot understand it for the life of me. I remember being fourteen and younger and fifteen and older, and I sought the ability and freedom who I was and pursue my own life, but I was afraid of what my mom, family, church and society would think. I felt trapped and scared and repressed and no one has the right to feel that way, no matter how old you are. Them still being young, it goes without saying that they will still need to be guided, protected, nurtured, educated, and taught how to practice being safe and healthy in the different areas of their lives. But that should be done all without trying to dictate, restrain, and control them and their lives. Let's give our youth civil rights.