Posted 18th January 2010 2522

Right, so you think because you’re old and I’m young, I am obliged to give you respect? NO. That’s not how it works.
When a stranger stops in the middle of a narrow street two meters ahead of you and declares, “I’m not walking anymore.” Then I think it’s safe to say I will be surprised by and will struggle to get past her.
When I and a group of my friends try to get past said stranger, and she declares, “MANNERS”. This is meant to be some sort of moral lesson to us?
Well forgive me if I’m taking this further than it needs to go, but I think that it is you that needs the lesson. One in not stereotyping young people. Just because you have some sort of beef with my age group, why does that then make it OK to force me and my friends into a situation where any way in which we can react will be interpreted as rudeness?
I do not want to sound egotistical, woman, but do you know me and my friends at all? I consistantly get A’s at school, am expected to get into one of the top British Universities, do 4 hours voluntary service a week, play two instruments, speak three languages and am one of the top young athletes in my sport, in my country. Is there any reason at all, other than my age, that you have decided to class me as, “Just another rude teenager.”
If you actually bothered to read past the Daily Mail headlines of Killer Hoodies roaming the streets of Britain, then you would realise that most of us are just like me- decent young people who wouldn’t even think of hurting someone, being rude to someone, or stopping in the middle of the pavement for no other reason than to teach someone else our superior morals.
Frankly, I am embarrassed that you would act in such a way to a fellow human being, and clearly judge me, and my friends, because of a way YOU have forced us to act. It also irritates me that you came away from this short encounter thinking that you had somehow proved a point to us. No, you haven’t, I will continue to act as I always have, and just hope I don’t have the misfortune to come across someone else like you.

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