American Kids Today: Better or Worse?

寒苇
楼主 (文学城)

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), teen pregnancy and birth rates in the U.S. have been declining since 1991 and hit a record low in 2019. 


The CDC also indicates that young Americans are less and less inclined to have sexual intercourse during their high school years. This trend makes sense of the drop in teen pregnancy today.


How about drug and alcohol use? The National Institute on Drug Abuse found in 2021 that American teens have continuously been smoking less and drinking less for decades. Indeed, between 1991 and 2019, the percentage (%) of American teens having "ever tried cigarette smoking" came down from 70 to 24. During the same period, there has also been a sharp percentage fall in current smokers (from 27.5% in 1991 to 6% in 2019).


The above findings show that today's American kids are doing better. Prove it if you believe otherwise.


--- by 寒苇

r
renqiulan
What a pleasant surprise you've brought us!
寒苇
I also brought myself a pleasant surprise.
r
renqiulan
Why was it a pleasant surprise to you?
寒苇
I didn't expect American kids to have done so much better.
r
renqiulan
You're not the only one.
寒苇
It's the trend that's most encouraging.
r
renqiulan
Right on.
s
shuier
Howdy, everyone?
寒苇
Great. We're sharing some good news about American kids.
唐宋韵
其实何止是孩子。用文中的1991年比现在,重要的指标,如医疗和社会保障,今天好很多,暴力犯罪率今天低很多。。。他们不信。
s
shuier
Your post is the message. You're the messenger.
寒苇
谢谢唐宋君。对呀。当然,那些mass shootings的负面影响太大了。
寒苇
I'm proud to be the messenger.
r
renqiulan
BTW,people tend to think that statistical reports are boring
寒苇
Maybe we should collect statistics about boredom.
r
renqiulan
Go ahead. A study of boredom would be super-exciting.
寒苇
But first, help me to apply for a grant.
r
renqiulan
Yes, if you're serious enough.
s
shuier
Let me join the fun.
寒苇
Only if you're serious enough.
s
shuier
Fair enough.
唐宋韵
与里根、马丁路德金、肯尼迪被刺比如何?
唐宋韵
另外,可以查查1970年的五四美国发生了什么。。。与此同时宇航员也在登月呢。
寒苇
唐宋君所说的都是历史性的震撼事件。现时不时发生的持枪滥杀无辜事件,也震撼人心。不是人人都是大人物,但是人人都有可能受害。
A
AP33912
mental heath and substance abuse get worse, especially in last
唐宋韵
恕我直言,从你的帖子我看出,你也是我上面说的“他们”中的一位,被如今的新闻,特别是社交媒体牵着鼻子走,忘却了如今

信息的高密度和引导偏见的能力(同时自己也是被带偏的信息源和评论员)。

我问你,如果过去相当长的一个时间段,美国的暴力犯罪率、枪击死亡率都比今天高的话,你凭什么声称,那些暴力都是针对大人物的,而普通老百姓比现在安全?无辜者比现在受到伤害的概率低?呵呵!

唐宋韵
其实,简单地说“昔不如今”或“今不如昔”都不合适。我们今天处于一个完全不同的时代,面临着完全不同的

问题和挑战。因此,作为年轻一代,其忧思和着眼点也应当是不同的。(而且吸毒少、乱性少也只是“更好”的一方面)。原则上讲,美国的今天我认为还是一个问题与希望并存的状态。。。我几周前在论坛上post了一首长诗,反映了我的总体观点,供参考 --

https://bbs.wenxuecity.com/sxsj/164558.html

寒苇
I think a lot of people share your impression. But proof?
A
AP33912
i have report/data from my company but can't share here.
唐宋韵
两个分开的问题:1. 近年吸毒总人数不如一两代人以前;2.现在吸毒造成的死亡比那时多得多。这是因为

Not all drugs are created equal.  近年吸毒者更多使用opioids类,特别是使用fentanyl。由于这类药物的tolerance特性,在复吸时极容易导致呼吸衰竭,进而导致死亡。现在美国每年的死亡人数已经超过7万,是枪击死亡的两倍。这就是所谓的fentanyl crisis。

A
AP33912
主要是这几年mental health may have got worse。
唐宋韵
Main reason: Fentanyl is cheap and easily available. Much

of it is from China, and the two countries have been playing blaming game for quite a while.

The deaths are largely white young people at the Rust Belt, a result of globalization.

唐宋韵
刚出来:https://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2023/05/22/12331413.html
寒苇
Keep your data then. Thanks, AP!
寒苇
1. I'm talking about teenagers. 2. I'm talking about trends.