The most effective way to understand contemporary culture is to analyze the trends of its youth Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take In deve

The culture of any era is defined by a variety of elements and may be the result
of past influences. Analyzing the trends of today's youth is only one of those
elements. One also needs to analyze the kinds of work that adults are pursuing or
the activities its senior citizens are participating in. To rely solely on analysis of
youth trends is short–sighted. The youth of a culture are heavily influenced by
the latest, hottest fad. Their greatest need is to fit in, to be cool, and they change
their clothes, their hair, and their phones as soon as the newest fashion is
featured in print or on television. Their permanence is ephemeral, and their
influence may be longer lasting. A big chunk of their time would be spent just
keeping up. Anyone attempting to analyze the trends of youth will barely finish
before the trends change.

The most widely–exposed youth culture of the last half century is that of the
1960's and 70's. The youth of that era advised others to tune in, turn on, and drop
out. Drugs, sex and rock and roll permeated the culture of youth in those
decades. Because burning draft cards and bras was so widely publicized, it
would be tempting to believe that all youth behaved in that manner. That would
be a mistake. Despite the presence of SDS chapters, peace rallies and sit–ins on
college campuses across the country, most students quietly went about attending
classes, graduating and getting traditional jobs. The counterculture of the 60's
and 70's had its greatest influence on later decades. Those days of rebellion and
revolution led to increased opportunities for minorities and women. The young
people of that era are now nearing retirement and are living lives very different
from the senior citizens of previous generations. They have tuned in, but they
have not dropped out. They are healthier, better educated, and leading more
active lives than their parents or grandparents did.

Analysis of youthful trends reveals what effect advertising had on a culture's
young people. To fully understand contemporary culture, one must analyze the
hopes, fears, and actions of all the groups that comprise it. A culture's youth is
blissfully ignorant of a culture's realities. The struggle of adults to find satisfying
work, to pay the bills, to provide security for themselves and their children
define the attitudes and behaviors of contemporary culture.