These kids today...

Finished reading The Fault in Our Stars yesterday and went to mark it and rate it on Goodreads. For the most part the reviews are pretty similar, 4-5 stars. I agree. Gave it a solid 4 stars. But there was one that was a one star review and so I had to look to see just exactly why they hated it. I read the review and had to shake my head. It was a similar review to others I have seen for the YA genre. Their gripe was that the kids didn't talk like kids. They were too smart.  They had too many deep discussions about life and things they couldn't possibly understand. 

Okay...now specifically to this book these kids all have cancer. It's going to make you a deeper more philosophical kid, I would think, to know that your life would or could be cut short. And to have already known people your age and younger who had died. You aren't going to be a typical kid. 

Though that's also not right. These were typical kids. That's part of what I liked about the book. They were smart asses. They were living their lives with the hands they were dealt. Yes, there were some unrealistic things (not going to say because you might want to read the book) but it was fiction, there are always some unrealistic things. But the kids being smart wasn't one of them.

But like I said I've seen this sort of review before for YA books. The kids were too smart. It always makes me wonder if they don't remember what it was like to be a teenager or if they were just exceptionally dumb teenagers?

Your teen and early 20s years are THE years for the deep philosophical talks. These are the years where you are figuring out who you are. You've got the basics of life down and are now starting to dabble in the extras. The conversations you can only have at that age because it's the first time you've ever thought about them. The do we all see color the same conversations. The what if every atom is a universe conversations. The what is life conversations. 

So then I thought, maybe it was just because I hung around with kids who were prone to those sorts of thoughts. But that's not it. I had a variety of friends. I was a theater kid so sure there are the creative types that like to think about wild things. I was an honor student so I had the smart friends who like to question the meaning of life. I had a broad sprinkling of freaks (New Mexico slang for stoner) so yeah, they were a little mind expanded at times. But there were also band geeks, and ROTC and preps and jocks and on and on...I was a bit of a floater you see, didn't really belong to just one group. And I could and did have these discussions with everyone. Because that's what you do as a teenager.

So I think either the people who write reviews about how teenagers aren't that smart just weren't that smart themselves or they've forgotten what it was like to be a teen.

Sort of like the people who talk about how awful today's kids are. These kids today with their rock music and their disrespectful ways...

Yeah...hang out with better kids. Trust me. They aren't any worse than we were. Or our parents were. Or their parents were. It's just that you've forgotten. Being a teenager is a little bit about disrespect at times. But only because they are stretching for independence and we don't want to give it to them just yet. And we've forgotten what it feels like to be positive you could run your own life and have someone holding you back. I'm not saying we are wrong in holding them back, just like our parents and teachers weren't wrong when they held us back. But we resented it just as much as they do. You just don't remember that part anymore. Or you know how hard life did get once you were on your own so your perspective changed. But kids today aren't worse than we were. Not really. There are good ones and bad ones. Smart ones and dumb ones. 

And ones that are just now having the conversation that starts, "But what if the blue I see isn't the same as the blue you see? What if my blue is your red?"