A New Turning Point

A.J Watson, a 16-year-old student from Harrison Trimble High School, has constantly thought about the world around them and how they can do their part in the community. This has made A.J a very selfless, kind, and caring individual, an admirable quality they claim is also a downfall.

“I’m the type of person that I will give away everything I own and everything that I have and every part of myself to make sure that other people are comfortable and happy, then myself because sometimes it’s easier to help another person than to help yourself.”

Since the beginning of high school, A.J has noticed how their outlook on the world has changed significantly, they’ve said that is because of the world’s news and events going on around them.

“…by looking at the news and society and everything it all just seems pointless…but looking at it from an academic point of view and the way the world looks right now, the future is not something I want to take part in.”

Being aware of this, they don’t let this stop them from helping others through their actions. They’ve helped almost everyone in the school in some way, whether someone needs help understanding a class project or simply finding their classroom; they’ve always been there to lend a hand.

A.J has noticed how media is not only affecting our generation, but also how it’s causing a domino-effect into the younger generation already.

“As kids, we don’t really notice it [world events in the media], but as we get older, it seems to be there. Once we understand it truly and what causes it, everything we see, leads to a negative outlook.”

Another aspect that most teens struggle with is the standards of today’s youth is being held up to. Majority of teens feel that they need to achieve impossibly high standards that they can’t reach to be seen as a good person to others. When they don’t, they tend to feel a sense of inadequacy to others, which then causes today’s youth to weigh their self-worth by their actions and good deeds.

“It makes you feel bad about yourself because you’re not doing the same thing everyone you’re seeing on the media is doing, which puts a lot of pressure on you to be the perfect thing you see everywhere.”

On top of all of this, A.J doesn’t let it stop them from wanting to make a difference in the world. They do small things each day to try and change the outlook others have on the world around them. They feel as if these acts of kindness aren’t anything special.

“Before [the age of technology] there was a view of what was perfect but wasn’t so wide-spread, but now with the media, it’s being shoved down your throat all the time. Every time you open up your phone you’re seeing it…we're seeing this thing that we’re supposed to be that no one can ever achieve because it’s one person or a group of people... it’s definitely going to cause a lot of negative emotions, personal ones and views on the world.”

For the longest time, A.J. wanted to become a politician and pursue this after high school, but after everything they’ve seen after watching more closely, their mind has changed significantly. Although this has changed their mind, that won’t stop them from wanting to have a good impact on the world once they're older.

“For the longest time, I wanted to be a politician, I actually thought about it all the time and shaped my grade 11 year classes around that career path, but then I actually truly started paying attention to the politics, and their history, and how they change and are shaped, and what lays behind them…I keep seeing horrible things on the media about the government systems, it has begun to turn me completely against them. The media has placed me in what I can only describe as Sociologist Emile Durkheim's state of anomie; I feel a complete lack of control on where the world is heading or even anything I see going on around me through the screen of my phone that I no longer want to contribute to it, I am scared too.”