To think we should forgive people for mistakes they made when they were teenagers

[satishoused]

The editor of teen vogue has been sacked for racist and homophobic tweets she wrote when she was a teenager.

I'm not condoning racism and homophobia and I'm NOT a fan of Teen Vogue BUT it does worry me that kids now grow up in a world where everything they do and say is documented on social media and is around forever. They can't make mistakes.

More and more I think we need to keep kids off social media. It is toxic and the culture it has created is brutal and unforgiving.

I agree. I would be aware that damaged or sad people behave badly and I'd be wary around people who'd already hurt me, but I don't think it's right or fair to hold teenagers to a higher account than ou'd hold an adult to.

@LonstantonSpiceMuseum I agree with this. I was a teen in the 80s and I was terrified of Aids and the ads on tv encouraged this terror. My parents although married and faithful were I presume in terror that their children would get this disease and die, so they were quite homophobic. Not to any one person but out of fear they pinned the blame for Aids on gay people. And at that point in the 80s, a new syndrome, nobody knowing for sure if there'd be new more successful drug regimes etc I cannot condemn them too harshly for their fears. I have teenagers now and I'd be scared too if I were raising them in the 80s. I remember taking on board some of my parents' attitudes, not to the same degree but I remember feeling something akin to fear or distaste at the singer from the communards. I liked the song, but he was so openly gay and I was so scared of aids. It was the early / mid 80s and I don't think people who didn't live through the 80s as a teenager terrified of aids as we thought of it then can judge. Well people will always judge, but it was a time of uncertainty and fear. It wasn't a time of ''it's no longer a death sentence! we know we can hug you! we can get the right drug regime for you!''. Different times.

@NailsNeedDoing

I agree with you. Unless there is a direct victim of the teenage stupidity who has actually suffered as a result, then we do need to forgive teenagers for their mistakes, especially as many of them can be attributed to a lack of support from adults.

Good distinction imo.

Plus, when were these statements made? How many years ago? not that I'm condoning them, but things have changed a lot in the last few years, and maybe lots of people felt differently years ago, about the Asian-American issue, but differently now, Because of Trump.

Comments made in 2011. A 27 year old would have grown up with SM.

The comments may not have directly affected one individual person but they contribute to the toxic atmosphere and hate for others.

I don’t think they should carry this with them all their working life but it seems Teen Vogue just isn’t the right fit a.t.m. Nothing to do with cancel culture, unless you think she was trying to also cancel a whole ethnicity with her posts.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.teenvogue.com/story/anal-sex-what-you-need-to-know/amp

To those asking what @FrankButchersDickieBow was talking about, I found the article.

To be honest, although I think this is bizarre article content, two things really surprised me:

1. It doesn't say men have it prostate, it just says 'if you have one' which insinuates some sort of random selection of lucky winners get one

1. It says if your partner is gay or bisexual and non monogamous you might want to take a pill that lowers the risk of HIV. I think this is quite a dangerous statement as I would have read that as a teen and thought, 'oh! You can only get HIV through anal sex with a gay/bi partner'. That is just simply not true.

@Fatladyslim I read the article linked to. I found it very well written. A lot of reference to Planned Parenthood. The article didn’t go into all the other types of sex and how you can get HIV. It was about aval sec and addressed just that. I thought it took a very straightforward and young tone.

I think teenagers shouldn't be treated so harshly, who knows what kind of environment they grew up in, what their parents beliefs were/are, they need to grow and form their own opinions. I cringe when I think of what I was exposed too and how differently I see things now

I want to mention it was a couple of aunts who I had a close day to day connection with who held opinions I don't agree with

Good column on this in today's Sunday Times (paywall though, sorry)
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/if-a-fashionista-cant-be-forgiven-the-sins-of-her-youth-theres-no-hope-for-an-isis-bride-dwfb9f2pl

I should have definitely been clearer - I meant, how much can a person blame "youth" for horrendous life choices (or a bad tweet).