I recently wrote a little piece about youth discrimination, figure I'll get your opinion on it.

Ever walked into a store and instantly feel unwelcomed?  Ever hear the person behind the counter say 'keep an eye on those kids'?  Ever have an adult stare at you like your a trouble maker?  Ever think for a moment that it's unfair to be discriminated by age?  I sure as hell do.  We face a particularly unjust situation in many work environments and workplace situations.  We can earn income on their own without being allowed to open a bank account on their own; we must pay taxes without the possibility of voting until they're 18; we are routinely exploited by their employers, expected to work more erratic, less popular hours for less pay than equally or less-then equally experienced/skilled adults.

Youth discrimination is no different that racism.  It's treating someone differently based on them being different than you.  I'm younger than you so naturally you must be smarter, stronger, wiser, and more mature right?  How wrong you are.  I hate this bs about how age determines maturity and in return how maturity determines so many other privlages.  Let's say for example, driving.  Is it that hard to think that there may be some kids under 16 that are mature enough and responsible enough to have a liscense?  Why are they being discriminated against because others aren't?  Why are we not allowed to consume alchohol, because some people don't know when to stop?  Again, why are we being discriminated against because of others mistakes?

Just because of the fact that we are under 18 and you are not does not give you any right at all to consider yourself better than us, or the right to order us around like we are uncapable of anything on our own.  Let's look at it this way.  One middle aged caucasian male steals a shirt from Old Navy.  Now does this mean that every middle aged caucasian male shoplifts?  No, not at all.  So why is it that when one of us makes a mistake you think the rest of us will do the same.  True, some might, but what about the rest?  Why are the rest penalized for the errors of some?

Nietzsche proclaimed that only the individual has the authority to bestow rights.  I full heartedly agree.  How is it that you can decide how responsible or mature we are without even knowing us?  How can you know that we are incapable of things without even giving us a chance?

So what is it that makes age so important?  Because you have more expirence than us?  Because you've seen more things than us?  How about you let us expirence these things before you say we're incapable.