Many of us have probably never heard of the term “Discourse Community”. It’s okay if you never have, because I was surely one of them. When I first heard this term, I felt as if it would be addressing certain people, and we may not all fall under it’s categories, but that was a false assumption. We are all, somehow, in some way; involved or incorporated. Now we can dive in deep into what these communities we may be apart of, but that would be a long list of areas to sort through. Not only that, although we are all human beings and maybe the same in many different ways, we are also different in many aspects. So to find where we would all fit in individually would take a lifetime, but have no fear; for there are 2 areas where I believe we all have in common. These two areas would fall under the communities of “family” and “friends”. Now, I would like to be crystal clear with the specifics of why I believe these two are most common for all of us, and what exactly I want all of you to take from it. The most obvious reason would be we all have families! We all have friends! We all have people in our lives that may not share any biological traits, but we consider them family due to the bonds you developed with each other. Throughout life, we are faced with meeting strangers, and due to the process of conversation, we find that we have a vast amount of concepts; ideas in common. And from all of these facts, we befriend one another. Now let me explain to you all why I bring these relations to the surface. If you look at what makes up your families, whether they are large or small, they all consist of different age groups. They all consist of different generations of style, personality, and much more. With friends, it becomes a different story. Let us go back a few steps. When we befriend these people who were once complete strangers to us, we do it because we have similar, if not the same beliefs. We share the same interests, and our way of thinking is relatable. Jumping forward back on point, we can see for the most part if not completely; we are all of the same age. The main difference between the communities of “Family” and “Friends” is age. And this is exactly what I want to discuss with you.
            There is a huge gap between the different generations. I am 20 years of age, turning 21 exactly seven days from today. And although I will be considered a grown adult, I will not exactly be treated as one by my elders, even if the actions are highly mature. I feel as if I am constantly looked down upon due to the simple fact of my age. Because I am young, I’m viewed as an irresponsible, out of control being, that cares for nothing or no one else but himself. My elders, that is not the case. I stand here to tell you all that these assumptions that you have made of us young people are false. I can understand that there might be a few rotten apples in the basket, but that does not affect the rest of us. No one on the planet should be judged by a few other corrupted beings. We should not be judged by what we are faced with in our times, meaning this day and age. I ask of you all, to roll back the curtain from the days you were all our age. You were young, eager, hungry; ready to go out there and face the world. The desire to explore new places, meet new people, learn about different cultures and ways of life. These may be some of the greatest, most memorable memories in your whole lifetime; but do not stop there. Dive deeper. When you were clawing to scratching to have an ounce of fun, who were the people in your lives trying to get in the way of that. It would be those who would take care of you, look after you. We can call these individuals your “Elders”. Now think of things you wanted to do. Didn’t want to cause any harm, or bring any shame to your loved ones, but your elders did not understand. And from their lack of understanding cause you to feel suppressed. The way they viewed things was law, and there wasn’t much you could do to change them. Fast-forwarding to present times, it seems like you all have been acting the same exact way. It seems like you all have forgotten the days you were young, and begin to throw blind judgment on to others. Elders, this has to stop. The times have changed, and I think this is a thought that is highly neglected. In the days when you were young, you were subject to do whatever those times had to offer. Your “fun” back in the days are not anywhere close to what that word is defined as today. Let’s not be hypocritical shall we. You didn’t want any holding you back, and neither do we. We have tried to talk and be respective, but it seems there has been no growth. So what is the result of all of this you ask? Communication is thrown out the door. We start to hide and lie about the things we are doing. For the most part, nothing of the sort is anything wrong, but they’d be wrong in the eyes of you. There’s a phrase that goes: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Let’s get rid of that old saying from this day moving forward. Instead of being controlling, help lead us in doing better. Let us have a better understanding of one another. We all need to do better.