Webpages, Winnings, and Weird Adolescent Experiences

Finally! Sue's page has arrived! enjoint and apocrypha's page has been up for a month now, and it's taken me that long to get this page going... My deepest apologies for the long wait, but this past month has been VERY busy. What with school, singing, internet pages (these pages andGaia's Navel), and life in general, I've barely had anytime to myself!

Hmmm... Can I brag? Of course I can! This is MY page afterall :)

I won $175 in scholarship money (YEA!) at the Kiwanis and Rotary music festivals in Owen Sound and Walkerton, respectively. I sang in both festivals, and did really well, especially considering that I had a lung infection that week and could barely breathe, let alone sing... I guess some people must think I have talent. So needless to say I was VERY happy with my winnings. Just thought you'd all like to know about my successes :)

Anyway, since this is my first entry, I think I'll write about an experience that both Rosanna and I had.

In March I had the chance to meet Ro in person, along with two other net-friends who were also friends of Rosanna. We met in the EASTGATE MALL in Stoney Creek, Ontario, and after getting a little more acquainted, we did the grand tour. Eventually we went to LE CHATEAU, and to make a long story short, we spent a good 15 minutes criticizing the outrageous prices the store was charging for poor quality clothing that I could make for less than 5$.

After we left, we walked around a little more, then went to another store to get a drink. We weren't in there two minutes before two security guards came up to us and confronted us. They said that there had been an "incident" at LE CHATEAU, that the girl had said that "threatening words were exchanged" and that they were "going to have to have to ask [us] to leave". When we asked to hear what it was that we supposedly said, they refused to tell us. So we got kicked out of the mall, and later Ro and the other two girls were told that they are no longer allowed to enter LE CHATEAU in that mall.

So basically what happened is that we got kicked out for criticising the merchandise. Maybe it wasn't the criticising of mechandise so much as it was the fact that there were five of us, all under 17 and two of us were dressed in goth. I guess the EASTGATE MALL and LE CHATEAU don't support their teenage customers, nor do they appreciate diversity. Please feel free to complain to them on my behalf.

I laugh at it now because it was the most pathetic thing that has ever happened to me. Honestly, we did nothing wrong! Now if somehow something we said or did had been misinterpreted, I'd understand completely, but I think they just felt threatened by the five of us.

Afterall, we were under 17, so of course that means that we all have criminal records, and Ro did have that machete hidden under her trenchcoat, and let's not forget the handgun in my jacket! And since we were all stoned, and had all those stolen goods in our pockets, it's a good thing they didn't call the pigs. But what I want to know is how did the storeclerk know that we were plotting kill her? Oh well, we went to Tim Horton's and robbed them instead. [in case you're not very perceptive, I'm being sarcastic]

It's pathetic the way this country treats it's youth. Just because I am 17 does not mean that I'm a criminal, or that I'm a drug addict, or that I am some kind of menace to society. I am an adolescent, and these years are the hardest ones of my life. I'm trying to discover who I am, and what I'm going to do with my life. I'm trying to deal with raging hormones, and the transition from childhood to adulthood. And this is the way you treat me? With fear and disrespect? Yes, some kids are troublemakers. Yes, some kids are criminals and drug addicts. But the majority are not, and they are punished for the faults of only a few.

Of course the reason this is allowed to go on is that adolescents are the group most discriminated against in our country. We are seen as lower class citizens, and since we are not allowed any of the "adult" privileges, we cannot defend ourselves.

Adults need to learn to see that teens are still children, that we are still vulnerable and we need your guidance, but that we are also people and deserve equal respect. Even though we may not be as experienced in life as you are, we still deserve respect. We are your future, and any country that fears it's future is doomed to fail.

Hmmm... So my point is, stop being so damn afraid of me and my friends! Heh, has anyone ever had this happen to them? You're walking down the street, and there's an elderly couple coming towards you, and as you get closer to them, they cross the street so they won't have to come near you? *sigh* Anyway, until next we meet, I remain,

apocrypha

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