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Too often am I walking down the street, through the supermarket or on a bus and I am subjected to the glares and stares of (dare I say it) old people.

Walk past a wall of graffiti at the same time as an OAP and I wouldn't be surprised if you are victim to the tuts and chanter of young kids these days'. Likewise, if you don't instantaneously offer your seat on the bus or place in a queue you are likely to be stereotyped as a rebellious youth or ASBO kid.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for offering my seat on the bus and I'm the first to stand up if the bench is full and someone's in need of a seat. I despise some of the ways young people treat the elderly - the lack of dignity towards elders in our society is appalling. Too often are old people dismissed as eccentric, useless and a burden on society- Jenny Joseph's Warning' springs to mind.

The disregard, disrespect and cowardly acts inflicted on some of the most valuable assets to our society - from our grandfathers and grandmothers to our war veterans and then-battle brothers - are disgraceful and should not be tolerated.

However, there's a subtle backlash. More and more old people are expressing their frustration towards the minority by stereotyping the majority. And it's not fair.

Just because I'm 17 doesn't mean I'm rampaging the town at night, beer bottle in one hand, fag in the other, attempting to relieve the stress of bringing up my young child.

Just because I'm 17 doesn't mean doesn't mean I'm shooting heroin in the local town park and literally painting the town red, green and blue each night. Just because I'm 17 doesn't mean I'm going to steal money out of my grandmother's purse and drop out of school with barely any qualifications.

Okay, so maybe I'm over-stereotyping a little. But, as a teen, I do feel that young people are being grouped up into supposed roles that we don't belong in.

I always make the effort to smile at members of my community - regardless of whether they decide to smile back or not. Common courtesy, etiquette and manners are important to me and I've been brought up to know right from wrong. And it's not just me - thousands of teenagers in this country are well-spoken, polite, down-to-earth and good-to-do people.

More often than not, when I smile at an old person they return my gesture with a look of fear rather than friendliness. It's a messed up world when the young and old can't integrate in society with the old. But can we blame them?

With sweeping generalisations and outlandish headlines made about young people every day in our newspapers, is it any wonder old people stereotype the young?

There needs to be a common ground. We need to see more young people helping the elderly across the road - and old people need to trust the young to do this safely!

Old people aren't all reminiscing about their lives in a rocking chair each day and likewise, young people aren't all purse snatchers drinking the night away. Society as a whole needs to be more accepting and more accommodating for the young and the old.

12:06pm Monday 18th February 2008

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