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BOOK REVIEW The Road to Whatever: Middle-Class Culture and the Crisis of Adolescence by Elliot Currie Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company - February 2005
Reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty
After spending many years studying history and politics, I've come to the conclusion that a strong, stable, and relatively prosperous middle-class is the key to providing a strong, stable, and relatively prosperous society and its accompanying political organization. We will always have the very wealthy and we will always have the poor. The rich and the poor, representing the two extremes on a social spectrum, must, however, be the minorities in any stable society. The middle-class represents what we ordinarily refer to as the "mainstream." It seems obvious then that the future of a stable and prosperous society must always rest with the generation coming of age and that middle-class adults, particularly those who are involved in the raising of middle-class youth, should be nurturing these younger members, preparing them to take their place as responsible adults in the larger society, thereby guaranteeing the continued stability and prosperity of that society. But, according to sociologist Elliott Currie, not all is kosher among middle-class youth in America and he provides an interesting investigation into the core causes of the epidemic of violence, drug abuse, and hopelessness among those American teenagers who are part of what is generally called "mainstream America," that is, these teenagers are true members of the middle-class and do not represent the impoverished young people of the poorer class who are generally thought to be responsible for most of the antisocial behavior in our society and who are considered to be "disadvantaged" and "alienated" from the larger society as a whole. The title of Currie's book, The Road to Whatever, I initially found to be very curious and I wasn't quite sure what the author really meant. It didn't take long to discover why he was using that particular title. Indeed, if the current crisis among middle-class adolescents is to be marked with a single word, the word "whatever" is about as good a word as one can use. "Whatever," in the sense which seems to be used in this book, is full of meaning and embodies an expression of carelessness, heedlessness, despair, thoughtlessness, riskiness, and so on, behaviors and attitudes which are not considered desirable attributes to be fostered in our young. Too many middle-class youths in America are not on the "Road to Maturity," or the "Road to Success," or the "Road to Prosperity." They are, well, on the road to "Whatever." What, asks Currie, has brought this phenomenon about? What is going on in American culture that appears to be the catalyst for this circumstance? What are the root causes, if any? The author rejects the usual answers we hear all over the media from the pundits, partisans, and self-declared experts. Some say it is violence and sex on television that is responsible. Others claim it is the new "permissiveness" in our society which causes these young people to behave and feel as they do. Still others point to other causes and suggest solutions, some of which can easily be described as "Draconic." Currie discusses these issues, provides a critical analysis, and dismisses them. There are a number of points the author makes which I found right on the mark and, although I may tend to interpret them in a slightly different way, he and I are basically in agreement (I think). Currie says that many of our middle-class youths are living in a "culture of exclusion." I suspect he is correct. The communities our young people are growing up in today are not as supportive of the young as those of the past. Today, even simple and unintended mistakes made by teenagers are not overlooked, but seem to generate a social outcry for an immediate solution, even to the point where the punishment for infractions far exceeds the consequences of the infraction itself. The recent "zero tolerance" policies, so beloved now by public schools, are an example of the unforgiving nature which has come to dominate interactions between "authority" figures and adolescents. Another important issue raised by Currie is the widespread use of medications to control young people who don't meet societal or parental expectations, or are otherwise "out of control." For over twenty years, I have been trying to draw attention to this abuse of pharmacology, beginning with the overuse of the drug Ritalin back in the 1980s. I've also been critical of the tendency among so-called "mental health" professionals to "manufacture" diseases and "syndromes" where none can actually be objectively shown to exist, but it is easier to label and categorize, then "treat" and medicate, resulting, of course, in profits in somebody's pocket. I am in complete agreement with Currie, if I rightly understand his position, on the matters of behavioral medications and adolescent psychotherapy. In general, Currie does an outstanding job of analyzing, dissecting, and criticizing contemporary middle-class society in America and the crisis which has resulted for teenagers growing up within the current cultural milieu. Much of the material he presents is anecdotal, actual interviews with middle-class adolescents involved in various forms and degrees of self-destructive behavior. These are not the kids from the other side of the tracks. These are not the disadvantaged or the impoverished. These are, however, the future of American society and culture. These are the kids who will determine what sort of communities this nation has in the years to come. The concluding chapter of the book, entitled "Toward a Culture of Support," suggests some reforms which Currie thinks are important to implement in order that the present problem be resolved. Most of them are well thought out and reasonably supported. A few I would want to discuss with him further because they involve philosophical issues with which I might take issue. I can think of one or two suggestions for reform I might suggest, but he doesn't include. Be that as it may, I hope the book is widely read and discussed; the problem is out there and Professor Currie's work is an excellent place to begin the conversation.
Read an excerpt from this book HERE. Order at Amazon.com The Road to Whatever: Middle-Class Culture and the Crisis of Adolescence, by Elliott Currie |
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