MOre or Less
![Picture](/uploads/5/1/6/5/51653715/1431700738.png)
Noah Ketteman is a
freshman at RTHS.
He is on the school's
baseball team and
enjoys his classes
he has this year.
Do you think peer pressure is good? I think that peer pressure is one of the most dangerous things to have against you because you allow it to do whatever it wants to do blindly. Most people will think of peer pressure as bad. There is bad peer pressure and that is what usually shows up in schools with your peers. I think peer pressure can be taken both ways, good and bad.
The reason I think peer pressure can be taken either positively or negatively is because it matters on the decision you make and whether it was the right or wrong decision. If someone asks, “Hey, wanna smoke some cigars with us? You’ll get all the ladies!” Most guys will say yes, especially the ones who want to be cool. See how that one sentence affected his decision? That type of peer pressure is Pathos, or emotional and also bad peer pressure. If you listen to the main question, and not the persuasion they add at the end, you can pick the decision you think is best for the situation. Peer pressure can also happen just outside of school when you’re walking home or going to eat somewhere. That’s when they say to you, “What else are you doing that could be better than this?” When this happens, your mind goes blank for a second and you might end up saying, “OK.” The webpage, thecoolspot.gov has a minigame where you can be someone who is being pressured and you make the decision. This will help kids realize that they are being pressured everyday and how to avoid it.
Can kids block out the negative peer pressure? Why sure they can! I believe that everybody has the mental toughness to say “NO” to negative peer pressure. A way to do that is to not make excuses that could backfire on you, say something more like, “Sorry, I have to head home and eat dinner.” The best way to block out negative peer pressure is to talk to a trusted adult because they most likely have been through peer pressure themselves and can give you some helpful advice as how to block it out or ignore it. You can also take matters into your own hands and choose your friends wisely. Most people get pressured into doing stuff they don’t want to do because of the people or friends they hang out with.
Can kids be influenced by the other kids that don’t care what people think about them to their own benefit? Yes, but only if there are more of the kids that don’t care and if you start hanging around them to see how they do it. If you don’t like them, you don’t have to hang out with them, just long enough to see how they block out the peer pressure. Also, remember the risks of the people you hang out with, don’t hang out with a bad group just because they “fit in” at school and don’t get made fun of. One of the best things to do is to find something to do with your real friends, like watch a movie or play video games to take your mind off of the peer pressure, or you could just simply take a reality check. Why would you do this? To fit in? But what are the risks of it? Is it smart? These questions can help kids block out this peer pressure for their benefit.
Can the pressure people receive at home change the way they take peer pressure at school? Yes, some people have a parent or guardian at home that either drinks or smokes to relieve stress off of them, and that’s what they tell the kids. The kids hearing this think that, “If I get stressed, I can just drink and smoke and the stress will go away? SWEET!” Because they heard at school or somewhere where they can get smokes or something to drink. So now they are addicted to cigarettes and drink daily with their new “friends.” But if the parent stops smoking or drinking, the kid will take that in and if they get asked to smoke or drink, the kid will say no because their parents aren’t doing it so why should they? Most kids take what they hear or see in their household from their parents and start doing whatever they do. That could go all the way from cursing to criminal.
Do you still think peer pressure is always good or always bad? Peer pressure will always be taken differently from people but do what you know is right, don’t make the wrong decisions then regret them later in life. Drinking can happen when you’re 21 years old so it’s not like you can never drink as well as smoking which can happen at 18. Don’t do it just because you want to be cool, but if it’s what you believe is right, then nobody will be able to stop you. Peer pressure can be a pain sometimes, but just remember the difference from positive and negative.
The reason I think peer pressure can be taken either positively or negatively is because it matters on the decision you make and whether it was the right or wrong decision. If someone asks, “Hey, wanna smoke some cigars with us? You’ll get all the ladies!” Most guys will say yes, especially the ones who want to be cool. See how that one sentence affected his decision? That type of peer pressure is Pathos, or emotional and also bad peer pressure. If you listen to the main question, and not the persuasion they add at the end, you can pick the decision you think is best for the situation. Peer pressure can also happen just outside of school when you’re walking home or going to eat somewhere. That’s when they say to you, “What else are you doing that could be better than this?” When this happens, your mind goes blank for a second and you might end up saying, “OK.” The webpage, thecoolspot.gov has a minigame where you can be someone who is being pressured and you make the decision. This will help kids realize that they are being pressured everyday and how to avoid it.
Can kids block out the negative peer pressure? Why sure they can! I believe that everybody has the mental toughness to say “NO” to negative peer pressure. A way to do that is to not make excuses that could backfire on you, say something more like, “Sorry, I have to head home and eat dinner.” The best way to block out negative peer pressure is to talk to a trusted adult because they most likely have been through peer pressure themselves and can give you some helpful advice as how to block it out or ignore it. You can also take matters into your own hands and choose your friends wisely. Most people get pressured into doing stuff they don’t want to do because of the people or friends they hang out with.
Can kids be influenced by the other kids that don’t care what people think about them to their own benefit? Yes, but only if there are more of the kids that don’t care and if you start hanging around them to see how they do it. If you don’t like them, you don’t have to hang out with them, just long enough to see how they block out the peer pressure. Also, remember the risks of the people you hang out with, don’t hang out with a bad group just because they “fit in” at school and don’t get made fun of. One of the best things to do is to find something to do with your real friends, like watch a movie or play video games to take your mind off of the peer pressure, or you could just simply take a reality check. Why would you do this? To fit in? But what are the risks of it? Is it smart? These questions can help kids block out this peer pressure for their benefit.
Can the pressure people receive at home change the way they take peer pressure at school? Yes, some people have a parent or guardian at home that either drinks or smokes to relieve stress off of them, and that’s what they tell the kids. The kids hearing this think that, “If I get stressed, I can just drink and smoke and the stress will go away? SWEET!” Because they heard at school or somewhere where they can get smokes or something to drink. So now they are addicted to cigarettes and drink daily with their new “friends.” But if the parent stops smoking or drinking, the kid will take that in and if they get asked to smoke or drink, the kid will say no because their parents aren’t doing it so why should they? Most kids take what they hear or see in their household from their parents and start doing whatever they do. That could go all the way from cursing to criminal.
Do you still think peer pressure is always good or always bad? Peer pressure will always be taken differently from people but do what you know is right, don’t make the wrong decisions then regret them later in life. Drinking can happen when you’re 21 years old so it’s not like you can never drink as well as smoking which can happen at 18. Don’t do it just because you want to be cool, but if it’s what you believe is right, then nobody will be able to stop you. Peer pressure can be a pain sometimes, but just remember the difference from positive and negative.