Naming and Shaming: The Ineffectiveness of Public Stigma in Altering Teenage Behavior

Being a teenager brings a lot of questions and curiosity, along with the response, “I’ve been your age, and you’ll grow out of it.”

Would it be weird for me if ten years from now I’ll be looking back and thinking that only two years back I was 15? It was the perks of being called a teenager after the clock hit 12 and I reached 13. Ever since then, I have been worshipping the idea of being able to turn back times. I did make mistakes and those were some big ones but did that embarrassment or shame make me look at the world differently? The real question here is what I was told. Was it to improve and be better or forget it and start a new journey? What would someone who has experienced so little about life know the value of such big words as “name” and “shame”? As a teenager, you’ll need proper guidance and be able to seek help when you need it most rather than being told what you did wrong again and again. What would a human being of the age 13 to 19 have to lose? Till then your name is always connected with your family and parents and when you’re struggling it’s also them who get affected. I do not go by the statement that “ Teenagers know nothing about life” rather I believe that they should be given a chance to let others know what they know. I was told that silence was the best answer because then I would not be in charge of my name. In that way, someone else would’ve picked up the chance to ruin the little bit of shame that I had in me. The real question is, did that experience ruin me or fix me? Did the person who tarnished my name change, or did I change? The likely answer is that time helped cover it up. This shows that name and shame do not change teenage behaviour because even if you have the shame to act right, your pride to save your name will give a way for people to portray you as someone who THEY think you are. Now, let’s take the current state of our social environment. We are living in a time where there is a big generation gap between people. It is difficult to understand the norms and values our parents set for us along with trying to make them understand us. The sudden personality development along with the stereotypes caused many people to think and want to live differently. In a world where not even life is permanent, what can a teenager do to make their success a lifetime experience? If shame really mattered then a teenager’s mind wouldn’t judge the person who just scolded them in front of many. Our mindset depends on us and it hurts for it to be that way. Imagine a 14-year-old blindly giving their life to someone they just met. It sounds like a possibility because it can happen. The loose trust that they carry makes them a teenagers because that’s when regrets start flowing into them. After 10 years when I look back, I am sure the regrets will fade away. However, I will also be confronted with my current self, feeling both named and shamed.

In conclusion, as a teenager, your sole responsibility is to not know about names and shame because mistakes might be big but regrets are much bigger. To save is to lose and to lose is to regret. The only way a teenager can make an adult satisfied is by staying silent and losing the ability to defend your name and shame. 

-Ojashwi Chand