No, youre not ‘paranoid; somepody is watching you In the adult world it seems ‘bad teen’ image prevails “PLEASE, I can only let two at a time into the store. I can’t keep my eyes on all of you at one time.”’ In today’s world of ever in- creasing crime, I think many store owners are becoming more used to living the style of eyeing vultures. They must have specific mirrors perfectly aligned so they can see every inch of their nest. They also have survei/lance systems in order to create a se- cond set of eyes so that no one can be seen leaving with their merchandise, And they need mag- netic beeper tags for protection. Teenagers like myself are usual- ly picked on by store owners because of the way we dress and act. I've talked to some store owners and they told me that teenagers that come into the store wearing baggy clothes, NFL jackets and tuques are easily picked out of the bunch. Every time kids walk into a store they aren’t necessarily the type who are going to loot the store down to the bare racks. For instance, not too long ago I walked into a local convenience store to buy some goodies. While I was in the candy aisle picking out some sweets, I felt the strange presence of someone around me. As I turned around, io my surprise, there standing right beside me was the store worker carefully watching me so that I wouldn’t try to conceal any candy. Yeah, thanks, but I’m a big boy now and I don’t think I need the assistance of someone to help me Pick out what I want to eat. Come on guys, let’s get serious. Quit labelling kids every time they walk into a store. We're just sick and tired of constant visual harassment. _ [can understand that there is an increasing rate of shoplifting nowadays and the crime rate is definitely on the rise, but it gets a little tedious after some time. Another item on the list of my pet peeves is the RCMP. Yes, I know that they’re just doing their jobs as enforcers of the law, but is pulling over a carload of teenagers who are having a good time law enforcement? 1 remember a while back when | was with a couple of friends on our way downtown to go skateboarding, we were pulled over by a cop because a couple of us were wearing tuques. Yeah, this officer must have been hurting for a bust or just really bored. Another time we went to the Lonsdale Quay to pick up a friend and we were questioned by the police for sitting in our car. After the officer had taken our names down, there were five cop cars all around us just chatting and slacking off and having a good time. And to top the night off, a K-9 dog unit was in our car sniffing out for drugs and whatever else it could find (nothing). — It certainly was a waste of time on both their and our behalf, The cops seemed to have enjoyed it more than we did. You also have to take into con- Sean is into skateboarding, snowboarding, and drawing. He is 17 years old, and is in Grade 12 at Carson Graham secondary school. sideration that the police have to be extra careful in dealing with different situations. Most of the time they handle problems accord- ingly, but sometimes they get the wrong people, The portrayal of teens in to- day’s society is getting worse. We are constantly reminded about teens doing this and doing that. How often do you hear about the positive things teens do? The media is probably the top contender for the title. Look at the TV news for example. It always, whenever I watch it, talks about teenagers doing crime and getting into trouble. I’ve also noticed that whenever I go into a mall or a supermarket, 1 usually get some weird looks from adults. It seems to me that whenever I try to pass by an adult and say excuse me, even though I'm polite to them, they give me this look like ‘‘Who the hell are you?”’ 1 guess they don’t do this on The North Shore News Classifieds is the place to be if you are looking for or selling recreational property. purpose, but sometimes | think they feel that when they see a young teenager close to them, maybe they get the feeling that they will get their purse snatched or just feel insecure. The Canada-U.S. border cross- ing is where I sometimes find great difficulty. About three months ago, while coming back from Mt. Baker (awesome moun- tain, great for snowboarding), we had a little problem coming across from the U.S. When it was our turn to cross, an older customs officer said, “Where are y'all coming from? ... Are all of y’all Canadian citizens? .-. How long have you been in the States? ... Are you bringing across any goods exceeding $20? ... Hold on, pull over to the side. I’m go- ing to get an officer to check your car and snowboards.”’ As all this was happening, Granny Smith and Grandpa George zinged right on through in their Chevette, Either seniority is a first or they just don’t trust us. Most people believe ihat everything they hear on the news is true. Well, in a way itis, and ina way it isn’t. You see, a lot of things can be true but also a lot of things can be blown out of proportion. | think the whole idga of teens being rebellious and criminal is very far fetched. Who are the media to tell others how bad teenagers are in this day and age? Even though it's their job, they don’t have to necessarily put us down every chance they get. Obviously the media is very hypocritical because, as ail of us know, we were all teenagers once. Think about it. E 70 B.C.'S HOTTEST PROPERT THIS WEERK’S ZAP! article is about discrimination against teenagers. The writer says he has experienced discrimination just because of his age or how he is dressed. Do you think you are treated differently just because of your age? Do workers in stores, or other people, seem to assume that you can't be trusted? NEWS photo Cindy Goodman In performance FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD viclinist Aya Miyagawa- entertained patrons at the West Vancouver Ferry Building during a recent art show. Miyagawa won first place in the provincial finals for performing arts, held recently in Trail, B.C. ES This feature page will run only twice, June 27 and 30, when the market is prime. Listing your cabin, ranch or property in the News positions it on over 61,000 doorsteps in a market where owning a second home is almost as common as owning a second car. RECREATIONAL PR THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WIEST VANCOUVER: IFIED IES - JUNE 27 AND 30 To advertise call Christine Gowe