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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Tribal teens and a big lie about drugs
Alexandra Frean The Times
Monday 23 Aug 2004 ONE FIFTH of teenagers pretend to have taken drugs to make themselves look cool, but do not in reality do anything of the kind, a government-backed study carried out throughout Britain suggests. The findings, likely to come as a huge relief to many parents, indicate that drugtaking is far less important to many teenagers than being seen to have the right fashion and music tastes and being able to "talk the talk" about drugs. "Just because your daughter is dressed in black, has a white face and has become a 'goth' and may talk about drugs, that does not mean that she is on an inexorable road to becoming a junkie. The two do not go together," Peter Marsh, the social psychologist who wrote the report, said. Darren Hall, a spokesman for Frank, the Home Office's national drugs information service which commissioned the research, added: "It is encouraging that while young people may talk about drug-taking, they are not necessarily experimenting with drugs themselves." The study analysed the "presentation tactics" used by teenagers to gain entry into social groups, or tribes, looking in particular at their attitudes to drugs, their music tastes, dress sense and hairstyles. It identified ten leading teen tribes, using data from the youth market research company Dubit. Fitting in with the tribe was the main reason given for pretending to have taken drugs. More than a third of those surveyed said they had pretended to take drugs to "be like the rest". The second-strongest reason for pretending was "to get attention". Music tastes and appearance were the obvious ways in which young people could define themselves, although the ways in which they talked about themselves and their peers also helped them to create a sense of self. To gain entry to their chosen tribe and be accepted by other members, the teenagers often "talked up" their drugs misuse while 11 per cent of the under-14s had used this tactic to "get off" with someone. "As they make the hormone-laden journey from child to adult, they forge a personal identity by first creating a social identity," Dr Marsh said. "To be an individual, we first need to be one of the lads or lasses, and listening to at least some of the 'right' bands and adopting the 'uniform' of the group are the most important factors for teenagers looking to fit in." Rather than panic that their offspring are on a downward spiral into drug use and delinquency if their dress sense is a little different, parents should accept that they are more likely to be making a fashion statement than turning to drugs. Teenagers may need to know the jargon of drugs to pass muster as an insider, Dr Marsh said. The study also found that teen tribes operated a tacit conspiracy in which a little exaggeration on the part of their members was fully accepted. According to Home Office estimates, a quarter of teenagers aged 16 to 19 have used cannabis in the past year, 4 per cent have used Ecstasy, 3 per cent have used cocaine, 2.9 per cent have used amphetamines, 0.4 per cent have used crack and 0.1 per cent have used heroin. Because of the uncertainty about whether people tell the truth in surveys about their own drug use, the Frank study asked the youngsters about their friends to get an idea, by implication, of the young people themselves. One fifth of the 1,000 surveyed 11 to 19-year-olds said they thought their friends pretended to have taken drugs as an act of bravado when they had not in fact done so. Almost half said that the need to fit in with their particular tribe of friends dictated the whole group's, and by implication their own, behaviour. Following from this, the survey found that most youngsters thought that when their peers did try drugs, it was largely to impress their friends. 1 DO YOU WANT TO BE IN MY GANG? JUST as mods needed rockers and punks needed hippies to emphasise their distinctive characteristics, so today's youth tribes need each other to reinforce their distinct sense of unity and of being "in" 1 Skaters belong to an almost exclusively boy tribe, they prefer pasty Green Day and Blink 182 to more healthy pop stars, and re-create the look with spiky hair and chunky steel chains. Skate labels and outdoor brands such as O'Neill are popular 2 Geeks (sometimes known as Academics) tend to listen to whatever is playing on the radio (particularly Radio 1) and are not swayed by fashion trends, preferring to stay middle of the road and inconspicuous 3 Gangstas love rap and hip-hop stars such as Eminem, Nelly and Destiny's Child. They nearly all listen to the same bands as each other. They go for designer brands, the latest sportswear and "bling". While originally rooted in black music and style culture, the Gangsta tribe is aspirational for white, black and Asian young people. Gangsta characteristics are about attitude and swagger and not to be confused with criminal behaviour 4 Scallies are too young to drive but obsessed with cars. The girls favour big gold-hoop earrings while the boys stick to casual sportswear and caps. Hard house and original 'Madchester' anthems are popular, as well as the mainstream charts 5 Goths, unlike other tribes, do not all listen to the same bands as each other, although they are typified by an affinity for gloomy music. Idols include Marilyn Manson, the Sisters of Mercy and Black Sabbath. They wear pasty white make-up and black clothes 6 Trendies are achingly hip, dedicated followers of fashion who hanker after designer clothes but only from hip, no-brand designers. Music tastes are eclectic and include the Kings of Leon and the Libertines 7 Townies are fond of dance music and indie-esque bands such as Oasis, Travis and the Stereophonics. Fashion favourites include Ben Sherman shirts or a Topshop outfit for a night out 8 Sporties are probably the least challenging of parental authority. They are clean-living with an active lifestyle. Their pop role models are healthy types such as Holly Valance and Justin Timberlake and their clothing is the latest tracksuit and sportswear 9 Indies derive their name from Indie music, originally produced by small, independent record companies or the bands themselves. In their current incarnation they can be seen sporting the quasi-Mohican look. Their music tastes are rooted in Velvet Underground and The Smiths. Currently they love The Hives, Coldplay and going to gigs 10 Moshers idolise Kurt Cobain and their style is ruled by comfort. Typical garb will include a band's tour T-shirt. Rock music is a favourite, with Keane and Jet the bands of choice Source: Dubit
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