I am so sorry that I am very late with my article. I have been very preoccupide with some personal trajedies....anyway, here it is though, and feel free to edit because I know that it will badly need it. Generation Gap Snoop Doggy Dog, platform shoes, Mac liptstick, Japanese cars (Hondas, Toyotas, Acuras, etc. so long as it's new and has Chinise characters written on the back window for decoration), are just some of the things that make me realize that at 22 years old, I am very out of touch and outdated compared to the younger generation today. The clothes, cars, and music are not so bothersome to me as the overall lifestyle and apathy of the young Lao people today. When I say "young Lao people," I am referring to the people who are between the ages of 13-18 years old and who continually strive to live a life of invinciillity and no respect for self, others and authority. Yes, these are pretty grim pictures I have painted of the young generation today. The direction that young Laotians are headed to are self destruction, poverty, and ambivalence to anything that even remsembles Laotian culture or values. It seems that teenagers of every ethnic orgin will succumb to the philosphy of youthful spriritedness and adolescent indulgence, but I think that this same carefree, "live for now" attitude has created a situation where our young Lao people have no concept of responsibility. Responsibility in terms of self betterment which in turn will positively benefit society. I live in Fresno, California and the drop out rate of the young Lao people hear is not near astronomical, but nevertheless it is at a level that does not look promising. Too many students are dropping out due to so many "reasons." Pregnancy, gangs, drugs, or just plain apathy is all the rage now. I use the term "rage" because I wonder more and more to myself if the reason why so many Laotian teenagers drop out is because they are just following a perverted trend or some sick fad of the moment. Whatever it is, it is not getting better. It makes me sick to my stomach that people no longer even raise an eyebrow when they hear that a 13 year old girl is pregnant and is doing drugs, and who tried to commit suicide just a few days ago, or that the surmounting death toll of Laotian adoloescent males are on the rise due to gang violence, or that the new addiction to gambling has destroyed many Laotian families and has shackled Laotian minors to a vicious cycle of stealing and robbing to get their necessary monetary funds to support their filthy gambling habbit. To some of you who live in Fresno, you all know that Table Mountain Casino is home to so many Laotian youngsters. Again, it really isn't the gambling, stealing, shooting, or the silly emulation of American pop culture that is so irritating, what it really boils down to is the moral values, viewpoints and goals that these young people lack that is the genus of our ethnic and cultural downfall. I can remember even a few years back that Laotian teenagers were more respectable to their elders, had a zest for education, and actually took their parents' advice to heart. Today is a different story. This is at the fault of both the child and the parent. Laotian teenagers are becomming more and more Americanised (not a bad thing in some situations), and parents do not even bother trying to instill values on what is right and what is wrong because they think that it is hopeless. With teenagers not giving a whole lot a shit about anything and parents giving up, it is obvious that Laotians are headed on the wrong track. It may seem that I am too pessimistic on my outlook on Laotian youngsters, but I think that what I have illustrated is only a reflection of what I have witnessed. It is too bad my reflections were not more towards the positive direction. The one thing that keeps my spirits hopeful is the fact that we are all capable of achieving excellence in all areas of our life and I have been proven this by the many great people here at Satjadham.