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4
4
Blown out of Proportion It's a Big Problem!
Debate Score:8
Arguments:5
Total Votes:12
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 Blown out of Proportion (2)
 
 It's a Big Problem! (3)

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Peer Pressure: A "Big Deal" or Not So Much?

I was recently reading a debate about drug use, and someone commented on pot smokers being pushy, I was surprised, because I've never had this experience. I've been offered drugs and alcohol, and once was pressured to drink (ineffectively). Most of my high school friends smoked or drank, and I spent a lot of time around drugs, illicit and legal, and I've never had a problem. i don't know if it was the people I was with, my personality (which is strong enough that most people don't bother with trying to change me), or if it was just the norm (which I assumed).

So, have you had problems with peer pressure? Is it as big a deal as those videos you see in elementary school?

Also, as my favorite shirt says: Resist peer pressure- All the cool kids are doing it.

Blown out of Proportion

Side Score: 4
VS.

It's a Big Problem!

Side Score: 4
2 points

All of my friends are good and would not pressure me into doing something I do not want to do. I think that kids should know that things are bad and that they should find new poeple to hang out with if the people they do hang out with do bad things.

Side: Blown out of Proportion
2 points

I'm not really sure how to tag this argument, so I'm just picking the side that has less going for it.

For me, the story in the description holds true: I've grown up having some friends who drank anything from wine to rye to vodka and did drugs ranging from pot, to acid. I never really got into the whole scene, but I'm pretty libertarian about the whole issue (read: I could really give a shit less if they do, just don't try to force me to). I never really felt pressured to do it, because I felt like I was better than that, that despite all the other shit in my life, I didn't need to turn to drugs and alcohol to feel cool or to drown my sorrows. That being said, I still believe it is a major problem for kids who may not be as strong-willed/principled, and who fall into that kind of shit more easily. At the very least, it is an issue that needs more media/mainstream news coverage

Side: Blown out of Proportion
1 point

I think peer pressure is more subtle in reality than "Hey, Joey, wanna smoke some pot?" It's more like, being around it regularly and respecting the people who do those things will make you more apt to try them.

Side: It's a Big Problem!
1 point

I think to some extent this is true, but to most high school students, you could get it anyway- it's not just friends that surround you with drug use. You can respect someone without respecting their drug use, as well.

Side: It's a Big Problem!
0 points

I personally don't have a problem with peer pressure. I always just look to the future and realize "if I do this, will it hurt my future?" If the answer is yes or even maybe I rarely do it.

But peer pressure is not blown out of proportion at all. Many teens try smoking or drinking to fit in with their "friends".

Side: It's a Big Problem!