Kids in the Mall: Growing up Controlled - William Severini Kowinski

In the essay "Kids in the Mall: Growing Up Controlled," William Severini Kowinski explores the relationship between the commercial space and the effects of young people hanging out in these places. Kowinski uses personal stories, examples of mall experiences and credible, professional opinions. He presents thoughts about the advantages and disadvantages of commercial malls and their influence on teen behaviour. Kowinski describes the positive influences of hanging out in malls as a place for gaining life experiences, a substitute home for kids in unpleasant situations, and a framework for transitioning into adulthood. He identifies the negative influences as a place for promoting consumerism and the social pressure on teens to buy the products in the mall.

While Kowinski presents both positive and negative influences, he thinks that the negative predominate. I do not agree with this statement. Although some kids may want to buy things, I believe they hang out mainly to socialize with their peers away from their parents' rules and judgmental remarks. The type of place does not matter. It could be at a mall, a diner, or a park. What is important is that adolescents have a place to gather, learn, and share life experiences. In my case, I chose to hang out at a hole-in-the-wall Chinese diner that offered delicious, cheap food. This is where I learned many life lessons with a special group of friends.

The diner's ambience made this place great, as restaurants were too formal and expensive for our informal gatherings. It had old ceiling fans, tiled floors, comfortable leather booths, and wall-mounted, chrome jukeboxes at every booth. Everything was pink, from the rough walls, to the chairs, napkins, and random collection of decorations covering the walls. It was a perfect setting for spending time with friends. Waitresses offered endless cups of coffee all for the price of one cup. We could stay in the diner for hours without worrying about being tossed out, even if we preferred not to order any food. But what really made this diner so special is that the Chinese owners made everyone feel welcome.

Most people in town were German and very prejudiced against anyone that was non-white or of any other ethnic group. By hanging out in the diner, we could escape from our parents' prejudices, their rules and their non-stop criticism of the type of friends and activities we chose. And because of their prejudice, we knew they would never invade our private space.

We could also smoke cigarettes without anyone bothering us. Although our school provided a smoking lounge with a coin-operated jukebox and several tables where students played endless card games, it didn't offer privacy. The diner was the perfect place to hang out with friends, have fun, privacy and the freedom to explore and develop my own identity, apart from my family.

In an interview with a friend, she reported that "the teens in her small hometown would congregate at the local Dairy Queen. Like the teens in my hometown, they selected a place that was centrally located, accessible by car, or by foot, and sold inexpensive food and drinks that kids could afford. And like the diner, it provided an environment where they could be themselves without the intrusive eyes of their parents. The Dairy Queen was merely a backdrop, while the interaction with her peers played the significant role in the development of her identity and self-esteem.

Similarly, hanging out at the diner with my friends has influenced who I am today. I don't remember exactly when it all started or the details of how