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Self-esteem European American teenage girls have the lowest self-esteem of any group in the country. Parents, teachers, and counselors of all sorts need to help our girls understand that they are worthy - as females, as European Americans, and as people. European American youths, girls and boys alike, are exposed to a great deal of misinformation in the schools and in media leading them to think that they are guilty because they are white. Parents, relatives, and adult friends must intervene to counter this propaganda on a one-by-one basis if our young people are to respect themselves. Suicide European American teenage boys have the highest suicide rate of any group. As in the case of our girls, self-image is one of the problems faced by our boys. All of us who interact with European American youth need to be aware of this, and work to provide good role models. Also, our youth need to be given a sense of pride in their heritage as people of European descent. We have to listen to our young people, let them know they are loved, and give them something to live for. Poverty About half the poor people in America are of European heritage. All too often, we dismiss these people contemptuously as “trailer trash” or “white trash” or “hillbillies.” We must never use these terms, and we should correct others who use them in our presence. Our kin are not trash! We need to help our poor - not by handouts, but by showing them how to better themselves. This is especially true of our young people, because decisions made early in life affect financial status through all the years that follow. European American youth need to understand the need to get an education or job training, and to forge sound, life-long marriages (Divorce is costly not just emotionally, but financially as well). Smoking Among Youth European American youth smoke tobacco at a higher rate than any other ethnic group (four times more than African American youth!). We have to teach our young people that smoking is a potentially deadly habit. Unfortunately, the government is not helping us with this. When Proposition 99 was passed in California in 1988, money was allocated for anti-tobacco programs. The California legislature passed a bill that listed every other major racial group as a “targeted population” for anti-smoking efforts…except us! (Hey, they’re just white kids - who cares?) We must not wait for government. We have to take our destiny in our own hands, and teach our kids not to smoke. Skin Cancer One out of five children born this year will develop some form of skin cancer during their lives. The great majority of these people will be European Americans. Learn to protect yourself from overexposure to the sun, and find out how to check yourself for signs of skin cancer. Above all, let’s get rid of the notion that we have to be tanned to be attractive! We are fine just the way our ancestors made us.
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