What is wrong with the youth of today?- Page 3

[BluCat500]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 4:47pm

And we all know the answer is much simpler than all this...all the young kids are just hepped up on goofballs, of course...

...And they were exposed to Janet Jackson's breast on live television, that may actually be the root of all this!

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 4:50pm

Robbie - you're right - I guess I just lumped them together because so many people have bumped into me while listening to stuff so loud in their Ipod and ignoring the world around them - that it just makes me mad. I've never been one of those people who needs to drown out the noise of the city - I happen to like most of it. I feel shut off from the world when I have speakers plugged into my ears, so obviously, it's hard for me to figure out why so many people like them, but of course, to each his/her own. Cellphones should be banned, as far as I'm concerned. I don't know a single person who knows how to use one in a respectful manner.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 4:50pm

And those gosh-darn comic books! And reefer! And that Rock and Roll rubbish!!
(Honestly today's kids wouldn't know rock and roll if it bit em on the a$$, but y'know...)

[Plum]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 4:52pm

Funny thing...the video-game playing, personal audio device-listening generation is grown up. D'you realize how long these things have been around?

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 4:53pm

Plum = I've progressed way past the talk of youth in this thread - now I'm just talking about people in general.

[Plum]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 4:56pm

And I've gotten sucked into discussing this when I said I wouldn't. Gah. I need to get back to packing.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 4:56pm

Way to group every young person in the same group - that's awful ignorant of you. How old are you?

[boytobroadway]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 4:58pm

I am 14 and I could care less about clothes and stuff. In fact, I really care a lot about what suffering poeple are going through. On the eleventh yesterday, I was actually upset that there wan't as much as i expected to be on about the attacks. I wanted to watch it and REALLY remember, but since there wan't a lot, I just prayed the whole day. My parents raised me well, and i went to a catholic school for nine years, so I have got a lot of moral values.

Anyway, I am young and a kid, but I am a good person and care about the life of others and so on. just wanted to point out that not all kids are bad, they just think they know it all when they really don't. They also have some smart mouths and crap.

that is all,
B2B

[Plum]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 5:02pm

Look, all this is going to be is a back-and-forth trading of anecdotal evidence, story against story, all of it adding up to absolutely nothing. Unless someone has substantive statistical evidence that Generation Y (however you define it) is depraved, angelic, or whatever in comparison to previous generations, let's end this now.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 5:05pm

Yes, please.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 5:05pm

Carl Magnum - "I blame it on the parents I saw when I was growing up, the young 30 something yuppies who worked for giant companys (Kodak, Xerox) who were far too busy for children and so appeased them with Nintendo's and Clothing and toys and such to make up for the constant day care and babysitters."

I could almost buy that if I didn't see the same sense of entitlement being exhibited across the board through class and race. I think Costume Mistress is very much on target. I think a lot of it has to do with marketing and the neo-MTV attitude that rudeness and disrespect should be applauded and revered. And as for why the teens of today should not be more active in politics, again CM is right on the money. They don't get involved or protest because the government has learned that if they ignore them, they will simply go away. Peaceful protests are nice and sometimes get media attention, but the government knows that it can do whatever it wants with total disregard to its citizens. Protests are mainly for the protestors now. Look at the worldwide protest against the Iraq invasion. The largest peaceful antiwar international protest had zero effect on Bush and his administration. That is what our youth is learning.

[Orpheum]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 6:21pm

Thanks for all your points, everyone.

OF COURSE I am not dismissing every single young person as idiotic & shallow numbskulls. OF COURSE there are young adults out there who make a difference and care deeply about our world today.

CostumeMistress - why were you waiting for me to "argue" your points? Who's to say I don't agree with them?

I guess I'm more annoyed at the materialistic world of today rather than the poor unfortunates who have grown up in it.

And for the record, I'm not quite as old as perhaps I've seemed!

[Taryn]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 6:32pm

I recently read a fascinating article by Frederica Matthewes-Greene that addressed this issue. (Unfortunately, I don't think it's anywhere online. I read it in a published magazine that I can't recall the name of.) She actually placed the roots of it at the end of WWII. Basically, her theory was that, with all our boys coming home from the war, there was an overwhelming desire to prolong the childhoods of their children. Since so many American boys fought in WWII at so young an age, they didn't want their children to have to grow up as fast as they were forced to. They wanted their children to have fun, and their children grew up and wanted this for THEIR children. Hence, the work ethic of children--the idea of earning your share around the house and such--diminished. Agree or disagree, I at least found it to be a very interesting article. I'm 18, and I know I'm guilty of some of the things my generation is accused of. I hope I'm not guilty of most of it, especially the worst of it. I certainly don't value clothes over human suffering. I do try my best to recognize my failings and work on them.

I personally find it fascinating how my generation has demanded to become more adult while becoming more immature in other ways. The standards for what kids should be exposed to--sex, violence, and various other mature themes--keep lowering. And yet, from what I've seen, the idea of coddling children and instilling them with a sense of entitlement seems to be increasing. It reminds me of a part in W. Bruce Cameron's hilarious book '8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter.' (Yes, I have read it.) There's a part where he describes his daughter talking (approximate from my memory): "No, I do not need your advice. I am my own person. I am completely mature and independent. I need money for lunch."

Of course, there are always those in the generation who are exceptions. From my experience as someone in the generation, these ARE exception. But my experience cannot encompass everything. I'm only a white, middle-class 18-year-old with no real experience with teenagers significantly above or below my position in life.

[Plum]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 6:36pm

Diminished work ethic since WWII? Then why do Americans work longer hours than citizens of any other developed nation?

Maybe the comparitive material comfort this country has enjoyed since then has allowed people to perpetually remain children, but I don't think it's a work ethic issue.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 6:40pm

Being in a work place for many hours doesn't necessarily mean than much work is getting done. And again, my comment has nothing to do with anyone's age.

[orion59]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 6:43pm

I blame social workers named Thersea who changed their names to Tovah and Mariah. They told the adults of the 80's not "punish" their children by depriving them of non esstials, but instead, to set up elaborate behavior ranking systems that allowed the child to "earn" privledges. These were systems that overwrought parents couldn't maintain. They told people to spend "quality time" with their children while, at the same time, degrading women who chose to stay at home and not be career minded once they had children.

So, we ended up with families where both parents are fighting tehir way up the dorporate ladder, not out of financial necessity but to able to have the his and hers luxury cars and the vacation home that tehy never get to beacsue they don't take time off. These parents, not being able to spend the quality time with the kids, showered them with expensive possessions to show that "This is the reason I am away at work so much, so that you have all you want"

The unsupervised children get into trouble and Tovah tells the tells the parents it's a cry for attention, the child is seeking teh aprents love and approval. So, the parents feel guilty, coddle the out of control child and give them more stuff.

The child learns that whatever they desire should be readily given to them and, if not, bad behavior will eventually get them what they want. They have learned a system of instilling gulit which worked on their parents.

It's all those damned social workers

[Plum]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 6:43pm

*shrug* You'd think the number of achievements that came out of this country since that war would speak for themselves. Like I already said, people are just reading whatever they want into this, and they'll continue to do so indefinitely.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 6:45pm

Sex.
Drugs.
Violence.

Rock 'n Roll.

[Orpheum]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 6:50pm

So Plum, how do you feel about the youth of today?

Because YOU don't fall into my generalization, does that mean that EVERYONE doesn't?

[Plum]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 7:03pm

I feel the youth of today is no different than the youth of any other generation- we're a mixed bag. We're the Presidents, doctors, felons, and bums of the future. I'm just one of millions, and I'm not going to pretend everyone's like me or that I'm some kind of gem in the flotsam. The only generalzation I'm willing to make about my generation is that we're young and growing up.

[TheHumanTorch]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 7:06pm

hi, i just wanted to add my little two cents...

i may care about clothes and what is happening on the oc, but I also truly care about what is going on in the world

just because my generation happens to enjoy talking about the superficial (because it is what is presented to us by the media controlled by ADULTS) doesn't mean that we also don't have compassion and concern for people all over the world

if our thoughts and actions weren't so oppressed by those prejudiced by our age group, then perhaps you may be able to see our worth

[BluCat500]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 7:42pm

I sort of feel like its counteractive for young people to keep posting on this thread, yes our generation is superficial and "entitled," and then cite themselves as an example of one who is not, obviously not all of you can be the exceptions, that have all just congregated onto this cite by some cosmic coincidence.

In my mind its akin to the IQ thread a while back in which everyone mocked those who state they have a ridiculiusly high IQ and then adamantly stated that they ACTUALLY have a genius level IQ...

Not that I believe that those who post that they are not as self involved as the "rest of their generation", are lying simply that perhaps rather than being the exception to the rule the rule is just not as water tight as the "persuasive" anecdotal support would have one believe...

Having ranted like a lunatic, I'm pretty much of the same mind as Plum, this has been the complaint of every older generation since time immemorial and will continue to be so until the end of time...

Of course, on the other hand statistics do show that 99.5% of today's generation enjoy kicking puppies...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 8:51pm

I would like it noted that not only have I not read through this thread, yet, I have made no comment.

[Liam]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 9:04pm

Britny spears has runed my life with her sex,drugs,and rock and or roll music

and gang wars!

KID!they are so rediculus and so imichor i dont see why anybudy wants them!!

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 9/12/05 at 9:18pm

Okay...*cracks knuckles*

I'll grant you, many people my age do not care about politics, and I'm as apalled and infuriated as anyone. Because guess what I did last year on Election Day? I voted, unlike so many of my fellow 20-somethings. As for clothes being more important that human suffering, I am currently working on blankets for Project Linus (http://www.projectlinus.org/) and donated $40 to the Red Cross through a collection at work. As of the last time I checked, I was the *only* one to donate thus far...

Now, as far as respect goes, my generation is by no means solely responsible for the lack thereof. In my experience working retail, I have never been yelled at or insulted by someone my own age. I have only been mistreated by older folk. My favorite example is the time an old woman insinuated that I was retarded. Perhaps this generation does not respect their elders because they get no repect from them. It's a two-way street, people.