What has happened to this generation?

[Neox]

I blame a good portion of the new generation dysfunction on what's on TV and bad parenting.  I fucking hate turning on the TV for anything other than to watch hockey, a movie, or play videogames.  Someone needs to bomb MTV. >(

[Drake Wingfire]

I blame a good portion of the new generation dysfunction on what's on TV and bad parenting.  I fucking hate turning on the TV for anything other than to watch hockey, a movie, or play videogames.  Someone needs to bomb MTV. >(

For that reason I don't even have cable, I just cringed at all the "reality TV" horse excrement. I honestly just find shit online these days because of the retard pandering that has become modern TV. If we wanted to solve bad parenting then we might as well skip the social foreplay and all that beating around the bush and go right to "parent licenses" but that would be tricky to actually enact.

[JazzyLament]

I blame a good portion of the new generation dysfunction on what's on TV and bad parenting.  I fucking hate turning on the TV for anything other than to watch hockey, a movie, or play videogames.  Someone needs to bomb MTV. >(

So you are blaming an irresponsible generation for creating a dysfunctional generation?

[Trigger]

MTV used to be about music Hence "music Television" but it's not what it used to be, now all that is on is that crappy Reality TV, I think a good portion of what's happening to people today is the music, a lot of music now is all rap, and pop, and most has to do with partying. which in turn is making kids rebel, and the whole YOLO saying *shudder*, is making it all the worst

[Ja'Nathun]

Okay, everybody, I'm going to show you how to write an essay.

Essentially, in it's simplest form, it goes like this:

• Outline the problem
• Present argument
• Present solution to problem

1. Outline the Problem
Now, you've all done a fantastic job of completing goal 1; we now understand that there are many things wrong with the current generation. Still, we need a working definition to encapsulate these thoughts. In other words, we need to be specific, and as far as I can tell, based on what you've all said, I think we could sum up the issue thusly: adolescent children, youths, teens, and young adults are not living the life that we think they should live. This is good, but we need to specify what sort of life we think they "should live"; I think if we kept it simplified, we could safely define this as "a life where the quality of living is equal to, or better than, the quality of living we enjoyed as children, youths, and teens."

Now, put these together, and we have "adolescent children, youths, teens, and young adults are not living a life where the quality of living is equal to, or better than, the quality of living we enjoyed as children, youths, and teens." This is the problem, based on what I've read so far. Now, we dig into the argument.



2. Present Argument
A proper argument understands both sides of the story, and so far I have seen much outlining one side, but little regarding the other. Yes, common use of marijuana is a bad thing, as are younger ages having sex, the predominance of short attention spans, and the profusion of tasteless television and music. Those are all very good; however, you fail to see the counter argument.

Our generation had large demographics engaging in drug use, heavy and light. Our generation also had just as much music and television of poor taste. So, technically, a portion of your main argument does not meet the qualifications of your problem, since it describes a quality of living at least equal to ours. What we are left with, then, are younger ages having sex, and the predominance of short attention spans. Good points. We have indeed lost some things over time, but what have we gained?

There is greater, more widespread access of educational literature and information regarding sex and safe practices around it. Short attention spans were an effect of the evolution of technology, which has given us faster cars to take us places, and faster internet access, for both informational and recreational wants and needs. This rapid advance in learning, and communication methods has engendered a generation that knows more than ever about the world it lives in. Children, teens, and adults know more about the laws regulating their actions; they know how to connect themselves to the rest of the world, whether by flying, driving, or sailing to new lands, or by creating connections to friends and loved ones using previously unimaginable communication resources; and they more free access to this weath of information than ever before. In addition, the rapid advance of technology has brought about rapid advancements in the world of medicine. Cures for such diseases as AIDS and HIV are being researched constantly; and cures for alzheimer's and cancer are on the tip of discovery, possibly to be found within this generation's lifetime.

All of the above indicate a quality of living sometimes equal, but largely better than the quality of living we enjoyed, which is exactly what your problem said was wrong with the current state of affairs.



3. Present Solution to Problem
Finally, few, if any, of you have presented a solution to the current state of affairs; that is, assuming that the problem is entirely true (that adolescent children, youths, teens, and young adults are not living a life where the quality of living is equal to, or better than, the quality of living we enjoyed as children, youths, and teens) then you should try and help solve it.

Personally, given that most of the critera and complaints present thus far have not been supported enough to be considered worse than the standard of living we enjoyed as children, teens, and adults, I see little reason to change what is happening already. To maintain the status quo would mean that we suggest today's parents be more involved in their children's lives, that mass media play lesser roles in our children's lives, and that children, as a whole, be more responsible when it comes to matters of sex, education, and drugs.

Now, I ask you, if that is the status quo, which a majority of us have been doing all along, how can we improve upon that? The solution that many of you have implied only leads to another, greater, problem, possibly endemic to such a statement of affairs.

[Drake Wingfire]

^ Let me put it this way, this is a discussion, not a report for a psychology course.

The reason a topic like this is made is simply for people to just get their own thoughts out and actually talk about something that does provoke a little thinking. How ever, that does not mean that to participate in a topic like this one must write out a whole analysis and go about things in a pseudo-professional tone. If you are complaining that people are mostly in agreement and not many have stood on the side of the general mundane populous and ragging on how kids are utterly stupid and that all youth need to just shut up and fall in line to how older generations think, feel free to make the argument. But just because someone hasn't doesn't mean that peoples posts are meaningless.

[tokar]

after reading the first comment on this thread i conclude that someone is starting to feel OLD.

don't worry about it.  you kind of get used to it after 10 yrs.

[Silvermink]

And they'll bitch about the generation after them, and so on and so on until the sun burns out.

[professor whovianart]

 ??? OH NO, "WHAT" the sun is burning out ???




:-3 (it seemed as relevant as most i`ve read on this thread so far)  :-3

[Silvermink]

??? OH NO, "WHAT" the sun is burning out ???

Yep! Very, very slowly, mind you.

[Ja'Nathun]

^ Let me put it this way, this is a discussion, not a report for a psychology course.

The reason a topic like this is made is simply for people to just get their own thoughts out and actually talk about something that does provoke a little thinking. How ever, that does not mean that to participate in a topic like this one must write out a whole analysis and go about things in a pseudo-professional tone. If you are complaining that people are mostly in agreement and not many have stood on the side of the general mundane populous and ragging on how kids are utterly stupid and that all youth need to just shut up and fall in line to how older generations think, feel free to make the argument. But just because someone hasn't doesn't mean that peoples posts are meaningless.

I fear that you didn't take the time to read all of what I wrote, and in so doing have missed my point, which I conveniently outlined in red at the bottom of my great big wall-o-text: the posts in this thread are not meaningless, but they don't "provoke" much thinking, which, I agree, is something they should do. This is the reason why I posed the question at the bottom of my post, which can be re-worded thusly: complaining that kids should be more like we were only repeats a cycle that parent and child have been engaged in for quite some time; what could we possibly do differently to make some bigger waves in the pond?

Also, to be fair, whether or not you see what I said as "a report for a psychology course", which I suspect is a derogatory claim here, should not diminish any good points which are made in it.

[Drake Wingfire]

I fear that you didn't take the time to read all of what I wrote, and in so doing have missed my point, which I conveniently outlined in red at the bottom of my great big wall-o-text: the posts in this thread are not meaningless, but they don't "provoke" much thinking, which, I agree, is something they should do. This is the reason why I posed the question at the bottom of my post, which can be re-worded thusly: complaining that kids should be more like we were only repeats a cycle that parent and child have been engaged in for quite some time; what could we possibly do differently to make some bigger waves in the pond?

Also, to be fair, whether or not you see what I said as "a report for a psychology course", which I suspect is a derogatory claim here, should not diminish any good points which are made in it.

I did read over all you wrote, don't worry about that (pop shot for pop shot I guess? lol) I was simply stating that the overly analytical approach isn't really all that necessary here (the whole "problem, analysis, proposed solution" etc). Heck in my first post on this topic I already had pointed out the re-peat cycle that you are mentioning where the older gens always think that the newer ones should be more like them, how they see younger gens as just outright dumb. I honestly think you are over complicating what is just a simple discussion. Not everything is required to provoke thought, people as a general just like to state their own observations of things and their thoughts. If that doesn't happen to float your boat then so be it.

But if you insist on a bluntly put answer... Until we some how mentally "cleanse" our species we will never have harmony between the generations. As people grow old they feel overly entitled to shit that they honestly did nothing to earn in the first place, society just magically assigns titles of "wisdom" and respect to people as they age, if you are 40+ people are less likely to question you just because you've held off the grim reaper longer than someone who is 20. You can be 60 and a total scat brain and people will still think you wiser than even the most level headed "with it" 20 year old. Simply put our society is built upon the domination of others and the most easy concept for even the most stupid individual is "that guy is older, he must obviously know something. Not like that young dude, he probably just knows video games and masturbation". In other words, bigotry is the medium by which people tend to be judged and "valued" by the most often.

[Ja'Nathun]

But if you insist on a bluntly put answer... Until we some how mentally "cleanse" our species we will never have harmony between the generations. As people grow old they feel overly entitled to shit that they honestly did nothing to earn in the first place, society just magically assigns titles of "wisdom" and respect to people as they age, if you are 40+ people are less likely to question you just because you've held off the grim reaper longer than someone who is 20. You can be 60 and a total scat brain and people will still think you wiser than even the most level headed "with it" 20 year old. Simply put our society is built upon the domination of others and the most easy concept for even the most stupid individual is "that guy is older, he must obviously know something. Not like that young dude, he probably just knows video games and masturbation". In other words, bigotry is the medium by which people tend to be judged and "valued" by the most often.

I never recall saying that I wanted a "bluntly put answer"; in fact, if anything, my words would suggest that I'm looking for an in-depth and involved answer. Also, I'm disturbed by the fact that you still seem to be missing my point, possibly intentionally side-stepping it this time. Unless your new solution to an old problem is to "cleanse" our species, I don't think you've answered anything in a thought provoking way.

To be fair, though, perhaps I should provide some examples of my own. It is, after all, unreasonable for me to expect everyone else to do the heavy lifting.

For one, let's address the issue of drug use. In previous generations, the go-to solution was usually to keep children as far as possible away from it, and lay down all sorts of punishments if they found their way to drugs anyways. What if, say, the parents of this generation let their children experiment with drugs freely, albeit in a controlled environment? Without the thrill of deviance, one could argue that young drug use in general would decline. Also, for those who were curious "what it's like" then they would get a chance to discover. Then, let's say it's a 50 / 50 split of those who end up hating and those who end up liking the drugs they tried; 50% need no intervention, and over-parenting, which sometimes pushes a child to do drugs just to rebel, would be reduced; 50% would be given tailor-made options for quitting and moving on, and, having identified their tendency towards addiction much sooner in life, would arguably have a significantly higher rate of success.

What do you think, and are there any other outside-the-norm ideas you think might work?

[Drake Wingfire]

Cheap shots trying to sound smart aside. (disturbed....really?) That was my answer, I assume I wasn't thought provoking in the right flavor that you want? It may not be the answer you are looking to hear but if this world was full of people just hearing what ever wanted to hear that would be boring as hell. (and also horribly fake and plastic) Every generation is different and every generation always thinks the newer ones are totally backwards and full of social disfunc. At least on a larger scale, I know not everyone thinks that way. That would fall under the notion of status-quot.


But if you really must have an answer to your question because you don't like the current playing field that is a topic on a forum for peoples thoughts and opinions.

I would say if you put a child in a controlled environment then you are simply going by age-reaction and what they already perceive drugs as via their parents, schools and friends words. (little kids thinking everything is icky and gross, teens willing to give it a shot etc etc) if its something like smokes, everyone's first times always suck, its one of those "you get use to it" deals, maybe the youth would be far less likely to do it, but if you are going for immediate effect drugs.. I think honestly you would be just getting more youth hooked on them. People crave excitement and adventure and the entire point of drugs is an escape from boredom and normality, its only purpose is enjoyment and fun for the moment. Youths lives are literally already all about that. (Video games, Sugar, Movies, Sex) Its all about what ever is the most fun at the time. so I think the only way you are gonna steer anyone clear of drugs in a controlled environment is if what ever drug they used had a nasty side effects or some short term withdrawal like symptoms. Its always been about pleasure VS pain, if the pleasure outweighs the pain then people will do it, but if its more "pain" than its worth, people will not do it. Humans are just hard-wired to always seek out the thing that cause the most instant pleasure

Like imagine if in some reality, immense head trauma caused you suddenly feel just wonderful for a few hours, like just pumped for of all sorts of lovely natural occurring chemicals. Now tell a kid "hey if you smash your head on the edge of the brick wall you will feel great!" yeah sure.. for the moment in that reality, but then you got to deal with excruciating pain afterwards and a long recovery as you deal with a concussion and possibly a fractured skull and brain bruising. How many people do you think would get hooked on the initial sensation if it involved such pain and damage? In that scenario the pain so greatly outweighs the enjoyment that people just wont do it.

But in my honest opinion that's just a long winded analysis of what is a micro fraction of what people are, it doesn't really say anything for the general topic which is about why the generations are so seperated. All that was established is that people crave enjoyment and that maybe the older generations "re-program" themselves to see the things they enjoy and like as bad and wrong and now go about shaking their fingers and scrunching their faces at younger people who are actually enjoying themselves because those "more mature" individuals have made themselves jaded to those things they use to enjoy to SEEM more mature.

[Lt ReiStark]

My grandmother said the same thing when she was in her 20s, its just a fact of life that we feel our next generation is weird, every generation feels that way and today's kids will feel the same way about future kids when they grow up.