Why are we judged so harshly?

a reply to: IngyBall

More power to you, and kids like you.

Every older generation see whats on TV and the media, and judge the younger generations based on that, and maybe what they see are materialistic, sexual, or whatever else, pop artists with bad music that they do not like. But I see your generation is not all about that. Even in my generation, (and later generations I still hung out with as the 'old guy', but they didn't know since I looked younger) there is something cool happening that most people do not see. They only see the main-stream.

Also old people always have something *dear* that they miss from their generation, that they no longer have or live, so they are all sad and grumpy about it. They think it was the best thing that ever existed, and nothing else will top it, or matter as much. Of course their prior generations also thought the same thing and sighed at the sight of this newer generation, which also came to pass. Each generation blames the next generation for losing what was dear to them, but maybe they had nothing to do with it. Older people are also 'over the hill', and stuck working all the time, and cannot appreciate or understand what the next generation has to offer.

Anyway who cares what these old grumpy people think.

Hope to see some cool things from your generation..

a reply to: IngyBall

Gen X'er here.

They called us "jaded, cynical and apathetic" when we started stepping onto the social scene.

I still look kind of young for 40 (around 20-ish) and I get scowls all the time from the elders (i live in a retirement community) until I make the first step of proving I'm not "one of those no good leeches on society". I've found initiating polite smiles and holding doors open for people helps show that I do indeed recognize the vast contributions of Those Who Paved the Way.

After all, without them, we wouldn't have any ground to stand on whatsoever. We do owe them our respect.

That whole judgement game is just some weird pathological transference projection that every generation goes through at some level.

A lot of the negative hype is manifested by bitter adults who envy all the energy, freedom, technology and talent your generation has....they're basically jealous that they have to work in fields they don't enjoy to provide the tools and technologies for the younger generations coming up. Sadly a lot of them completely wasted their youth on just partying and useless pursuits instead of studying and creating original ideas, and now they're kind of suffocating under the weight of regret and unpaid overtime....a lot of your generation is going to understand this when middle age comes steamrolling their way as well, so if you can...don't fall into the trap over over-indulgence on the party circuit.

A lot of them won't admit it because they're foolish and think they're immortal - but that's what it is when you get down to it. It's ok to have fun and everything, don't get me wrong...but don't fall into peer pressure of people going nowhere fast.

Not everyone out there is like that though, even though media likes to present it as if it were...and thus creates a self-fulfilling prophecy of those inclined to believe such drivel in the first place. Those of us who are working on ourselves and our projects usually don't have time to sit around and vegetate in front of a television....regardless of age or demographic.

Each generation has their good and bad apples....and usually the bad apples get all the attention because it drives the viewership and consumption of their media up. People love to complain and dwell on those negative things for some reason.

It's not your fault or anything your generation has done...it's just the way the system slowly sucks the life and soul out of it's viewership for a few extra advertising dollars.

Sick, isn't it? Stay away from that stuff.

On the bright side, the more inspiring members of your generation (and yes, this includes you!) never cease to amaze me with how seamlessly you can pick up and process new technological markets and technologies. Not to mention an uncanny ability to grasp the obvious no matter how much b.s. people to continue to throw your direction. Watching the best and brightest out there create video games almost overnight, their firm grasp of understanding and creating self generated marketing campaigns and social networks....honestly, I'M IMPRESSED! You and your peers are changing the landscape in ways I only dreamed of and honestly - even though I don't understand every subtle nuance and reference you guys toss around - it makes me happy to see some many people your age from all over the world creating friendships online en masse.

Long story short, all the journalistic hype and rants about how your generation is "terrible" is really nothing more than a sly way to give some of your worn out, tired and disenchanted elders a passive way to vent their frustrations about the loss of their own youthful potential and missed opportunities....especially if they are caught up in the flood of "bad news" the media keeps pumping into our brains at every opportunity to remind us that nothing we do will ever matter, and nothing will ever change and it's all pointless anyway. It's a lie, but a very powerful and effective one if anyone lets their guard down too long....insidious brainwashing that just sucks the hope and soul out of any sane rational person.

(...and one reason a lot of us took baseball bats to our televisions back in the 90's.)

Keep your head up out there. Don't be afraid to chase your dreams and do everything in your power to make the world a better place while you're young....and smile and be polite to your elders. It'll all make sense in about 20 years, I promise! Then you'll have the chance to shake your fist at those darn kids hanging out on your lawn. It'll be fun. Trust me on that!



Stay strong and don't let the bastards grind you down...just because a bunch of angry fussy old farts "grew up and gave up" on the dream doesn't mean the rest of us have to! Always remember - age really IS a state of mind.

Always stay young at heart!

a reply to: IngyBall

Her parents or guardians need to take a day off and visit school if this is happening. In all seriousness now. I don't hold truck with anyone telling a child that they are stupid. If a teacher pulled that shiite with my daughter I would make every day of the year a living hell for them in all the legal ways possible.

I've never seen my own father more angry than the day a teacher told me that I was stupid in front of the whole class. I kid you not... She rued the day. I'm ride or die for my daughter. I will be the first to tell her she is doing wrong, but I will be damned if someone is going to call her stupid and I sit idly by.

I absolutely was joking with you and wish that you didn't take all of this personally. Children are a gift to be cherished and not treated like less than.

I do however want to point out that you do appear to take things too literally. With age does come some self control and the ability to realize that it's not always a bad thing when someone disagrees with you.

ANYONE on this board will readily tell you that I am not mean spirited. Being a mod, I am sure some may have had feelings about actions that I have taken, but they will not tell you that I am mean, play unfair, or stir the pot. Honest to God... I would never judge a whole generation. I do apologize if it came off wrong to you. It certainly was not my intention. I was pointing out that it was a rite of passage. And I stand by that. Each generation needs to blame someone. We've all been there.

By embracing your faults... That doesn't mean that you agree with them or strive to continue fostering them, it just means that you are wise enough to embrace them in an attempt to keep them from occurring again and again.

I have a 17 year old and I do worry about her and her whole generation. It's natural and again... It occurs in every generation.

You give people the power when you allow what they say to hamper your goals in life. Don't give them that power. You know who you are and as long as you can sleep at night... Why does it matter what others think of you? You will be judged regardless and you can either give up and prove them right or you can do what you know you can do and prove them wrong. Which would provide more satisfaction to you? I know which one it was for me.

a reply to: nOraKat

Well, I plan to bring some great things to the field I'm going to study in, I won't go into any details though because I don't want to give away any ideas.

a reply to: Kangaruex4Ewe

Your right, sometimes I do take things a bit literal, usually only the internet, because it is hard to understand emotions by just reading words, especially not knowing someones background beforehand, like you would know an authors biography, But like you weren't trying to offend me, I wasn't trying to offend you. I was just pointing out that I have faced many hardships already because I thought you were saying that I need to face some before I could write about this topic. And about the girl, I think she is having parent problems as well, I'm not sure, I could be confusing people, But yea her parents should stick up for her, but unfortunately I don't know her in real life and the only way I can help her is to encourage her with positives.

a reply to: IngyBall

I hope I'm not butting in or anything....but that's very wise of you not to let any details slip out about your projects.

I learned the hard way several times over that an eavesdropping opportunist will never hesitate to rip an original idea off and have it mass produced in no time if given the chance.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Yeah, I've tried to be cautious with not telling all of my future plans, but sometimes people do have very similar ideas to you, which is why I am a bit anxious about creating my ideas before someone else does, even though I know I shouldn't be. But, I still have a lot to learn in college starting next year before I can start on my plans.

a reply to: IngyBall

I grew up sort of troubled. I am bipolar and went undiagnosed until I was in my twenties simply because "kids don't have stress or anything to worry about". My middle and high school years were a living hell and I didn't know why for years and years. I know all too well that age does not necessarily measure the amount of pain, struggle, etc. that one has experienced.

Keep your head down and do what you know is right. Do what you can sleep with every night and you will do fine. Don't define yourself because of your generation because no matter how good that generation may be... You will still be selling yourself short. You are you and not a generation.

Just like many people look down on your generation, you do seem to be looking down on the previous one because of that. Both positions are wrong IMO. And don't take that as a dig at you. It's not what I mean. The older generation always fusses about the youngsters and the youngsters always feel the same about them. Your experiences have colored your thoughts on them and that is understandable to a certain extent. It's hard to remain non judgmental when you feel like you are constantly being judged yourself.

What I'm trying to say is just be you. Follow your dreams, do the right thing and everything else be damned. People are mean sometimes. In every generation. They will always try to beat you down regardless of their age. Some folks just can't stand to see others succeed or be happy. That's a personal issue though and not a generational one.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck in whatever you do.

originally posted by: IngyBall
a reply to: tridentblue

This is exactly my point, My generations shouldn't be talked down upon, and though I've never seen people say old people are inept with technology, though I'm sure it exist, but I do see the splitting of young vs old in our society and I want it to stop. By the way, can you guys guess which age group plays the most games? hint it's not teenage boys.

Then right on, I'm totally with you. As far as your gaming comment, I'm a freak for the Fallout series (Yes, many Gen Xers kept playing into adulthood. Anyone got a problem with how we spend out free time?)

I think the key thing - for all of us - is to recognize our weaknesses and our strengths. Its a scientific fact that young brains learn quicker than old ones: Dump a 5 year old in a foreign country, and they will be better with the foreign language in a couple a years than a senior is in 5. So that's a weakness for older folks, they will always be further behind on stuff like new tech. But a weakness for younger folks is holistic, take-it-all in world knowledge, they lack it. While intelligence is fully manifest in early 20's for most, wisdom, real knowledge about how the world works and all the interests at play, builds for our whole lives, and seniors have really valuable things to say in that department.

I think the key is to not judge people who are different, but to be willing to build our own leagues of super heros, old and young, using the strength of each to get stuff done. But that takes turning our backs on the dividing messages, and turning off the HATE!

a reply to: IngyBall

So true. There really is something to be said about the collective consciousness and shared ideas. Kinda neat, really...I don't really feel bad about not getting a lot of my projects out in my name anyway - I'm very open source about things and to be honest, I don't really have any social network I can trust that would work with me in the fields I operate in.

Oh well I guess, so it goes.

These days I don't really care who makes the product or idea happen - as long as it happens I'm happy.

And hey! Congratulations on college! Hope you have a great time!

a reply to: Kangaruex4Ewe

No, I don't look down at previous generations at all! I'm sorry if you felt that what I was saying. I even mentioned how I admire Tesla and his generation. I just want the negativity to stop, that doesn't mean I look down on a generation because of that it just means I want a problem solved because it will end up helping previous generations.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Thanks, and Yeah I would be a little disappointed if someone beat me to my ideas, but I would be 100 times more happy if they came true anyway possible, and you would see me working right along with the person to shared my ideas, and together we could make our ideas even better.

originally posted by: IngyBall
a reply to: mtnshredder

I've always wondered what would of happened had Hitler had been accepted into the art school instead of joining the military and his infamous carer.

Yeah really, we'll never know but if I had to guess, he probably would have been responsible for all the stolen, defaced and faked art work in the world.

Personally, I think it depends where you come from not what generation, so youre both wrong anyway

a reply to: funkadeliaaaa

I'm used to being wrong so I don't take it as personally as some do. It's just another day in Ruexville...

The worst is when they say I am still a kid....I am 24 years old.

a reply to: IngyBall

The purpose of this rant was to enlightening people not to judge my generation yet and not to lose hope on us, because we may surprise you of what we can do.

thanks for pointing out the purpose, as to your question Why are we judged so harshly?

Because one gets what the put out, simple life lesson not in a material sense but a mental one, in a materialistic sense what you put in can many times times be used against you.

Your beliefs are all you have and if you feel like you are judged harshly then you need to explore deeeeep inside yourself and find the reason you feel this way as I sense you are talking about group thinking and not real thoughts people have as individuals.

a reply to: IngyBall

Don't take things so personally against your generation. Your generation is the same as every generation before it. That's called progress. New boundaries are pushed and changes are made...not always for the better though.

My gripe about this newer generation is that to many are not learning the basic trades. I do know plenty that are, but it does not seem to be enough.

While tech does play a role, there are plenty of good paying jobs out there that to many feel are beneath them. Your generations realists are filling those gaps, but there is still not enough.

Not everybody can get the corner office or record deal or become a reality/youtube sensation. Most of us have to live in the real world.

a reply to: IngyBall

I'm a Secret Shopper and I routinely evaluate customer service employees, many of them are your age. I find that the best employees are those who have great management, who expect their best from their employees and treat them with respect first.

The worst one's are the one's who look down me simply for being over 60. You can see it right away, they're turned off by my lack of coolness. They'll roll their eyes and make faces at their fellow employees, because they're so bothered by my silly questions, that I'm given ahead of time and paid to ask.

a reply to: IngyBall

Just an opinion from someone working in scientific endeavors; criticism is imperative to growth and understanding. The intent of delivery really impacts the efficacy though. Meaning, if one has the I intent to drag the other down, that is not productive. However, used to nurture more growth and advancement.. it is a tool without equal.

If you are actually looking at bringing some truly new and innovative ideas to the collective table, be prepared for criticism. But, use it as fuel to further your own understanding.

I think we judge so harshly because we want the next generation to break the social cycle. None have succeeded so far, but I think we are getting there.