the youth of today

I respectfully disagree with the tone of your point. I do agree that we need to do something with regards to population increase. However, just because someone is "poor", doesn't mean they shouldn't breed.

Ok, I do mean this with good nature, but you can see where the tone of your statement got my goat, as it were - I'm from an economically poor background, was raised by a single-mother... however, I was raised in a house that placed value on hard-wrok and education, I'm doing ok in life with regards to those 2 things thanks.

There needs to be a much stronge emphasis on parenting, teaching your children and their moral-guidance. I really hate to say this, because I'm strongly opposed to censorshi*, but it seems that there is so much media exposure to kids, through so many channels, games, web, tv, magazines, the high street ad nauseum. I know we still have a watershed on tv, it kinda seems that there's such a constant bombardment through the media, we don't even consciously notice it anymore, we're just absorbing it, what's this doing to kids?

Originally posted by andy1033
reply to post by Mintwithahole.

 

I remember when we where young, and these loony family where causing us triouble we rang the police. The police said they could do nothing, but they said we should knock down there fence, and they would do nothing. I was about 15 at the time, and could not believe that the police tell people to commit crimes. This is in london.

No way would we do something, but i woke up to what the police are there for that day.

I know what you mean. I stopped having much respect some years ago when I worked for a well known security firm which delivers and collects money. I got fubar on the pavement outside a major store and could see the police parked off at the top of the entrance ramp. Once it was all over they came over, openly laughed at us for doing the job on such sh*t money and explained that they wouldn't come over earlier in case the bandits were armed!
That was the day I began to mistrust the British police force.

one of the main problems is that the majority of the british people are so scared that their attitude is now that of if it doesnt effect me then its not my problem. and they are now used to being told what to do and how to think they fail to see past their own front door. i am worried for the country as a whole. we need to close ourselves from the worlds problems and sort out our own.

reply to post by AmbroseRokewood


I agree with you to a point, unfortunately the outside world will always impinge upon our small nation... we do need to make a lot more of an effort to get ourselves in order though - I'm just scared of a rise in nationalism, which would seem likely to arise or cause conflict if we were to shut down our borders for example.

reply to post by jokei


i am sorry to say it, but if nationalism is the answer then so be it. its better than where we are at the moment.

reply to post by AmbroseRokewood

Woah, right, I don't want to pounce on you, so I'll just ask what is your idea of nationalism? I'd appreciate it if you could clarify this, as I don't want to criticise that statement unfairly.

I don't think it's possible for us to close ourself (nation) off from the rest of the world, it'd be vastly impractical for the economy and the business-community as a whole, food import/export, there'd be a lot of nations that'd kick-off over such a thing.

I also think that the police are in a deperately tough position, hands tied by red tape, paperwork etc... a lot of petty criminals are well-versed in the law as far as they need to be, know how far they can push their luck and what they're likely to get away with. As with any group, profession etc, there are good and bad cops, I've met some of both... some trying to do a tough job under difficult circumstances, others power-mad nazis...

would like to finish this properly, but I'm off to the pub...

I'm probably the age you're talking about, just turned 19 and a brit. Honestly, I think some kind of national service should be put in place for school leavers for a period of one to two years, with jailtime as a punishment if the national service isn't completed.

Now I'm not talking about training a bunch of thugs to use guns, but something along the lines of basic training for the armed forces, over an extended period of time, with a lot of emphasis on physical fitness and working as a team, and discipline, something a load of people my age are lacking. Plus, if people show promise in one area, they can be trained in it, maybe even come out with some type of qualification at the end of it. Honestly, that alone has got to be a good thing..if for whatever reason someone's come out of school with little or few qualifictions, then the job prospects are Asdas or Tesco..can't blame people getting into trouble if they know that's all they've got to look forward to.

Also..I'd say bring back corporal punishment in school..there's a reason people didn't misbehave so badly in school a few generations back..they were too damn scared to.

Just my thoughts..disagree at will

i say you gotta beat the # outta your kids. punish them, ground them, whatever it takes to keep them off the streets. i was beaten as a child (not because my parents were abusive but because they grew up in Russia and i was an acceptable form of punishment there) i hated getting spanked or grounded. i feared getting in trouble. not because i would be beaten or get my stuff taken away but because i knew that i would disappoint my parents. when i didn't want to read my mom cut the cord on my tv and didn't replace it until 2 years later.

i didn't have a sheltered childhood. i had friends i did my fair share of stupid things but i always knew where to stop. i never bothered people i don't know and i found it stupid to vandalize things. at this point i knew my parents wouldn't beat me but i still remembered how upset they got when i got in trouble.

today parents are more interested in being friends with their children then authoritarians. they expect their kids to learn it from school or from the community. that is wrong. i think any child who gets arrested (18 and under) should be taken to a special camp with their mother or father and spend there a certain amount of time. they will work off whatever they owe society and the parents will attend classes to understand their kids better.

im pretty sure that after this happens to one parent, that parent will beat there kid every time he thinks of doing something illegal.

the second part of this problem is the education system. being smart is no longer needed. classes are dumbed down and curves are made so more people fail. (i am happy to say that i throw off that curve). i believe that books are the foundation of a society. i find it scary how we have game shows "are you smarter then a 5th grader" if you cant answer those questions and your 20+ years old you should go back to school. where do they find these idiots that don't know that a right angle is 90 degrees? o wait i know hes the same guy who blogs all day about how nice Paris Hilton looks in her new dress.

the mass media is distracting people from their real problems. that's why they have shows like Cribs so that people can look at how cool celebrities live and not worry that they are living in a studio with 3 other guys to make ends meet.

i wish i could write more but the words have stopped forming and i would just like to add that im 16 am a junior in a crappy high scool, have an excellent social life, and just worry about the future after knowing some of the people in my school.

had a conversation where a girl actually said

"isn't it cool how Jesus was born on Christmas and his last name was Christ. how cool is that. im gonna name my baby April so she could be born in April'

... had a good day everyone

I am 16....and I don't do the things you are on about.... why, because I give a cr*p about the world and the people I know.


And where has that led me, depression and near suicide.


I know when I grow up, I will inherit my fmailies debt on top of my own, I know I will likely never move out of my current house because I can't afford to, I know too much...

It's not nice knowing stuff at this age, and I completely understand why people do the things they do, they are angry....very angry indeed. And who do they choose to be angry with, the government. They know they are pushing their limits, and they do it on purpose.

To whoever said national service, great idea....teach a generation of youths who hate the government how to fight.... all you will do is create much bigger riots...

Originally posted by umbr45
I am 16....and I don't do the things you are on about.... why, because I give a cr*p about the world and the people I know.


And where has that led me, depression and near suicide.


I know when I grow up, I will inherit my fmailies debt on top of my own, I know I will likely never move out of my current house because I can't afford to, I know too much...

It's not nice knowing stuff at this age, and I completely understand why people do the things they do, they are angry....very angry indeed. And who do they choose to be angry with, the government. They know they are pushing their limits, and they do it on purpose.

To whoever said national service, great idea....teach a generation of youths who hate the government how to fight.... all you will do is create much bigger riots...

You're only sixteen but you have wisdom beyond your years. Keep out of trouble, keep your chin up and enjoy life and I'm sure you'll be okay. Believe me, you have nothing to be depressed about!
Stay well.

Originally posted by Moegli
Inject fear? Fear breeds fear breeds apathy breeds hate breeds violence breeds evil. Boredom makes fools of us all.

I think she meant fear of God, ie hard work all day in maximum security lockdown. Killers hung in public, rapists, child molesters, thieves, made to work many many years hard labor building streets or other intense hard labor to improve the community.

Respect taught through hard work and taking away liberty is a form of behavior modification that works. Our present systems are a joke, none made to actually work for the food and clorthes they wear.

As a brief, lte-night, drunken ramble, I agree with the idea of national service, just think there should be more options than military, perhaps, medical/social care as well? Give people a wage for it, get people involved, taking-part in society...

Reporting in from Denmark here, things are looking pretty messed up aswell. Random shootings on an almost daily basis in Copenhagen these days. Random people getting shot for no apparent reason and gang warfare.

Also there seems to be a growth in groups of thugs supressing people who look different and pretty much just harrasses everyone who isn't on stereoids like themselves.

It's making me depressed to live in the city.

I keep daydreaming about what a wonderful place earth could be if people would just come out of that zombie state and wake the hell up.

I'm worried for the future. I pray for it.

What generation hasn't been afraid of the youth? That's what this topic is sounding like to me. I live in one of the not-so-elegant parts of Florida and yeah we have a bunch of idiots who try to be "gangsta" but it's not nearly as bad as this discussion makes it sound. It sounds as if something straight out of A Clockwork Orange is happening but I, for one, don't see it.

The problem I see with the youth today is that we are too lazy and apathetic. We're more worried about the weekend's football score and who hooked up with who than we are about society and the government. This is coming from a 17 year old mind you.

My advice is, if you're so afraid of some "crazy youngster lobbing you over the head" then try talking to some of these kids. Find out what it is they're actually doing. And I'm not saying to just strike up a conversation with some random kid because with the pedophile scare going around you'd probably be accused. But just realize that just because you can't understand this generation's culture, it doesn't mean that they're all crazy, violent, killers.

Besides, starting topics like this could just make you an easy target

Originally posted by AmbroseRokewood
im in the uk and the streets are currently overrun with groups of yobs terrorizing people. Forget Iraq and afghanastan, the terrorist are here on our own streets, free to cause chaos across the country. we need to do something in the extreme to put fear and respect back into the youth otherwise the country will just continue on the road it is going now.

Looking for the opinions of all ats users on this matter.

idk if you realize it but times change, as well as people. kids do different things to entertain themselves. kids are growing up faster and they do different things to kill boredom ... they are becoming more adventurous/crazy idk how to explain it ... i mean you've got to see it from their point ... i know it's the typical thing to say but think about it idk what the times were like back when you were a kid but i've heard some crazy stories of teens back in the day....

Well, I love the young people of today, teens are my favorite age of kids. They are full of promise, still passionate and excited about the future, and they ARE our future!! I wish instead of whining and moaning about the 'youth of today', people would sit down with a teen and LISTEN to what they have to say. My favorite times are hanging with young people and talking to them. I have a teen of my own, and he is fine young man, he makes straight A's and he is respectful. He is on the cusp of deciding his future, how exciting!

Us old folks need to take these youth under our wings, and guide them on the right path. It is a shame, but I blame the parent for the unruly teens, but I have to blame society too. Each time I encounter a young person, I feel it is my duty(civic) to talk to them, and have a nice interaction with them, so they see that not all old people judge them on their age alone.

Todays kids are not thugs and losers, they are our future!! I see a lot of promise and good things coming from these kids, and I wish more adults could look past the music, clothes and hair and see what I see, potential, intelligence, fresh ideas, and HOPE for our future.

I think if there is any problem with our youth, it is in archaic and closed minded attitudes of the older folks, imo.

The youth aren't that bad - no worse than they were when I was a kid.

This is just something that the old say about they young - We are just jealous

I have no doubt that this generation will be the one to take mankind to the stars. One of those 'Yobs' is going to walk on Mars one day.

I won't fear the youth until they stop fearing the damage that the thing strapped to my belt. A Part of being free man is accounting for and protecting yourself - only a slave (or communist) calls for his master's protections.

Do you have something on your hip that makes the delinquent youth quiver in fear when he sees it?

Does your cane turn into a sword?

Did your government disarm you? Is that why you don't feel safe?

Criminals are criminals regardless of age. If the police in your area don't do their job, then you owe to your family to do theirs. Strap one on, don't be a useless old fart.




[edit on 16-9-2008 by TruthTellist]

*cues White Riot by The Clash*

this sort of thing seems to come in waves if you ask me. But I'm also old enough to remember the 80's, 70's etc.

I could be classed within the generation that you are talking about, and i find that most teenagers have become disillusioned with today’s society, its like a self full filling prophecy in a way, you hear it everyday via either the mass media or people around you saying that your a delinquent hoodie wearing knife carrying kid and because of this disillusionment with society it becomes true.

There is nothing for the majority of teenagers to do, their told they shouldn’t stay inside all day playing on their game consoles, yet is they go outside there is the likelihood they will get involved with the 'wrong' crowd.

I also find that the minority ruin it for the majority. I mean I hear stories all the time by my parents about how they would be kicked out of the house all day and be left to do what they wanted on the streets, but because of the mass media society that we live in today, certain topics can be blown out of proportion and thus creates these moral panics that occur about today’s 'yob' youth.

I do also agree about national service of some type for teenagers who are not going on to further education as it may give them a purpose within life and instill some type of hard work ethic which I believe has been lost what with the way society is so obsessed by celebrity and that if teenagers could just be famous they will become rich, rather then working for it, however what degree of national service would work best? that would be the only probelm i would find with this.

However it does worry me the way in which this generation is going as we are going to be in power of the country one day, and seeing as the whole world around us is crumble apart how are we suppose to cope with such pressure, unless we are taught properly before it is too late?