a problem

theres a fatal flaw with this thread and the logic behind it.

If the previous, holier than thou generation was so great, how come all their kids have turned out to be such F ups, so to speak?

Nothing like brainwashing your kid and then beating him when he doesn't adhere to that brainwashing. Personally, I'd take the meth.

Originally posted by Extralien
Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than coc aine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

Ah bullcrap...I know a pastor who did the same things you claim your parents did and 5 out of his 6 sons is a heroin addict or coke head.

I know plenty of other people who grew up with both loving parents and/or strict parents whose children are addicted to drugs. Plenty. From the best social classes to the most modest, it doesn't matter, kids are going to do what they're going to do and all YOU can do is pray you did your best and are blameless.

How can people applaud such an incredibly outdated and barbaric way of doing things?!

It's ridiculous.

Billy WAS a free thinker.Young Billy was just learning to question his parent's beliefs and to learn more about himself in the process.

Thank God for small miracles though.Young Billy's parents found out about his disgusting,non conformist ways and beat the hippie right out of him.

Now,young Billy has grown up.He has a wife,and two children.He works as an accountant.He has a nice house in a nice suburb.Just Like Everyone Else.He hates being like everyone else,and living a boring conformist existence.So once every few weeks he meets his mistress at a seedy hotel,goes out to the bar,and comes home so he can discipline his children,so that they too can one day know the joys of being just another Conformist Pod Person.


THIS HAS BEEN A MESSAGE FROM THE COALITION OF UPTIGHT LEMMING PEOPLE AGAINST FUN AND FREE THINKING.

AND THE NATIONAL "BRING BACK THE 50's PARTY".JUST BECAUSE THE COUNTRY HAS MOVED ON AND GROWN UP,DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO!

reply to post by EagleTalonZ

And now, the generations are passing on. The generations that taught discipline are passing away. Their kids are raising their own. They didn't maintain the structure taught to them, and that too.. will pass down.

Apathy effects all. Parents are distracted, destroyed, and overwhelmed. Or just plain cut out of the child's life.

Boy, my parents were tough! They went through the depression and my dad fought in WWII. I look at their generation and can appreciate how strong and tough they really were.

I'm tough but not as, tough. My grown kids were taught how to survive and do it well, but are not as tough.

I think generation after generation, are getting weaker. It is a sad state.

[edit on 28-12-2008 by MatrixProphet]

reply to post by Extralien


I can't describe how much I miss those days. We sure lost our way in an ugly direction.
Great post, it helps to know others feel the same because it usually doesn't seem like it.

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


Because they chose to be, it's called free will. It doesn't mean that proven concepts aren't good anymore because people decide it's easier not to. When a considerable number of people go that direction, it produces the kind of mess we are now in.
Nothing's perfect (esp me) but it has never helped anything in any time to give up. And, blaming things on one's parents is ridiculous in most cases. It's well past time to 'man up' as a nation.

I had a read and just want to say one thing about child discipline. Whilst growing up, probably about 4 or 5 years old, living in suburbia ran straight out in the middle of a busy road, chasing a ball. So what did Dad do?? Smacked my bum so hard it scared the crap out of me ever going near the road again, well until l was old enough to rationally understand the concept of look right, look left, look right again. Physical force is required in extreme cases where death or serious injury may result.

What bothers me the most is that i am in my early twenties and often find myself asking what is wrong with my generation, even more so the generations that are following.

Recently i was sitting outside of a local bar, having a conversation with some friends as i watched some kids that were no older than 15 start a fight with a homeless person. They punched him and knocked him to the ground, then started kicking him. A few people and myself walked over and told them we watched the whole thing and they immediately started spewing some BS as to how he started it and getting defensive. We had already called the cops and they showed up as this was all going on. We told them the whole story and those kids got a ride home in a cop car. It infuriated me knowing full and well that these kids are bred from the family that will defend their kids no matter what they did. Don't bail your kids out of jail if they deserve to be there!

I believe that the problem is this BS liberal mentality that kids should be babied until their adults. I have watched kids swing at parents and all they say is "Happy hands." Time out doesn't work and neither does happy hands. I am sorry if i am offending anyone here but kids should fear adults when they are acting like fools.

Another example; I was in a store and this woman and her daughter were in line infront of me to check out. This girl is screaming at her mom, calling her things i didn't know about at that age, because she wouldn't buy her something. This woman is on her cell phone, and stays on her cell phone while she takes what her daughter wants and gets it for her. If i had done that i think my mom would have smacked me. The thing is she would have never had to because after about five seconds of that she would have let me know "whats up" and i would have quit.

I think my parents had a good balance. They were strict but let me discover myself. When i asked a philosophical question they said, "you tell me." When I did something wrong I knew it, whether from punishment or conversation, i knew i had done wrong.

I feared my parents, but at the same time knew i could come to them with any situation or problem and they would be there. They talked to me as a child and as an adult at the same time. They gave the right amount of freedom so that i wouldn't lash out once i had freedom, but "layed down the law" all at the same time. My parents would have left me in jail if had done wrong, yet help me grow from the situation. Once again, my parents started early and kept me from going in that route.

I hope i am half as good as they were.

I will be the first to admit that my generation sucks and i can only imagine the generations that follow. There is no moral foundation anymore.

I was going to run away from this thread before it got ugly but I'll add one more thing after reading the last post. When me and my friends were growing up, we were pretty mischievous to put it mildly. We didn't beat up homeless people (the few that were around were our buddies really, they knew how to roll cigarettes good , but we certainly pushed the envelope of decent behavior and could be a real pain in the ***.
When we would get caught doing something stupid, we weren't afraid of teachers or, the police. -We were all afraid to go home and face our parents. And I guarantee that every one of us is thankful for that guidance.

reply to post by beezwaxes


Free will doesn't exist. All people are products of their environment period. There's no way to argue out of that.

LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE POST IN THIS THREAD. You will see every time that it goes back to environment, whether behavior is viewed as good or bad...it always goes back to environment.

when I say environment, I'm not talking only about mountains and trees, or parents, or education. I'm also referring to genetics, and culture.

Don't hate people, hate the environments that made them.

I am sorry but EVERY generation has its ups and downs.

Lets look at divorce rates and the 70's and the Cold War and World War II and the great depression...

Now - when each of these things were occurring, did you feel like your generation to be far superior than all others?

It is one thing to enjoy being part of a generation but it is sick to say "whats wrong with these kids today". You do realize the generation after yours are....wait...your kids (generally speaking)!!!

I did enjoy the OP. Very catchy. Does not mean the new generations are crooked.

edit

[edit on 17/1/09 by fox_3000au]

Even though I have never had any experience like that growing up, I enjoyed the joke. Thanks for sharing it!

My parents got divorced when I was 5. I lived with my mother, who spent more time having friends over, doing drugs and drinking all night. Or dragging me to a bar or one of her friends parties. I would move in with my grandmother, for year-or-so stints when my mom was going through something. My dad got custody of me when I was 11. He got a house in my grandmothers neighborhood, so I wouldn't have to move away from her. I moved back in with my grandmother when I was 17, because my dads mental health had really started to go downhill, and he didn't want to receive help from anyone. I then lived with my grandmother until I got married almost 3 years ago. She still, to this day, will spoil me any chance she can. If it wasn't for her being so kind and understanding no matter how many dumb choices I made, I may not have turned out as well as I have, considering my early childhood. Yes, I still make mistakes, and I'm not without my share of bad memories and dysfunction, but I'd say I turned out pretty well. My grandmother often tells me I have the mind of someone more than twice my age.

I've met so many people my age who have no concept of anyone but themselves. They don't seem to be greatful for anything they have and basic respect or manners? Forget it!

Gee. I wrote a lot. I guess in short, we all have very different upbringings and many people turn out pretty good, even if their younger years were less than perfect.

Thanks for the opportunity to share!

reply to post by Extralien


Here, here! Great to see your post on this site, I must say that I wish for your words to echo, in perpetuum.
IMHO.
I can relate as I was raised in similar fashion

Come on you gotta admit that some of us kids are good. Like me! I kinda act dull at times (especially at school) but hey I'm good at heart.

What a cool thread! When I was a kid mom did the soap in the mouth thing so often that to this day I brush the teeth daily with it.!

reply to post by Extralien


Well said....boy do I remember those days of the 1950's & 60's but thinking about it, this seemed like a better time in history.
I never knew about the drugs of today till after the Nam years. I don't count cigarette's and cigars cause they were/are legal, almost anywhere.
Remember the cigarette (pull knob) machines for $1.50 and gas was 35 cents per gallon.
Gezzzz, I guess they were really the "happy days".

reply to post by Extralien


Man...I'm a 6'8, 360 lbs, ex-college football player, and my 5 foot 90lb. grandma still grabs my ear to this day and drags me to the bathroom with the intention of washing my mouth out. I do try not to say anything foul around grandma, out of respect you know, but sometimes I slip...

On Thanksgiving I popped off something to one of my sisters about her being a dumbass...my grandma snatched my ear, dragged me to the kitchen, handed me a knife and told me to go cut a switch. My children laughed harder than I have ever heard before...my wife as well. Grandma was quite serious about it. Did not happen by the way...I did have to apologize to my dumbass sister though!

My youngest son is 7...he has a little hoodlum friend. He and my son were playing around the neighbors carport and found some glass bottles. These were collectible, 30-40 year old Coca-Cola bottles. My son and his little buddy started breaking them...in the neighbors driveway. When I was told of this I snagged my sons ear and took he and his buddy over there and made them not only apologize, but clean the mess.
My sons friends mother came by to gather him up, after I called her and told her what had happened, and that my son was now grounded. She stood on my porch and yelled at me...and the neighbor! She was claiming that if we did not want the boy(meaning hers) to break things, don't leave them out for them to find...

My son spent a good part of the summer break raking leaves, pushing a mower, hand-washing their cars, etc. to pay off the loss. A few times the neighbor stated that they were satisfied, but I wanted the point to be driven home in my son's mind. He does not destroy things that are not his anymore...at least no yet that I know of. He is a good, respectful little guy.

About a month or so ago, his little buddy used his pocket knife and cut several holes in our 16 ft. trampoline. I called his mother to come and get him. She told me that I should have been watching them better. I told her she needs to teach the boy some responsibility, and respect for other peoples property. She left with him, cussing ME...and I don't allow him back, and won't until they pay for a new trampoline skin...which I have already replaced!

I think you have hit the nail on the head...alot of parents don't teach the children basic lessons like responsibility, accountability, respect, working for what you want, etc., and then act shocked when the child turns into a drug addict...or a convict...a bum...whatever. I do feel bad for the boy, but I cannot allow him to show my son that this kind of lifestyle is acceptable by me regardless of who it is. This little boy steals, swears, has taken my cigarettes, is destructive, and lies about all of it...every time!

[edit on 5-2-2009 by daddymax] spelling discombobulations repaired

[edit on 5-2-2009 by daddymax]