The number of Americans who say “I can’t!” Has exploded

Have you noticed how many Americans say I can’t instead of “can-do!”

The Seabee motto has always been “can-do”. They are the Naval group you call in to tackle, and achieve the hard stuff.

Every major group is touting the “I can’t” motto. InCels identify with it and affirm it... Migtow, same thing. Every Millennial I talk to is convinced by stats instead of manifest destiny.

I, along with my contemporaries, came up in a generation where boomers told us “You can’t!” And We said “watch me” and subsequently did.

But now everyone wants to act like society owes them something... be it a job, or a pronoun.

Harden the F up America... learn to survive as humans have, against all odds, for thousands of years.

a reply to: HunkaHunka

I pushed myself to and beyond the mental breaking point working.

I'm an overachiever and it was mercilessly run into the ground by my employers.

Last job I had I almost attacked a customer.

I'm tending to my higher education online now, away from the public eye.

Until I make sure I won't crack from pressure you best be glad I'm not in the workforce.

I can’t own a house in Northern California where I live because they are 800,000, generations before me could on a basic factory workers salary. We are worked harder and rewarded less than ever. Maybe you could say you can, but I can’t.

a reply to: HunkaHunka
It's a hangover holdover from the Obama years. You walked into the Public Aid office, say "I Can't!". They then give you money for food, a housing allowance, and a cellphone. People got hooked, and their entire self-worth/self-confidence went south.

It will take time, but those Americans are being weaned off of those dependencies. Slowly but surely, their confidence will return as they work and assume more self-responsibility.

a reply to: carewemust

Let me get this straight, you think there was no problem until Obama came along and created all these dependant people ?

a reply to: carewemust

Mental health cases are exploding.

A lot of the younger generation have serious mental problems, and most employers aren't accomodating.

I blame overcrowding and the digital age.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: carewemust

Let me get this straight, you think there was no problem until Obama came along and created all these dependant people ?

There were problems, but Obama magnified them a thousand fold.

And he systematically tried to program them from the communist handbook beginning with number one and going down the list by number. He didn't even mix it up a bit to try and hide anything which proved he had nothing but contempt for the people he swore an oath to serve.

My mom always said
"Cant never did do anything"
Us kids were forbidden to use the term "I cant"

There has always been those who were older that thought the younger generation were stupid and lazy. Just like the younger ones think the older ones are old and screwed stuff up even though they are footing the bills..hahah

Those of us who are given a life to live have choices...some good, some bad.. it is up to us to either waste our lives or contribute in a meaningful way to our own societies. Does not matter if you are a baker or a brain surgeon both contribute in their own way as both are needed.

I do believe in natural selection ...... those who make bad choices or unable to make any kind of meaningful choice at all for their lives reap what they sow. It is unfortunate for them that guidance was not given or taken when it would have meant something ..

That actually happened to me.. I hated school with a passion and was bored to tears. I was making money playing in a band and kinda figured I had it all figured out...except I wanted to fly. I was just waiting to unleash myself when I got older.. In the meantime I was .0000% from flunking in school..

Lucky for me an American Airlines Captain who was a close friend of our family (he knew I wanted to fly) asked me one day if I still wanted to be an airline pilot" ? I can not wait," was my reply.. He asked about my grades and school and I told him the truth.. He told me that unless my grades were good in high school and college I would never get hired.. I had never thought of that !! I figured like most young people I am me and therefore I deserve what I desire... Stupid or not for I AM ME !!

Well by the end of the year I had brought my grades up to the point I was on the honor roll which I continued to do for the next 4 years. Without his words of wisdom no telling where I would have ended up in this life.. Many of my friends I grew up with made good choices and some not so good.. They all got what they set themselves up for IMO except for those who were killed in accidents or war for no one knows when the golden BB will strike..

I do believe if you get away from the big city you will find a larger percentage of hard working motivated young people who are determined to make something of themselves. But that is just my opinion.

Ensnared by the current generations slang I suppose. The part being missed is the "even" typically at the end of that "I can't". Of course perspective, is always yours until you see it from another's... even though the point may happen in that moment? The understanding of it may come many years later... and that's the real "it's ok" part.

Those that demand a point to be understood in the moment it is made? Is the old; "Never argue with an idiot" maxim.

The "I can even." means keep their composure or the character or air they were putting on; it's the same as the gen Xer version of "I'm losing my #".

Taken literally or as the straight man in comedy? Someone in response might say; "Why, are you going to Las Vegas or something?"

I am honestly; the worst straight man in conversation... Used to be; I'd smile like an expectant idiot, now; I just poker face, and leave the interpretation up to them... really seems to piss off the younger folks that: Can't even. Of course that is not the intention; as not caring about their problems is the same not caring about mine that the previous generation gave mine... so it's the gift that keeps on giving... as they are in fact the same god damned problems EVERY generation that all have had countless times previous.

Beast of burden in my opinion; is the Y generation for the Xers and M's to play the fool... am I joking? No and I don't even when it comes to whatever the hell the same where between the now "silent" and gen Xers are.

Generation Y is the lucky duck... silents didn't pamper the Xers they shot the living hell out of them... same as the ones called the Y's shoot the hell out of the Gen M's carrying around "the silents" old weapons being their grand children.

Genes and skipping a generation; thats the deal of how "rehash" keeps making the rounds. Most of the gen Xers as reincarnation of ideology goes... fought WW2 and then caught up with the hippies; which is why the 60's culture repeated in the 80's. The 70's culture was getting a repeat and of course skipping the stupid politics that went with it; which of course is the fight that the Gen M's are shouldering... and why things seem so divided, because the silents spoiled the Y's and give them the guns and ammo against the Xers and the M's.

Silents are dried up ideological raisins that were scared to death of going to war the same as their parents and were coddled just the same so scared and coddled the draft had to take place to force them out of that comfortable place.

The Y's same way which is why the current wars are doing the same to the Y's... don't complain to me about it; as the Xers not only being a beast of burden to that war and dawn of social psychiatry and medicine were the guinea pigs... for the social movements of two generations back to back. Meaning the dogs or whipping post majority for church AND state.

This is honestly, just to make things clear by throwing back the curtain... not to further divide. Plus it is a US phenomena as I cannot say how that goes in other countries and cultural exchange. But perhaps you can if from somewhere else.

I am just happy to be independent and balanced enough no matter how much the scales have flipped. From under a thumb to stuck between a rock and a hard place? Of course; it can be easier to smile alone than when in company. The Y's in my family are the Yin and Yang bouncing between their parents and grand parents... for gimme gimme gimme some more.

Oh well; # em. I'd rather remain strong and real; than play mind games and gas light.

a reply to: Gothmog

No offense; but what the hell is she or was she hiding from, with such vocal ammunition?

Perhaps like the amount of licks off of a blow pop to get to the center of that mass? The world may never know; and it may be best not to find out... unless of course you're often left feeling "mental" then by golly gee willikers;untangle that tangle!

lol whispers; SEEECCRETSSSS!

The best leave it alone means; social programs didn't really cover women and children well in the Beta version of them being implemented like they do these days... so making do was making do especially with children involved; and it like any top secret level business; any and everything was on a need to know basis and even then sometimes that is like; nope it's a vault that pink panther can't even crack.

No such thing as a "kept" woman and like ALL Martha Stewart's recipes? It's a good thing... like it or not.



Also comes in the flavors of Phil Collins and Tupac if Bruce isn't your kinda jam...

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

They honestly believe this.

Utter delusional.

a reply to: Chadwickus

I would go as far as saying its scary..

originally posted by: HunkaHunka
I, along with my contemporaries, came up in a generation where boomers told us “You can’t!” And We said “watch me” and subsequently did.

Maybe the boomers were right and the generation you speak of "can't" raise kids well.

My middle school shop teacher (yes...they did have shop class back then) would chew your ass out if you said "I can't". He'd go on a tirade which is now understood about how that phrase was basically saying "I choose not to".

Yes...he was missing 1.5 fingers, before anyone asks

originally posted by: HunkaHunka
Have you noticed how many Americans say I can’t instead of “can-do!”

The Seabee motto has always been “can-do”. They are the Naval group you call in to tackle, and achieve the hard stuff.

Every major group is touting the “I can’t” motto. InCels identify with it and affirm it... Migtow, same thing. Every Millennial I talk to is convinced by stats instead of manifest destiny.

I, along with my contemporaries, came up in a generation where boomers told us “You can’t!” And We said “watch me” and subsequently did.

But now everyone wants to act like society owes them something... be it a job, or a pronoun.

Harden the F up America... learn to survive as humans have, against all odds, for thousands of years.

Presumably that also includes your self or are you the only person who is not like that?

Does your statement also include the business community or they exempt?

People who make cynical comments like yours never seem to strike me as people who don't put much thought into things.

Dont get all angry about it, just take the learning from it and move on. cheers

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Here's the problem with medical... people have grown to where they think they need a bandage on a cut instead of applying pressure and letting blood do it's job called clotting.

Of course if you are in the middle of working on something and it keeps opening up before it can clot and sore over? Yes a bandage until you can rest long enough to allow it.

Health care is used like walking around waiting for a used condom to fall off.

What that means is it has become a norm to patch and bandage ever little ache every little pain so much so everyone needs to go oh woe is me and lay on some strangers couch and whine about it to them while the other sits there doodling and not even listening for oh so much money only to say... hey, if you think you're crazy why not? When the real cure was releasing all of that pent up so it does not explode all over someone else.

Seems you need to do some of that or at least come to the realization that public service is not for you... sorry to have went a little personal; but some people have just had enough of others BS and indecision. Which is exactly why I leave the maybe and procrastinator sorts out of my life... when someone asks me if I am sure when I say something? There is not enough bricks in a ton that could fall on them. The only time I have ever been wishy washy? When trying to please someone else not me. That was a sickness that has been cleared up; of course it pisses people off that I stopped such a thing; and yet do I care? No just got tired of being walked on and weak to peoples moment to moment flights of whimsy.

When hungry I eat; bathroom and sleep are the same... not when someone tells me too. This has also been the case where work was involved. A supervisor once less qualified than me for the actual job other than time spent there; wanted to drag me through the building and complain about one stupid piece of paper not knowing it could be resized and printed again in one one trillionth the time to drag me to some damned office to yell at me even though the project right out of her own damned mouth said there was no time limit on it to also pull the you're "new here" card on me, even though I did three times the work of her and the other two combined... and also loved what I did while doing it.

So after we got back; I resized and printed and in less than a minute had it on her desk; packed my # and walked out. Begged to come back by everyone above her head twice after... even after she was just promoted the day before she chewed me out; and nope nothing doing, the personnel were just too unprofessional.

Hey good luck with your college deal; much cheaper on campus than computer btw like 1/3rd to 1/4 cheaper when all is said and done. I had friends still paying student loans nearly a decade after their web degrees and they said it didn't seem they were even making a dent in it. From what I understand the Feds got involved with those online colleges so if that sort of thing is ironed out or not? I honestly dont know.

a reply to: BEBOG

Well , dang
You are already half way to being able to catch a squirrel

a reply to: HunkaHunka

Learn to survive?

Look around you. We're thriving. Along with a select few other species we've happened to carry along the way.

Individuality isn't though and that seems to be an issue these days, loads of things to blame I guess. Like the artificial systems we've built and bought into so earnestly, the technology we use to keep ourselves distracted... Maybe it's the genuine lack of social cohesion?

But harden the # up?

Yeah, seems to be our hard headedness that has the world in a mess. We don't need to tame any land, kill all the wildlife and thieve off the next town over anymore.

We needn't be greedy nor hard.

We're far from weak, we don't have wings but can fly faster than any bird, move mountains without breaking a sweat and gather all information at the click of our fingers.

Meh. From personal experience it's the elderly who shout "harden up" yet arw the first to complain about brutish behavior... In their youth they'd be in awe for what we can achieve these days.

Our methods change, our results are far greater.

Again we don't need to be hard, as humans we can be anything. And toughness comes in many flavours.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: carewemust

Let me get this straight, you think there was no problem until Obama came along and created all these dependant people ?

Those 'free phones' that everyone is so hot on pinning on Obama were around in *2005* and before. I had to get one, so I know when they had come out- and finally (happily!) got a real phone with real cellphone stuff.. Other stuff like food allowance, housing, etc was being milked well, well before Obama was even going into damn law school.

Some of us actually do have a somewhat memory of the before times...