Dagnabbit! Kids These Days!

I have NO hope for the future. Kids these days are more interested in becoming an online ‘influencer’ or what a Kardashian is doing than getting on with life’s work. Dang Millennials are lazy, insolent, vacuous, brain-washed, virtue-signaling, online TROLLS!
No, not really. While these accusations have some truth to them, I think it’s hysterical that adults have been complaining about teenagers and young adults for some time. A very long time. Kinda puts things in perspective when you learn just how long. Still, I can’t help but feel like Grandpa Simpson at times. Human nature never changes. So before you enjoy these quotes I’ve managed to dig up on the netwebbie thingamajig, learn and memorize the most powerful phrase adults have: “I KNOW WHERE YOU KIDS LIVE!”

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“[Young people] are high-minded because they have not yet been humbled by life, nor have they experienced the force of circumstances…They think they know everything, and are always quite sure about it.”

—-Aristotle, Rhetoric, 4th Century B.C.

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"The world is passing through troublous times. The young people of
today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for
parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as
if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is
foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest
and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress."

— Peter the Hermit in A.D. 1274

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“… I find by sad Experience how the Towns and Streets are filled with lewd wicked Children, and many Children as they have played about the Streets have been heard to curse and swear and call one another Nick-names, and it would grieve ones Heart to hear what bawdy and filthy Communications proceeds from the Mouths of such…”

A Little Book for Children and Youth – Being Good Counsel and Instructions for Your Children, Earnestly Exhorting Them to Resist the Temptation of the Devil, Robert Russel ,1695

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“Don’t trust anyone over 30”.
——-Jack Weinberg, Student Activist and leader of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, 1960’s

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“They have trouble making decisions. They would rather hike in the Himalayas than climb a corporate ladder. They have few heroes, no anthems, no style to call their own. They crave entertainment, but their attention span is as short as one zap of a TV dial.”

Proceeding with Caution, Time, 2001

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But let’s be fair and let the latest generation have a word:

“You [adults] have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words… How dare you!”

——-Greta Thunberg, U.N. Climate Action Summit key speech, 2019

a reply to: Thoughtcrime

When I was young and there were no influencers but "stars", many wanted to become a star. Movie or singer. That's nothing new because children seek direction, guidance and affirmation. They learn from us adults.

That is IMHO the reason why children can get so fixated on being a famous person because in their eyes it grants them everlasting affirmation.

a reply to: Thoughtcrime

I think part of the problem may be still addressing people of that generation as "kids" too. The "Millennial" generation is typically categorized as born from the mid-80s to the late-90s, give or take a couple years depending on who your source is. They're all well into their twenties at the least and well into their thirties otherwise. Definitely not kids by any means.

a reply to: cmdrkeenkid
Past thirty here. I am honestly ashamed about my generation but it isn't a cut clear 1985-2000 (however it's defined) problem. Remember, the younger the more brazen and influenceable.

Let myself influence a lot by a teacher. He taught ultra liberal and progressive politics. Extreme anti US (GWB was President, 9/11 happened) and did I mention ultra progressive and liberal? Feminism (3rd wave)!

When I got out into the world, that quickly changed because I saw that the kumbaiya feelings of my teacher are completely out of reality. And it's no wonder, he never had to work physically. He is paid by the state and basically not fireable.

Of course such pampered and far from reality people are going to get comfy warm dumb ideas about how the world works, or should work. No struggling experience in life, except getting through University.

a reply to: ThatDamnDuckAgain

You and I have similar stories then.

We're the Oregon Trail Generation.

originally posted by: ThatDamnDuckAgain
a reply to: Thoughtcrime

When I was young and there were no influencers but "stars", many wanted to become a star. Movie or singer. That's nothing new because children seek direction, guidance and affirmation. They learn from us adults.

That is IMHO the reason why children can get so fixated on being a famous person because in their eyes it grants them everlasting affirmation.

Makes sense.

I'm 35, I think our generation is a mixed bag. From my small personal circle there is my lady and I, shes almost 40. We have own(mortgage, 20 years left) home with 10 acres. We aren't even close to middle class, but we saved and worked hard to get here and stay her. We have 16 year old son on high honor roll and participates in sports and generally has a good work ethic and world view.

We have a couple stating with us. They are about the same age. They have nothing literally and have more or less lived off the system their whole lives. They just recently had a wake up call and are finally putting there lives together while in there mid 30s.
They aren't bad people. They are genoourous, polite but not the brightest bulbs in box and until recently thought the world owed them everything pretty much.

I think anyone born in the late 20th century hasn't had a defining moment yet. That's where our screwed up disposition has come from. Even the "successful" individuals of our generation are kinda screwed up. Myself included. I don't really know what else to say on that.

It does seem like the younger generation is always ruining everything to the older generation. And vise versa. It also seems the apocalypse is always about to happen. And has since man started talking. Shrug my shoulders.

originally posted by: ThatDamnDuckAgain
a reply to: cmdrkeenkid
Past thirty here. I am honestly ashamed about my generation but it isn't a cut clear 1985-2000 (however it's defined) problem. Remember, the younger the more brazen and influenceable.

Let myself influence a lot by a teacher. He taught ultra liberal and progressive politics. Extreme anti US (GWB was President, 9/11 happened) and did I mention ultra progressive and liberal? Feminism (3rd wave)!

When I got out into the world, that quickly changed because I saw that the kumbaiya feelings of my teacher are completely out of reality. And it's no wonder, he never had to work physically. He is paid by the state and basically not fireable.

Of course such pampered and far from reality people are going to get comfy warm dumb ideas about how the world works, or should work. No struggling experience in life, except getting through University.

Thank God you saw past that teacher! Must have been a humbling experience on entering the real world. It was for me. And I bet pretty much EVERY generation before us. But it seems like some of in these later generations never find out. Their childhood is attenuated….What’s that newish slogan—‘40 is the new 30?”

FYI: ‘Progressive’ teachers have been with us forever. I had a Spanish teacher in high school (40 years ago!) who’d wax rhapsodic about “Cutting Cane for Castro!!” Ugh. She lectured on politics almost as much as teaching us Spanish.

a reply to: SwampFox999

There’s hope with good folks like you out there.

Yeah, nothing much changes, huh?

a reply to: Thoughtcrime

The second I stepped out of school I got it. Standing up @ 2:30AM, driving a bicycle through wind, snow and rain OR walk, I quickly noticed that my teacher's ideas how everyone can go to work with a bike, is pure BS.

BTW he arrived by car, because about 20km was too much for him, but 5-10km, that's okay.

His claims to make electricity and water more expensive, this was before LED, to teach and educate the people to save the planet... sounded nice until I paid my own bills. He claimed the world would end once the barrel oil reaches 100$.

Overall he is or was a control freak with the attitude of teaching his wisedom to the world. That's a teachers attitude, I know it, you do not know it. Bow to my authority.

a reply to: Thoughtcrime

Ok, first of all those quote from ancient days were tremendous! Your point inserting them was well made, sounds (and feels) just like they were written today. Wow.

a reply to: Thoughtcrime
At best that's what I can tell. Seems people have always been more or less the same. Some good, some bad. The most somewhere in between.
And thank you, I appreciate the kind comment. She and I try real hard.