An open letter to the young (under 18) people on ATS.

reply to post by Zagari


Yes, it's true. I know some 13 year olds and even 12 year olds that are far more mature than some 40 year olds I know. BUT just open a newspaper and you'll see that every day there are still young kids being hurt and abused by sexual predators. And many of them find their victims on the Internet. I applaud rotorwing for what he wrote, because he did it out of the goodness of his heart.

Yes, in a 13 y.o. boy/girl's eyes he's just an old fart that should mind his own business. But he cares because with the years comes experience, and no matter how clever a 13 y.o. is, he/she does not have the wisdom that comes from experience. And secondly: A stranger looking out for another stranger on the Internet should be admired on its own.

On a side note, I strongly suggest each and every person reads the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (please click and here)... Few people know it and it's extremely important to know especially if you have kids or if you own a website... Just saying.

It's a simple (and well written) reminder. Thanks for caring about other people's kids.

Edit to add: I still have complete respect for our fellow younger members "lack" the wisdom of experience, but are still able to hold up a decent debate thanks to their insight and knowledge. You are indeed a cut above he rest.

[edit on 3/8/10 by Gaspode]

You know, I joined ATS on my own when I was 15, and had been reading for awhile before that. I'm proud of my accomplishments here in the past almost 4 years, and I'm proud to say that I did it without any advice or assistance from anyone else.

So, although I do value your advice and suggestions, learning occurs through experience. And speaking for the younger generations on this website, we're doing just as well as you old folks are, thanks.

I am forty six years old, and some days I feel like I am about a thousand years old both mentally and physically and some days I feel like I am six years old both mentally and physically.

There are the young at heart and then there are the old at heart.

I first started being exposed to conspiracies at the age of 6 by a maternal grandfather and his friends who were thrilled that I took such an interest in to what they considered to be the academic and political and not simply conspiratorial.

Yes I grew up different, so different it necessitated the government and my family and my self to create a different path for me to do it. I never knew what it was like to see a high school football game or go to a homecoming dance or be ‘normal’.

What I did get to know was the world I was living in, much more realistically and intimately than my contemporaries and peers were.

This didn’t knock me back a peg in life, in fact it accelerated me up several more. When the other children my age were learning reading, writing and arithmetic, I was learning how to solve and adapt to complex social problems and logistics.

When they were learning theories about things, I was busy developing the real theories and strategies in how to deal with the much more complex real time real world things and the many shaded grays of reality that it involves.

Sure I got my nose bloodied from time to time in the school of hard knocks and faced some incredible adversities but that which does not kill us only serves to make us stronger.

Along the way that’s exactly what I became strong in knowledge and a depth in knowledge strong in practical knowhow and when and where and how to use it and like the rest of us I laughed, and cried, and learned along the way loving who I could, how I could, when I could and doing the best I could.

While many of my more youthful contemporaries and peers might have thought I was nuts, or one brick shy of a load who didn’t think I was nuts were the highly educated Ivy league and Bohemian Grove types I would come to do business with and socialize who in fact had nothing but respect and marveled at my out of the box thinking and unorthodox approach to things.

Mommy and Daddy don’t teach that, neither does Harvard or Yale, being observant, inquisitive, honest with yourself and self reliant is what teaches you that.

The truth is in all my travels and I have travelled far and wide, and in all my social circles, and I have been involved in ones on every socioeconomic and political strata, I have never once yet met a person who could prove that the things I started learning at six but aren’t taught to others were wrong.

The truth is the world is far nuttier than I am, and there is a fine line between genius and insanity called success.

Succeed in your endeavors and perspectives and you are genius, fail in them and you are a nut.

I would have to say because of the overwhelming failed state of the world, wars, poverty, famine, scarcity and total indifference to these things the system and the normal people are what are craziest of all.

Sooner or later the young have to inherited these things and while the establishment and the system and the people who desperately want to believe its working love lying to themselves maybe its about time we stopped lying to our children as part of that.

The sooner they learn the better, and with luck they won’t have to be dropping off or rescuing anyone from their deaths or killing anyone either, that my friend is surely nuts if anything was.

Misery does love company but don’t you have enough already.

Let the kids be to discover the world, after all they are a part of it too!




[edit on 8/3/10 by ProtoplasmicTraveler]

I´m eleven years old, and i think this is the most interesting website ever, i don´t divulge to many information about me, you only need t know i´m Bolivian and i´m eleven but that´s it.

I have learned more here than vainly staring at the TV, possibly killing a brain cell or two in the process, i would like to make a concise but informative statement about me:

Even though i´m eleven years old, i would appreciate being treated as an Adult, as many young people here i think desire.

I don´t want to be the cocky, pompous kid who thinks that he´s smarter than Bach so when i turn that way do tell.

I´m glad to be on this website and see so many interesting threads.

[edit on 8/3/10 by Bildeberg]

reply to post by rotorwing
I agree with just about every point you make in your OP. I'm often amazed when a member mentions their age as being under 18. Not through old-fashioned ideas, but because some of them are so damn articulate and well-expressed. They make a point and make it well. I doubt I was as well-informed in my teens.

All that being said, it's critical that younger members protect their personal details. No locations, e-mail, skype, schools etc. Contribute ideas and leave the personal stuff for real-life friends.

If a member is openly under-18, it's a good idea for Mods to keep an eye out for them. Not interfering...just protective. I'm not sure how that can be accomplished, but it's a genuine courtesy to try.

reply to post by rotorwing


good post. we all need to be more aware on ats for all of us that are under 18.

Originally posted by Bildeberg
I´m eleven years old, and i think this is the most interesting website ever, i don´t divulge to many information about me, you only need t know i´m Bolivian and i´m eleven but that´s it.

I have learned more here than vainly staring at the TV, possibly killing a brain cell or two in the process, i would like to make a concise but informative statement about me:

Even though i´m eleven years old, i would appreciate being treated as an Adult, as many young people here i think desire.

I don´t want to be the cocky, pompous kid who thinks that he´s smarter than Bach so when i turn that way do tell.

I´m glad to be on this website and see so many interesting threads.

[edit on 8/3/10 by Bildeberg]

You express yourself much better than many 19 years old guys I know. Go on this way...
Its so good to see younger people on here.

Anyway at this point I agree. Mods shall take a protective look to people openly under 16 in here.

reply to post by rotorwing


Very appropriate.
I Think you did an excellent job in your post. As a parent who tries to be very aware of where my children go on the internet, sometimes you miss something.
Thank you

Good post.

Nothing wrong with a general reminder to guard one's personal information online and to think for oneself (i.e. not buy into everything that is said) and to learn to discern between known/unknown/make believe, while in the pursuit of interest and knowledge.

What exactly on ATS is unsuitable for a 13 year old? There are far worse places online for a 13 year old to log onto than ATS.

reply to post by rotorwing


I love my country as much as you do, but when you look at the world as a whole you notice the world is cruel whether its run by good people or bad people.

Good intentions can easily be turned around by bad people.

Humanity as a collective will learn and grown on its own accord and as always there will be good, bad and everything in between in the future.

This has been the story of humanity since the beginning and as much as we might want to say otherwise, the youth of today will do the same.

Once can even argue that its in our Genetics to be different.

My 2 cents

Fox

Many words of wisdom have been spoken on this thread. And I agree with the original OP.

But......I have a problem with the logic of this type of warning to young people.

Let's talk reality if you will. It is not the same as it was when I was 13 in 1960. The worst thing I had to worry about was the group of trashy girls that wanted to beat me up after school.

I did not have to worry about getting shot at school, being kidnapped on the way home from school, or the many other evil things kids are being exposed to today in 2010.

Computers have changed the world. If you think you can program your child's computer so he/she can't go to undesirable sites you better think again.

I have seven teen aged grandchildren. Their parents are very computer savvy and have, without intention, taught their children computer skills that would allow the child to go anywhere they desire including their friends email.

Again it is not the 60's or even the 90's. Kids are playing computer games that allow them to virtually kill pregnant women, blow up buildings and all manner of evil. And the parent never knows what's really happening.

It is impossible to raise a child and be with them every second and know exactly what they are doing. It would not be healthy for the child either.

PLEASE talk to young people in language they understand.

Tell them there are people just waiting to find a kid and rape him/her and bury them in a shallow grave.

Tell the girls that boys will tell them anything to make them take off their panties and will them have sex and not have anything else to do with them.

Tell them to trust no one unless they are a proven friend or family member.

Parents, do not use the computer as a baby sitter. Take some parental responsibility and unplug your child's computer and make computer time a give and take deal. Trade an hour of ball playing for computer time.

Kids are very different now and unfortunately parents are too.

Parents, it's time to spend time with your child. Teach or send your children to martial arts classes. Teach them discipline.

OK I'll stop now. By the way I'm 63 and want only the best for our young people. And I respect them.

Originally posted by wayaboveitall
Call me old fashioned, but I say a child is a child regardless of gender, and certain things are not suitable to a childs healthy mental development.

I have to wonder what you consider "mentally healthy." Do you consider not questioning the status quo "mentally healthy?" Do you consider staying the course "mentally healthy?" Do you consider not discussing abstract ideas "mentally healthy?" If the answer is "yes" to any of the previous questions, then why do you even bother coming to a site like this?

In regards to the OP, I'd say that he is pretty much right. It takes a discerning mind when you are navigating the internet...Period.

[edit on 8-3-2010 by SpeakerofTruth]

reply to post by King_John



I certainly agree with that. I mean, yeah, there are some "kooks" here. Hell, I may be one, but you take what you can from whatever they have to say and leave the rest. I don't take anything that anyone says at face value and that is the best advice I can give anyone no matter what his/her age may be.

This is amazing, I never knew there were so many young members on ats. Young people can bring a real fresh perspective to things and thats a good thing. I wish i had been turned on to this stuff when I was 11.

What? I don't understand. Are you saying that 13's are not advanced enough to make their own decisions, because I think we definitely have enough common sense to sort the thought-provoking, well reasoned posts from the flaming trolls and whatnot.

reply to post by Zagari

I knew an actual genius who was a thirteen year old girl.
I was at university, she was a grad student.
She liked me because I was the late night decibelter on the local FM weedburner.
I played songs that were not on the station managers play list.
Habitually.
She always called and requested "The Wasp", better known as "Texas Radio" by Morrison and company.
She came out to the station one night, she was trying to figure out if Morrison was singing about the friends he had gathered on a "thin raft" or a Zigurat (deny misspelling).
Using my official DJ headphones she decided he was saying "thin raft", and was therefore just another idiot. I tried to turn her on to some of his other stuff, she tried to talk me into breaking Steppinwolf's latest album on the air. So I did.
At least we agreed about Hendrix and Kayu Sakimoto.
Oh, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
She's the grandmother of my grandchildren...not so smart now eh?
She just cranked Stevie Ray to 11.
Never underestimate the resolve of youth, nor their tastes.
It took her 5 years, but for some reason she had already decided there was a place for me in her future. There was no escape. Sometimes I think she regards me as a lab rat...a cute one that went to university only to emerge as conflicted and confused as I'd thought everybody else was.
I'll just stick with Rock N Roll, got a Ph.D. in bein me!
Thirteen year olds used to marry and begin families, maturity isn't a date on a calendar, I'm living proof, some of us never mature(age is no determinate).
Ok bye.

reply to post by Luminaught


I would agree. When I was thirteen, I had the mentality of most of the thirty year olds I knew.