We are raising a generation of deluded narcissists

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by vta

I didn't even notice your sig until after I wrote this out...

Speaking of sports, I think when a person gets paid multiplied millions of dollars to run with a ball, then has the gall to liken it to modern day slavery, you can pretty much bet the bank that there's been a monumental generational shift.

I think there is a sense of entitlement by so many people now days, I grew up where things were not handed out you had to earn them and you were allowed to fail but it was through the failure that you learned to work harder so that you could achieve the goal.

You hang the carrot in front as a goal that has to be achieved not just hand them the carrot.

[jgboys1]

I knew things were stating to go bad, when people wanted to outlaw dodge ball. Don't want to hurt little Johnny or Marry's feelings by getting knocked out of the game and also everybody gets a trophy in little league, not just the best teams. We are making a generation of wussies that can't handle the word NO.

[Galian Beast]

Originally Posted by vta

Not really. There's a reason our country is tanking in more ways than one. This thinking that everything follows a repeatable course is illogical. Many will pipe up loudly about how far we've come when it comes to certain advances, yet when someone states the growing negative trends, people like to claim it's really just a product of 24 hour news cycles. We weren't exaclty communicating with smoke signals before the 80's - 90's.

It also suggests that consequences don't exist. That certain paths of the last generation or earlier years of our own have no ramifications.

Advertising is very effective and very powerful and to think that a generation brought up on hit and run advertising and microwavable convenience won't be radically effected is not realistic. Expectations are effected due to these certain 'advancements', and so are the reactions to adversity.

[View Full Quote]As to the effect of generations and their laments, it's based on truth. The materials you live on and in are inferior plastics that have a calculated shelf life designed to make you a repeat and frequent customer. Your appliances, your cars, your clothes all are made with the ricochet effect in mind.

Its not opinion that education scores and health have regressed in the United States. Life expectancy might be at it's highest, but is quality of life? Medicince can allow a cancer patient to hang on much longer with denigrating and painful treatments, but frankly, I'd rather drop dead. These are all examples that challenge the idea that everything's the same as it ever was and that generations don't decline. Civilizations exist on arcs, not plains. Prior civilizations died not because they remained consistently predictable, but because the changes were so subtle and long manifesting that they were not generally and popularly recognized.

The difference is that you've come to a conclusion that civilization is on a downward path, and you presume why it is.

This is illogical.

Imagine the following scenario:

The water level in room B is lower than the water is Room A.

Without facts and data you've decided that there is less water in room B, and that the inhabitants of Room B have been removing the water, since it's lower.

In reality Room B is a larger room than Room A, and while the level appears lower the quantity of water might actually be greater.

Your preconceptions about the inhabitants of Room B were baseless, and your conclusions about the water levels were merely perceptions and not reality.

[vta]

Originally Posted by Galian Beast

The difference is that you've come to a conclusion that civilization is on a downward path, and you presume why it is.

This is illogical.

Imagine the following scenario:

The water level in room B is lower than the water is Room A.

Without facts and data you've decided that there is less water in room B, and that the inhabitants of Room B have been removing the water, since it's lower.

In reality Room B is a larger room than Room A, and while the level appears lower the quantity of water might actually be greater.

Your preconceptions about the inhabitants of Room B were baseless, and your conclusions about the water levels were merely perceptions and not reality.

There's no need for presumption, the evidence is plainly stated in every day life.
What exactly do think I'm assuming?

Am I wrong about our education performance? Global wealth and economy? The quality of services and products? Look up who leads the world in obesity. These things are everyday news, coupled with the record job loss numbers, is that a product of being on the ascending side of the arc?

I have to tread a line here, because of the whole political aspect this edges on, but there's a reason a great number of college students involved themselves with that Occupy business. On both sides of that coin stand the two faces of generational decline.

Comfort and complacency don't breed ambition and drive and the richest nation in the world isn't immune to the perils of prosperity that have taken all former empires.

[FiveRings]

Originally Posted by Future

I think some of that stems from the fact that many kids are trained, in high school as well as college, that confidence and being able to sell yourself is key to getting a job in today's workplace. Many are also taught that anything is possible with hard work, without being given a concrete definition of hard work. Combine that with a major sense of entitlement, and you get individuals who trick themselves into believing that they are more skilled than they actually are.

I disagree, those who show the confidence and drive at work and interviews, genuinely have it I believe. I think the narcissism is coming fom the "everyone gets a trophy" mentality, and actually discussed it the other day with a teacher who coached baseball and explained the difficulty of cutting kids when they've been on little league all star teams, meanwhile every kid makes the team.

[Future]

Originally Posted by vta

I have to tread a line here, because of the whole political aspect this edges on, but there's a reason a great number of college students involved themselves with that Occupy business. On both sides of that coin stand the two faces of generational decline.

There's no political line to cross there. While at its heart the Occupy movement might have been worthwhile, what it turned into was a bunch of kids whining about how they can't find a high level job in a major city right out of college. Most of them Tweeted and Instagrammed from iPhones, a product made by a company who contributes to the exact problem they stood against, and others were there simply because they were unwilling to relocate for jobs.

Part of the problem is that we are conditioned to think that a college education lands us a great job. In today's job market, that's not the case. People still need to start small and work their way up, no matter what their education...value to a company has to be proven, and great jobs are not just handed out. That is the main thing that many members of the Occupy movement have no grasp of.

[vta]

Originally Posted by Future

There's no political line to cross there. While at its heart the Occupy movement might have been worthwhile, what it turned into was a bunch of kids whining about how they can't find a high level job in a major city right out of college. Most of them Tweeted and Instagrammed from iPhones, a product made by a company who contributes to the exact problem they stood against, and others were there simply because they were unwilling to relocate for jobs.

Part of the problem is that we are conditioned to think that a college education lands us a great job. In today's job market, that's not the case. People still need to start small and work their way up, no matter what their education...value to a company has to be proven, and great jobs are not just handed out. That is the main thing that many members of the Occupy movement have no grasp of.

I agree with you. Many think college is the accomplishment and the reward should follow. I just figured the mentioning of 'Occupy' would bring about the connection.

[Future]

Originally Posted by FiveRings

I disagree, those who show the confidence and drive at work and interviews, genuinely have it I believe. I think the narcissism is coming fom the "everyone gets a trophy" mentality, and actually discussed it the other day with a teacher who coached baseball and explained the difficulty of cutting kids when they've been on little league all star teams, meanwhile every kid makes the team.

I don't really disagree with that. The problem, I think, is that that gets hammered home so often that lots of kids have a certain hollow confidence, which comes ends up turning into egotism.

[Illini88228]

Then it's the old people's fault.

I'm always amazed when these inter-generational bashing things come out that commentator's always ignore their own generation's role. "Kids today" are the product of their parent's choices. If my generation is really the worst in American history. It really means your generation are the worst parents in American history.

I didn't decide that it wasn't okay to be outside without supervision. You chose to be afraid of every shadow. I didn't decide that every injury warranted a trip to the emergency room, you decided that I was "sensitive." To blame a person for their parents is stupid. That holds true whether it's one kid or a generation of kids. Maybe if you had taken the time to understand the technology you were creating and exposing your kids to, you wouldn't be stuck now trying to explain in retrospect what went wrong.

The fact of the matter is older generation's selfish short-sightedness has left my generation with the biggest mess to clean up since the Great Depression. You spent money you didn't have. You let infrastructure and schools collapse. And, you surrendered the responsibility of raising your kids to gadgets and social institutions which you decided had to coddle us.

So, honestly, I couldn't care less if you think I'm narcissistic. From what I can tell, your generation drove the world into the ditch. Sorry if I don't want your help backing out.

[Rackat]

Originally Posted by Illini88228

Then it's the old people's fault.

I'm always amazed when these inter-generational bashing things come out that commentator's always ignore their own generation's role. "Kids today" are the product of their parent's choices. If my generation is really the worst in American history. It really means your generation are the worst parents in American history.

I didn't decide that it wasn't okay to be outside without supervision. You chose to be afraid of every shadow. I didn't decide that every injury warranted a trip to the emergency room, you decided that I was "sensitive." To blame a person for their parents is stupid. That holds true whether it's one kid or a generation of kids. Maybe if you had taken the time to understand the technology you were creating and exposing your kids to, you wouldn't be stuck now trying to explain in retrospect what went wrong.

[View Full Quote]The fact of the matter is older generation's selfish short-sightedness has left my generation with the biggest mess to clean up since the Great Depression. You spent money you didn't have. You let infrastructure and schools collapse. And, you surrendered the responsibility of raising your kids to gadgets and social institutions which you decided had to coddle us.

So, honestly, I couldn't care less if you think I'm narcissistic. From what I can tell, your generation drove the world into the ditch. Sorry if I don't want your help backing out.

I love this reply. The problem with a forum of this nature is that no one knows for certain what age anyone else may be. I felt the same way about my parents...who happened to be raised in the 50's and 60's. They screwed it up enough that we needed to clean up their mess. But being a product of their upbringing, we were instilled with some of the flower power bullarkey that they were exposed to and subsequently passed it on to our kids.

I think each generation has had a negative and positive effect on the following generation. The difficulty is in deciding what is better, a Dr. Spock upbringing, or an upbringing somewhere between the old man getting a switch and all the kids getting a trophy.

[TheCount]

Originally Posted by vta

I didn't even notice your sig until after I wrote this out...

Speaking of sports, I think when a person gets paid multiplied millions of dollars to run with a ball, then has the gall to liken it to modern day slavery, you can pretty much bet the bank that there's been a monumental generational shift.

Oh really? Are you suggesting that previous generations of athletes have not said and done stupid things? That's rich.

You take one quote and that quote defines an entire generation. Where's my Staple's Easy Button when I need it?

Originally Posted by Doomsday101

A generation of sissy have been created. Don't keep score in sporting events, everyone gets an award and we are all special.

Biggest benefit a person can learn from is failure it is what drives you to work harder and become better be it in sports, work or life.

Yup, bunch of sissies out there.

Originally Posted by vta

Not really. There's a reason our country is tanking in more ways than one.

Are you blaming 18 year old college freshmen for a collapsing, indebted economy?

That's a completely reasonable conclusion.


This thread is high hilarity. Especially since the accusers aren't even pragmatic about their conclusions.

[Chocolate Lab]

Originally Posted by Illini88228

Then it's the old people's fault.

I'm always amazed when these inter-generational bashing things come out that commentator's always ignore their own generation's role. "Kids today" are the product of their parent's choices. If my generation is really the worst in American history. It really means your generation are the worst parents in American history.

I didn't decide that it wasn't okay to be outside without supervision. You chose to be afraid of every shadow. I didn't decide that every injury warranted a trip to the emergency room, you decided that I was "sensitive." To blame a person for their parents is stupid. That holds true whether it's one kid or a generation of kids. Maybe if you had taken the time to understand the technology you were creating and exposing your kids to, you wouldn't be stuck now trying to explain in retrospect what went wrong.

[View Full Quote]The fact of the matter is older generation's selfish short-sightedness has left my generation with the biggest mess to clean up since the Great Depression. You spent money you didn't have. You let infrastructure and schools collapse. And, you surrendered the responsibility of raising your kids to gadgets and social institutions which you decided had to coddle us.

So, honestly, I couldn't care less if you think I'm narcissistic. From what I can tell, your generation drove the world into the ditch. Sorry if I don't want your help backing out.

Well at least you didn't take this thread personally...

I'd love to ask you to explain some of these claims, but meh.

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by TheCount

Oh really? Are you suggesting that previous generations of athletes have not said and done stupid things? That's rich.

You take one quote and that quote defines an entire generation. Where's my Staple's Easy Button when I need it?





Yup, bunch of sissies out there.



Are you blaming 18 year old college freshmen for a collapsing, indebted economy?

That's a completely reasonable conclusion.


This thread is high hilarity. Especially since the accusers aren't even pragmatic about their conclusions.

what do the image have to do with it? Yes mental sissy who have been babied every step of the way.

[TheCount]

Originally Posted by Doomsday101

what do the image have to do with it? Yes mental sissy who have been babied every step of the way.

lol, that's cute. You are calling digital photos of trained fighters names from your computer chair.

I'm just wondering who you're claiming to be sissies, 8 year olds? I'm also wondering what generation you're from where they taught you it was cool to call people sissies.

[Illini88228]

Originally Posted by Chocolate Lab

Well at least you didn't take this thread personally...

I'd love to ask you to explain some of these claims, but meh.

Just because I used second person, doesn't mean I took it personally. People are just ridiculous when they talk about generations in general. I get sick of hearing all this "worst generation ever" nonsense when the evidence used to back up that claim is almost always something about the way we were raised.

Newsflash, no one decides how they are going to be raised, that's their parents job. If my generation is really such a disaster, it just means that my parent's generation were disastrous parents.