What is wrong with the youth of today? How does Generation Y (is that what they are?) compare with your generation?

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

Answers

I'm not yet 30,so I don't want to be hypocritical, but one thing scares me about today's kids: the level of violence. When we saw fights in highschool, people used their fists. There was some name- calling, maybe some scratching and biting. Someone won and someone slunked away, that was it. No one brought an uzi or even a knife. Today you have 3rd graders bringing their automatic pistols to recess to pop off the kid who called him a poo-poo head the previous day. That scares me.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

yeah, i know what you mean. i watched 'west side story' recently, and i was thinking that if the worst we had to worry about now was our kids fighting with teensy little pocket knives, we'd all sleep pretty easy.

i have an 11 year old son, and i worry a lot about what he's going to encounter when he starts middle school in the fall. he's a good kid, and i think he has a good head on his shoulders, but it is SCARY out there.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

I am Generation Y (21), and I worry myself. Like, I only finished high school three years ago, and it already seems like a different world.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

These kids today with their crazy music and nutty clothes!

I will turn 39 years old next week which I absolutely cannot believe. I have no generation; I look at the tables and I don't seem to be either a baby boomer or a Gen-Xer. Certainly I don't feel a party of either group. I think I'm part of Generation Brady, since everyone my age seems to have warm, vivid memories of watching the Brady Bunch and Partridge Family every Friday night.

I would like to be able to bitch about everyone younger than me, but since sadly I'm still in college, I end up spending a surprising amount of time with people young enough to be my children, and I have to say: They're pretty cool. No, really. Most of them seem just pretty ordinary, pretty intelligent, quite soulful.

Of course, each generation produces its psychopathic assholes, and as was noted earlier the assholes of today seem much scarier that the assholes of my youth.

It's the weapons, the piercings, and the video games that make me feel old and cranky.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

I hate them thar new-fangled contraptions. The kids these days are all carryin' these little gizmos that beep and buzz and whatnot. Who needs it? Cell phones and palm pilots and mp3 players... What's wrong with using a pay phone? Or a pencil and notebook? Or listening to a good old 8 track?

Hmph.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

Basic stupidity. Like how they post on message boards (ahemHissyfitahem) and can't spell/write a coherent sentence for shit, yet think they're "above" that sort of thing and don't "have" to adhere to something as "meaningless" as grammatical rules. Or will have sex without using protection or without even thinking about it, and when asked, they just shrug and go "I dunno." Or will act like a crowd of hooligans (Rapestock, anyone... I mean, the people there were little more than monkeys, climbing on each other, having sex whenever and wherever, and throwing poo) who feel compelled to take, destroy and ruin as they see fit. Or just basically have no concept of personal responsibility AT ALL!

Gee. Cranky? Me?

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

The thing is that even when I was a teenager I couldn't relate so I can't say it's "the youth of today" that scare me. I think every generation of humans has it's stupid people, it's violent insane people, etc. How different are those kids then the kids I went to highschool with? Maybe different in superficial ways... but probably still the same for the most part. I really wish I could say that teenage girls are smarter then the girls of my generation. I'm under 30 by the way. I still see girls acting stupid and deferring to the boys. Makes me sad. I'd have hoped that that would have improved at least a tiny bit.

Anyways my point is that it's not the superficial acts of rebellion that bother me. Unfortunately they are only superficial. There's a song that says "What are the youth if they ain't rebelling". I agree with that. Unfortunately getting a tattoo or sticking a ring through your belly button doesn't constitute rebellion in my books.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2000

As King Misile said, "I want to be different just like all the other different people. I want to assert my individuality along with others who are differnt like myself." That kind of thing comes along with every generation, but that doesn't make it any less amusing/disturbing.

Most of all I think "kids these days" suffer from a sense of entitlement. I still suffer from it myself, somewhat. At 25 it is just now sinking in that the world doesn't owe me anything. Our society is just way too affluent and people seem to think that they deserve to be happy and have the newest latest mostest best.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2000

I'm 33 & 2/3rds. The state of the world today frightens and disturbs me so much that a few years back, I made a conscious decision to stop caring. I know that's a copout and that it only adds to the problems of the world, but it's my coping strategy.
I'm bemused at all the kids (boys, especially) wearing Big Pants nowadays. My teens were spent bedecked in skintight Chemin-de-fer jeans, mind you, so I'm not suggesting that my generation was smarter in this area, but those Really Big Pants-- what are those?!! :-) They totally crack me up.
'NSync amuses me to bits, because they look EXACTLY like they're trying out for my high school pom-pom/songleading squad. Their little dances slay me, I love watching them. (Is that crotchety? It seemed like a good place to mention it.) I made my parents watch them too, when I was at their house and the 'NSync-ers were on SNL. HOWL. So that was 2 generations of Crotchetyness right there. ;-)
I'm uncomfortable with the ever-lowering age of Sexual Awareness. I didn't even hear of the "F-word" til I was in 3rd grade, and at my school kids weren't "going together" before 5th grade. Actually, this ties in with another observation I've made: today's kids are WAY more pop-cultured, at younger ages, than were the kids of my generation. I knew the Abba songs that were radio hits, and I knew a few top-40 songs, but today there are kindergarteners at pop concerts, and 6- and 7-year-olds collect Britney posters and wear Backstreet Boys shirts...it just seems too young to me. I mean, when I was in grade school, we wore Sears Toughskins jeans and ill-matched outfits. The kids of today are so image-conscious that there are grade-schoolers with eating disorders who think they're too fat. I find that very frightening.
One thing I do like about teens today is the trend I see in showing affection betwen friends, both girls and boys. When I was in high school, 1982-84, we wouldn't have dared hold hands with a platonic friend, and certainly not one of the same sex. I see teens today walking around with arms linked, holding hands, arms around each others' shoulders, and I like that. I also see a lot of affectionate cheek-kissing, and friendly, light kisses on the mouth between platonic girl-boy friends, and I envy the confidence and comfort kids must be feeling, to do that. :-)

So you see, I'm not all Cranky Old Girl. *grin*

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2000

Speaking of ever-lowering ages, I think that's the key right there. "Kids these days" are, generally, a lot more aware of a lot of things at younger ages than some previous generations. Sex, language, pop culture, the whole shebang. I'm 34 and a half, by the way. I remember when the whole Big Pants thing came along (and it still hasn't died, which I just don't get), and I just remembered feeling sorry for the stupid-looking kids. They have NO CLUE how dumb they look right now, but they will wince when they look back on it 10 years from now. So, I think most kids will grow up and shape up and turn out okay, just like the vast majority of the rest of us.

There are exceptions to every rule, of course. Thanks to some older brothers, I was a little more knowledgeable regarding sexual matters than my peers. I can distinctly remember one night when I couldn't have been more than 12 and I used a chunk of pine bark to draw a diagram on the sidewalk in order to visually explain to a friend of mine what 69 is. :-)

One of my favorite song quotes applies to some of our dumb kids these days (even up to college age "kids"): "Excess ain't rebellion. You're drinkin' what they're sellin'." - Cake.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2000

I really really really don't understand the Britney Spears/N Sync/Backstreet Boys thing. Or the Mandy Moore or Jessica Simpson thing. Are they all the same people? Does anyone care that they can neither sing nor play a musical instrument?

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2000

Yeah, I had a Cranky Old Woman moment this weekend: I was walking past the magazine rack in the grocery store and saw a cover with Jessica Simpson (I think it was) and she looked like her makeup person was trying to achieve the Dee Snider in the Glory Days of Twisted Sister look. As I stood there, gaping, I thought: how could her parents let her out of the house like that? If I were her mom, I would've stood at the front door with a washcloth and some coldcream..

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2000

Ooh, ooh, ooh...has anybody heard that gawd awful "I Think I'm in Love" by Jessica Simpson? Its the EXACT same music as "Jack and Diane"!!! I almost cried! Okay, not realy, but still...you don't take some pretends-to-be-sweet-and-innocent-but-is-really-a-ho pop singer and let her maim one of my all time favorite songs. Thats just wrong. Harrrrumph

-- Anonymous, August 09, 2000

Well, I'm 15, and sometimes (ok, a lot of times), when looking at something people my age have done en masse - for instance, the adoration of Eminem - I just want to say (and sometimes do say, when I'm at home), "What is your problem? Are you on crack? Damn kids today," or something to that effect. I really really don't get it. Surely I'm not the only 15 year old who enjoys 'Lolita' and Elvis Costello? See, this is why I'm pretty much a loner; I don't understand people my age and they don't understand me. On the upside, I'd rather read an intelligent novel or listen to well-written music that's actually saying something than carry on a conversation with an average teenager of today anyway, so in general, I tend not to care.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 2000

heh.. I was like that. Then I got to college and it was full of people who were like that. Suspiciously absent from college were all the little dorks who followed every fad, joined "cliques" and made fun of anyone different than them. You will fit in great at college.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2000

I was like that, too. Still am, to some extent. College will definitely suit you better. Enjoy it. :-)

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2000

i was very popluar in school & i wish i couldv'e gone to college so i could have lots of fun. i miss those days.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2000

When I was 15, I read "Lolita" and listened to Elvis Costello, too. I'm told that I turned out okay. I guess I did. So, anyway, yes. You're allowed. :) *hug*

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2000

[Off Original Topic] I couldn't finish "Lolita". The whole premise was too oogy for me. and HH was too oogy, as well. Maybe that was the point, but I don't like to look at car crashes, and I don't like to read about dirty old men fantasizing about little girls. [/Off Original Topic]

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2000

Ok, I admit it, when I was a teenager I thrived on moodiness, feeling completely misunderstood and believe Janis Ian's "At Seventeen" was written EXPRESSLY for me. But, I snapped out of it. I'm a teacher and I am floored by what kids feel entirely comfortable telling me (without the slightest hesitation or shame)... I have been called a "fucking beeyatch" for telling a kid to throw away a soda can (which should not even have been in the room); another teacher and I caught a student stealing a wad of cash from a register and his MOTHER shrugged and asked what the big deal wa since he didn't get away with it; males students rating female teachers as who they would "do" AND tell us; But, I think one of the best was when I flunked a student who missed 29 days in ONE quarter, set the garbage can on fire the ONE time he was there, carved a swastika in the desk and then screamed "Whore" in front of the school... and the principal asked me what I did to upset that kid so much. Grr

-- Anonymous, September 18, 2000

My wife was an elementary school teacher for 8 years. The things she would tell me about what some of her students were like "and" what their parents were like made me wonder who's in charge. The student or the parent. With the advent of MTV and Freddie Kruger, it's a wonder more people aren't maimed or killed. One of my wife's ex-students got mad at his teacher and put some lye in her coffee. She burned her lips but luckily didn't swallow any. The parents couldn't and wouldn't believe their little angel could do something like this. They fought like hell to keep the police at bay. My wife 3 years prior to this incident had to have a parent/teacher/principal conference to get this kid to behave in class and do his assignments. The parents blamed my wife for not spending more time with their little angel and refused to believe there was a problem. Now mind you this is an expensive parocial school and the parents have money. And we just had seven teenage boys beatup, stab and shoot a couple of 65 yr old Mexican farm workers. These guys were old enough to know better but their parents and lawyers kept trying to portray them as innocent boys who were to young to understand the gravity of what they had done. They were all 16 and 17 years old. These guys had to be mentally retarded to not know what they had done and their parents as well. It is we as society who are at fault for not demanding accountability from those who act in an unsociable manner. Most kids today are as good a kids as any of us were but there are those who will act up and the papers and tv show it all the time as if this was the norm. And TV. OK I will get down off my soapbox now. I promise not to get into a tirade about the "tube" James

-- Anonymous, September 18, 2000