Is there hope for this generation??

I'd like to throw my little two-bits first hand knowladge and opinions in. I wonder myself sometimes what it will be like (seeing as how i'm on the younger end of the generation in line to inherit...) with my peers running things, and my optimisim level varies. The classes ahead of mine for the last three four years (at least at my school) seemed to have some of the best and the brightest. They were mature, intellectual, seemingly respectfull of their elders, all around a decent group. Today, as I walk through my halls with one year left to go, I cannot help but hang my head in shame some days. Maybe the influence of being a suburb school that is near a city has something to do with it, but it seems that the two grades beneath me lack everything that the previous four, myself included have worked so hard to gain. They are loud, ignorant (and i use that term with both meanings), disrespectfull of their peers, teachers and anyone else that happens to be in the vacinity. They fight constantly, mouth off, "sag their britches" to the point of it being no use even wearing pants at all and have a general lacking care of anything outside of their social infastructure. Just the other day I was helping my German teacher grade tests and it astounded me, the scores on the tests. There is no reason why any average or even less than average student should not get anything less than a B or an above passing grade in this class. The lack of drive for success is mind boggling.
But then I have to stop and take a look at those not standing out in this crowd because of their.. normalness. The good student. It's hard to recognize achievement when more attention is paid on how to stop fights in the cafeteria.

What is this attributed to? Many of you have stated that it is the family, or lack of. I wholly agree with this. Some say it's the media. I agree with this too. I personally have been blessed with parents to take every action to let do what i want in life and who care enough to give me those "lessons to stick in the backpack of life" and who make me listen to talk radio so I am aware of what's going on in this world.

I wish i could say why my generation is like it is, but I'm not exactly one of the people making the impression i previously described.
What I do know though is, there's always hope. There's always (or hopefully always) something in life that makes you click. It makes you grow up and say, geez, maybe my future is important.

I just hope that click happens soon.

 

Thank you, Ace. Even while you have concerns, your post indicates that you are one of those young people on whome we can base hope for the next generation!

 

Thanks, I would like to think i'm different from the vast majority (seeing as how i'm on a forum about world war two, haha) and that i'll do the best I can when the responsibility is passed.
it's a heavy load to carry for sure.

 

I just hope that click happens soon.[/quote]

Thank you for your feedback and incite! You lay it out very clear with the struggles and challenges that lie before you... and all you can do is be yourself, and wish to be that change you want to see in the world. Excellent advice from a very wise Mahatma Gandhi.

Nav

 

Heh heh, luckily I still have all of mine and cavity-free-Canines, Molars, Wisdoms and all ;-)) However, my ex-roommate has only a few left but more than two ;-D

 

This is an interesting thread and one that might have been repeated by every generation going back to the dawn of civilization. Just as our species evolves, so too do our cultures. Not every evolutionary step is a good one, but we have to go down a few cultural deadends to figure out the way forward.

Here is an interesting article from Time Magazine (November 5, 1951) that considers the younger generation of the early 1950's.

THE YOUNGER GENERATION - TIME

And another from May 30, 1955:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,866419,00.html

 

excellent find "dgmitchell", a couple of my "younger" uncles were a part of that section of the younger generation.

I was only a toddler myself at the time, but I found later that one had completed his college education and become a professor at Oregon State, another one had enlisted rather than wait to be drafted, and ended up in Germany in the post-war reorganization efforts, and the third had enlisted in the "new" Air Force" where he flew cargo transports just as my Dad had in WW2.

 

haha! I pray everyday as I sit in my liberal socalist teachers u.s. gov't class that that does not happen.

 

Clint -- You may also enjoy this article on the generation gap that appeared in Time in 1970:

When the Young Teach and the Old Learn - TIME

It was followed by these brief news stories from Time in 1972 and 1974 and we can already see the Generation Gap changing:

Reversing the Gap - TIME

Reversing the Gap - TIME

You can see even in the early 1970's that the pendulum was swinging away from the counter culture of the 1960's -- the "Wonder Years" of my youth and towards the conservatism of the 1980's. I suspect we are about two hard years away from the pendulum switching back to the right again.

Even more interestingly, you may enjoy this 1997 Time piece that explores the ascendance of the Slacker generation.

Great Xpectations of So-Called Slackers - TIME

 

Thanks, Lou, I appreciate your kind words. It was interesting to go back through the past 6 decades of Time and to see that Time had rehashed the generation gap theme so consistently. If we do not talk about the weather and our kids, I guess we have nothing to collectively discuss!

 

Well put

 

"The only way for evil to succeed is for good man to do nothing"
Although slightly out of context, I believe that this quote still holds meaning to this question for although this generation is essentially my generation due to my age, there are still good people out there willing to learn history and the right and wrongs both morally and physically, then there are people still out there willing to teach and I believe with this combination the past will constantly be reveled therefore we continue to hopefully learn from our mistakes.

If you look back in time you can clearly see the differences in today's world socially to a world 1000 years ago. We can only hope that it will continue to change for the better. Although today we have become more disrecpectful in general but at the same time we are more informed about the events of the world, and we all have the ability to learn about anything with no trouble at all with the hlep from the internet, teh only catch is knowing where to look.

 

i think everything in its own generation was faced with its own type of problems in its time. right now in this era we are faced with new challenges to deal with, thats all, lets not waste time in dwelling about the problems but we got to focus on the solution, i think media is diluting the need for things of substance... thats why this topic is here today

 

But to understand the problem is to understanding the solution.

You need to learn from your mistakes, understand where, how and why it went wrong so it doesn't repeat its self again, otherwise we will continue to make the same mistakes again and again. I think overall the situations we are dealing with are not much different from the past, in terms of war, disease, third world countries and so on. The different ones however are ones like, obesity, due to the dependency of technology nad disrespect in general due to the change of the world socially and the need for the government to watch every family and make laws on them on how they are to raise there kids, for eg. 100 years ago the man made the rules and you could hit you children with no real problem within reason, now days even the thought of hitting your child can get your kids taken away, which plays with there minds. Therefore due to these laws people are limited to how they can discipline there children, both from birth to the classrooms and all the way to adult hood.

These are just some of teh examples of the world today and why we need to understand them before we can fix them.

 

Tomcat, I dont agree with hitting children, lets call it spanking then...I dont agree with that either. But I suppose I never had to revert to it. Other means seemed to work for me, but that doensnt mean I know best.

Good post though.

 

Good point, I should not have written Hitting, it does sound extreme. I was more referring to light taps on the hand to say no and those kind of punishments, not full on violent assaults.


I was just pointing out that times have changed and how these could explain the lack of respect due to lack of discipline. There are only a few kids today with real respect for anything, and I think it comes down to the parents willingness to teach and the kids willingness to listen and since the kids willingness comes from the parents teachings it all comes back on the parents. lol If one person understands that dribble I will be happy. lol

You can see the lack of respect today in schools or just simply by dropping something in front of a child and seeing if they pick it up for you. It is certainly sad to see the result.

I think with kids there is no right or wrong, it is simply what works for you and your kids in a combined effort, from both parents and the child.

 

I understood it that makes us blood brothers then....

I see the solution...we hit the parents....I'm forming a committee as we speak....

As you say...I find it interesting as most folk dont use public transport...busses....I do occasionally..Its cheap and cheerful. Oh ok, The govt give me a bus pass cos I'm a war pensioner....ok I'm outed..I'm a sponger...

But the language is interesting, they dont even know they are using it...its normal to them...And I remember as a kid...you always gave you seat up...I dont want the seat, but I'd like to see some give their seats to others...Thats not age creeping up on me, its basic manners. Although as Formerjughead says...you should point it out to them that their actions are wrong...I do, on all occasions...But then, I have a death wish...Especially in cinemas..when I've been known to get up and plonk myself directly in the middle of the crowd of youngsters everyone is telling to shush...Maybe I've been lucky...Explainig to them...to be quiet and let everyone else enjoy....I wouldnt advise everyone to do such...but some of us need a hobby.