Are we raising a generation of sissies?

[ACamp1900]

Adam Carolla Rant About the Occupy Mentality.flv - YouTube

I think Adam Corolla agrees with you.

reps for the great link...

 

[Bogtrotter07]

This whole thread is a blame game.

My father and his friends had a big influence on me. All of them served. My father was shipped overseas on January 17, 1942, and save 14 days furlough on the West Coast did not return until December 12, 1945. Over half that time until July 1945 was spent behind enemy lines. My father won a bronze star with clusters. His unit won a Presidential Citation. Here is what he told me (paraphrased). His generation was called a bunch of sissies by those that passed before. And there were plenty of sissies as he grew up. Life was different than what was written in the history books. He remembers sitting in parlors, in social settings with everyone crying over the loss of a brother, son, or father during the First War. That is where "isolationism" came from not silly, or arrogant Americans.

And when they got their calling, they went because they were told to. He painted the picture more of sheep being led to be shorn, that of brave individuals fighting to make something right. That's from the movies. He clearly said none of them had any idea. It was this experience that convinced him that men were like metal. You couldn't tell what you had until you worked it. All metal is soft until pressure and temperature are applied. My dad was big about responsibility. As I got older, listening to it sounded more like action, (respond) than a chore. Dad believed living a good life had little to do with intrinsic characteristics or what you had, than how you responded to the every day. He said that coming home from work every day, keeping his composure, and treating people with dignity, was a bigger accomplishment than serving in the war. And he said the only good thing about the war was coming home.

He also talked, just before he died of the 200,000 Japanese landed on New Guinea with thirty days of rations. By the end of 90 days, my father had learned the meaning of the Japanese word for "dark meat" (Papua, the natives), and "white meat", him (most allied soldiers). Those were different days.

 

[eNDzone]

Most sissies are not born they are bred. Bring your children up right and at least you won't have to worry about them being sissies.

 

[GoIrish41]

The "younger workers" are just as soft and entitled as the baby boomers. You have an entire generation of kids raised on the idea of participation awards and taught they are all special and destined to be appointed head of UNICEF as soon as they graduate from college with their poetry degrees. This has all driven this prevalent idea today that there is some nobility or virtue in being average or being no better than anyone else that I find to be at the least very disappointing and at worst disturbing and a big factor in degrading the economic competitiveness of our country.

Regardless of the comparison between the baby boomers vs. Gen X or Y, there is almost no way that any generation can compare with the one that went through the Great Depression, World War II, and helped build the U.S. into the economic and world power it is today. Just a really incredible and resilient group of people and society our country was (and had to be) back then to meet those challenges head on and drive the country and the world forward.

absolutely agree with your assessment of their accomplishments, but at the same time THEY are the parents of the generation that everyone seems to be saying is a bunch of pussies. For all their wonderful contributions to society, they created the monster, if you, in fact think it is such. I personally believe that today's generation has grown up in a differnt world than anyone who is a couple of decades away from high school. In some ways they are far more advanced than any of us were. I have said this before in another thread, but I believe they will be the first generation to stomp out the blemish of racism from our culture. Talk to the teenagers of today and you will find that they are far more accepting of others than most of us ever were at that age. They are still teenagers, and the older we all get the more we will bitch about how lazy and worthless they are (just like our elders did, remember?). They'll come around, just like most of us did.

 

[Jebediah Springfield]

Crazy that this thread comes up now...

I was talking to a guy I met (who is white) and he was giving his thoughts on immigrants (but really it was about Mexican immigrants because that is pretty much the only ones he knows) and how they are taking jobs away from Americans...

Then he says the strangest part

He said he preferred to hire them because they weren't lazy and whiny like the American kids

 

[Cackalacky]

Crazy that this thread comes up now...

I was talking to a guy I met (who is white) and he was giving his thoughts on immigrants (but really it was about Mexican immigrants because that is pretty much the only ones he knows) and how they are taking jobs away from Americans...

Then he says the strangest part

He said he preferred to hire them because they weren't lazy and whiny like the American kids

LOL. The wicked webs we weave.

 

[Grahambo]

All I can say is that for the members participating in this discussion who have children, please just raise them the right way and the world will already be a better place.

 

[Folsteam_Ahead]

About me... I grew up poor, in a single parent household. Very comfortable now due to the way I was raised. I volunteer and donate to an organization that helps train the poor and refugees with job skills, resume building, interviewing skills, etc..

That said... growing up I saw first hand that some people were perfectly satisfied living off the goverment's tit. Fast forward 30 years (I'm 43 now), there are a lot more, as it's gotten easier. I'm not some person sitting on high guessing. I've been there (poor) as a child, and I go back there to help those that want to help themselves. Unfortunately there are a lot more that aren't interested in helping themselves. I also find it very sad that refugees who come here with nothing to thier name, are more interested in being productive citizens than some Americans.

And to be clear, nobody is saying welfare is enjoyable. But to some, it's easier than going out and working your tail off to improve your situation.

you're referring to an entirely different concept of "easy" than i was. you're talking about effort. i'm talking about the reality of whether the gov't makes life "easy" for those on welfare [EDIT follows:] or those who fail. remember, i was responding to the comment "i blame the government for making it easy to fail".

 

[Bluto]

Adam Carolla Rant About the Occupy Mentality.flv - YouTube

I think Adam Corolla agrees with you.

My 12 year old could kick his ***. Just saying.

 

[Pachuco]

It all depends on your view of what the model of strength looks like, and I think it is a big challenge to determine what that is and/or should be universally. What some view as strength, others view as weakness. While some conform, others challenge the status quo. You don't have to be a Christian to be familiar with such a story. In some neighborhoods, you aren't a man if you show compassion, instead you're in line to be a victim of human nature's worst. If you want to know what sissy looks like, it'd probably help to come to terms with the ugly underbelly of the outdated iconography that we often cling to (the John Waynes of world history), understand the shortcomings that opened the door for further peril from so-called Golden era model figures. The world has been and always will be full of weakness disguised as strength. Every generation is a generation of inheritance, which is a binding force that links us all.

 

[loomis41973]

Without a doubt.

 

[Patulski]

i'm not sure that the gov't makes it easy to fail. you realize that the lives of people on welfare are not all that enjoyable (assuming that's what you were referring to).

Ask Wall Street how hard to fail. Most of the focus tends to be on ordinary people, but at the highest levels of wealth and prestige there is entitlement. The richer you are, the safer you are from failure. You own the politicians, and that makes all the difference.

 

[Bluto]

Crazy that this thread comes up now...

I was talking to a guy I met (who is white) and he was giving his thoughts on immigrants (but really it was about Mexican immigrants because that is pretty much the only ones he knows) and how they are taking jobs away from Americans...

Then he says the strangest part

He said he preferred to hire them because they weren't lazy and whiny like the American kids

Lol. Hire Mexican-Americans? Actually the crap is hitting the fan with a bunch of companies here in Cali now that construction is turning around and a large number of Mexicans have gone back to Mexico. Will be interesting to see if wages go up. From what I understand many landscape companies are having a hard time competing with vineyards who are paying up to $15 an hour.

 

[Cackalacky]

Ask Wall Street how hard to fail. Most of the focus tends to be on ordinary people, but at the highest levels of wealth and prestige there is entitlement. The richer you are, the safer you are from failure. You own the politicians, and that makes all the difference.

Dare I say the richer you are the more opportunities you have as well?

 

[Bluto]

Ask Wall Street how hard to fail. Most of the focus tends to be on ordinary people, but at the highest levels of wealth and prestige there is entitlement. The richer you are, the safer you are from failure. You own the politicians, and that makes all the difference.

Yep. Socialized risk. So when all those high rollers feed you baloney about free markets remember that they do in fact enjoy the benefits of a socialized economy as it relates to the risk they face.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

All I can say that the members participating in this discussion who have children, just raise them the right way and the world will already be a better place.

It ain't easy. Insulating one's kids from our sh!tty culture is a massive undertaking. Still trying to talk my wife into dropping DirecTV.

 

[Cackalacky]

Lol. Hire Mexican-Americans? Actually the crap is hitting the fan with a bunch of companies here in Cali now that construction is turning around and a large number of Mexicans have gone back to Mexico. Will be interesting to see if wages go up. From what I understand many landscape companies are having a hard time competing with vineyards who are paying up to $15 an hour.

In my personal anecdote above I made $17/hr pushing a button (17 years ago) and there was always spots open for overtime. Sundays were 2X pay. That position now pays only $10 to a person who can't work more than 39 hours/week and no benefits. No overtime.

 

[GoIrish41]

As far as I know, Americans have always complanied that america isnt what it used to be.

We don't complain nearly as much or as well as we did 20 years ago. I think we got lazy and lost our way. This country is clearly on a steep decline.

 

[Cackalacky]

It ain't easy. Insulating one's kids from our sh!tty culture is a massive undertaking. Still trying to talk my wife into dropping DirecTV.

We've managed to do it so far for 5 years. My kid has seen such little tv, that when we watch something on the internet and a commercial comes on he does not understand.

I am down to basic cable with high speed internet. Flip side is my kid already knows how to use my iPad to put youtube on the TV and he is reading at a 2nd grade level and he puts together 8-14 year old range Lego sets with no supervision. He goes to public school and they do not accelerate/skip grades much here. Sucks.

 

[Bluto]

This whole thread is a blame game.

My father and his friends had a big influence on me. All of them served. My father was shipped overseas on January 17, 1942, and save 14 days furlough on the West Coast did not return until December 12, 1945. Over half that time until July 1945 was spent behind enemy lines. My father won a bronze star with clusters. His unit won a Presidential Citation. Here is what he told me (paraphrased). His generation was called a bunch of sissies by those that passed before. And there were plenty of sissies as he grew up. Life was different than what was written in the history books. He remembers sitting in parlors, in social settings with everyone crying over the loss of a brother, son, or father during the First War. That is where isolation came from.

And when they got their calling, they went because they were told to. He painted the picture more of sheep being led to be shorn, that of brave individuals fighting to make something right. That's from the movies.

He also talked, just before he died of the 200,000 Japanese landed on New Guinea with thirty days of rations. By the end of 90 days, my father had learned the meaning of the Japanese word for "dark meat" (Papua), and "white meat", him. Those were different days.

Good post. Now that you mention it when you read Bukowski or Herbert Selby Jr. it definitely presents a different picture of the good old days as well.

 

[Bluto]

In my personal anecdote above I made $17/hr pushing a button (17 years ago) and there was always spots open for overtime. Sundays were 2X pay. That position now pays only $10 to a person who can't work more than 39 hours/week and no benefits. No overtime.

Crazy. I made $10 an hour doing landscape work almost 20 years ago. That's still about what the wage scale is $10-15/ hour.

 

[GoIrish41]

Crazy. I made $10 an hour doing landscape work almost 20 years ago. That's still about what the wage scale is $10-15/ hour.

To make matters worse, what you could buy with your $10 twenty years ago is significantly different that what you could get today.

 

[Patulski]

Dare I say the richer you are the more opportunities you have as well?

Well, if you're talking Wall Street or banking, the richer you are the more you are immune from the vagaries of total loss that come from taking risks. If we lived in a free market society all of the banks would have failed in 2008, and that would have meant that people with more than $250,000.00 deposited in US banks would have only been insured up to that amount. Every other bit of their monetary wealth would have been wiped out. Instead, the Federal Reserve initially gave the banks $7.7 trillion to cover their losses from their reckless bets to keep their doors open, and has been buying toxic and other financial assets from commercial banks and other private institutions, increasing the monetary base of the banks. This not only kept the gravy train rolling for traders and executives, but also brought back the IRA's of the rest of us.

 

[Cackalacky]

To make matters worse, what you could buy with your $10 twenty years ago is significantly different that what you could get today.

Yep. What was gas then? $1-$1.50/gallon? Smokes were $1 where I lived. I saved enough money to pay for an entire year at college plus 9 months for apartment rent.

 

[Cackalacky]

Crazy. I made $10 an hour doing landscape work almost 20 years ago. That's still about what the wage scale is $10-15/ hour.

Unfortunately for working people that is the trend as long as I can remember. The pay has stayed the same for many sectors. Even yearly raises or promotions barely keep up with inflation.

 

[phork]

Where I live they are talking about not keeping score for any sports that kids 13 and under are involved in.

My football team 2 years ago went 4-4 and we got hammered by the best team in the league, they ran up the score. Every kid who came back that next year remembered how that felt and I never saw kids work harder.
We went 8-0 and won the championship. We also destroyed that other team (who happened to have 5 straight years of undefeated seasons).

 

[Jebediah Springfield]

Lol. Hire Mexican-Americans? Actually the crap is hitting the fan with a bunch of companies here in Cali now that construction is turning around and a large number of Mexicans have gone back to Mexico. Will be interesting to see if wages go up. From what I understand many landscape companies are having a hard time competing with vineyards who are paying up to $15 an hour.

I don't know how he sees MA's, I will ask him.

 

[Bluto]

I don't know how he sees MA's, I will ask him.

Cool. As an aside, most of the Mexican guys I worked with in the past would give me a hard time and say stuff like "you sure you're Mexican?". That is until they saw me work my magic with a pick and a shovel. Then it was "Ohhh...you really are Mexican!". Haha.

 

[ACamp1900]

Cool. As an aside, most of the Mexican guys I worked with in the past would give me a hard time and say stuff like "you sure you're Mexican?". That is until they saw me work my magic with a pick and a shovel. Then it was "Ohhh...you really are Mexican!". Haha.

The only time I call my wife "Mexican" is when I'm mad at her....

 

[RDU Irish]

Some skepticism of this argument is warranted. Every generation has been the "Me" generation. The old have always complained about the young, and will likely continue to do so until the end of time.

That said, I can't help but feel like there's some merit to the argument, also. Neoliberalism started hollowing out our communities and undermining civil society long ago. What we're left with is a bunch of isolated individuals indulging in shallow consumerism.

Many of the examples of "what we've lost" in this thread have involved team sports, which is no coincidence. A successful team requires hard work, sacrifice, and putting the group before one's self. Those values are incomprehensible in a greed-drive consumerist culture.

So now people go the work in the morning already looking forward to instagramming their lunch and sharing it on Facebook (expressive consumerism at its finest). Starting a family is no longer a vocation, but merely one lifestyle choice among many. And the kids grow up to be just like their parents.

The trophies and snacks drive me nuts. Buy the kid a freaking hot dog at the end of the year and give them a high five but the need to commemorate your 5 year old soccer team that didn't even keep score is retarded. It diminishes every other trinket collected until their response is conditioned to always getting something for showing up and placing zero value on the trinket within three seconds of receiving it.

We don't participate in a lot of the lollipop sales and various gimme crap at school, and then someone else buys out kid the damn candy or a book b/c they feel bad for them or whatever. We then return the stuff and pay back the well intentioned twats and explain that WE DON'T NEED IT. Even when you try to instill in your kids the need to work for what they get the rest of the damn world goes around you to shove more useless garbage at the kid so they don't feel left out or whatever. As if waiting for Easter or Halloween to have some candy is going to irreparably damage the poor child's self esteem.