The problem with today's youth

[aimeeandbeatles]

No, but seriously. Can anyone show me some newspaper stories, or some writings, or reports or anything, that people of the day actually did write in or write about the terrible youths of the day?

Have fun!!

 

[Traitorfish]

LOL at OP. Kids were smoking back in my day too. Kids smoke cigarettes back in the 40's too. This is nothing new. I can care less if the kid kills himself with tobacco. It's when you have kids killing and raping I start to get concerned about society. Smoking is a non-issue for me.

If anything, kids smoke less today than they ever did previously. It's not as if it's considered "cool" or "rebellious" any more so much as it is "smelly" and "expensive".

 

[Agent327]

Smoking obviously is a dying habit. But don´t kid yourself: kids will smoke, because it is bad.

Yesterday, while volunteering at the library, there was a kid, who I assume to be around eight years old.

While organizing the books in the Graphic Novels section, I overheard the kid on the phone, possibly talking to an older sibling. Or maybe a parent (even though I seriously hope it was not a parent). The kid said he wanted cigarettes, and asked the person on the other end of the line to get him some.

After that, when organizing the books for small children section, I overheard the kid swearing at one of my teen-aged peers. The woman in charge of the youth section asked him to leave, and he did.

About ten or twenty minutes later, I saw him outside, smoking a cigarette.


I think this kid is a very good example of what today's youth behave like. That kid probably did not know the dangers of smoking, and I doubt it was his parents on the phone with him.

AFAIK there´s a warning on every tobacco package; unless this kid can´t read (only manages to find a library), he knows.

I think adults need to take more responsibility for their kids' actions, and prevent America from becoming a nation of troubled youth.

Some of my other peers thought I was overreacting when I was discussing the kid with them. They said it was none of my business. I think it is. I think with all the songs about sex and drugs, not to mention internet pornography, as well as sexual television shows, kids are growing up too fast in terms of their physical actions.

Another example is a kindergarten boy I met in 6th grade. The boy talked about sex, even though he thought sex meant kissing. Whether he knew what it meant or not, kids that young should not even know the word sex, aside from the definition of sex as gender. That boy also willingly kissed other girls frequently, and he told dirty jokes and swore constantly.

I reiterate- today's youth is growing up too fast as far as sex and adult habits such as drinking, smoking, and drugs.

So, discuss. Do you think today's youth is too free to learn about adult topics and activities? Or should they learn faster, for whatever reason you have to justify that?

From experiences with 2 kids you draw conclusions about today´s youth; that´s hardly recommendable. That apart, you seem to be unaware of the lowering of the age of sexual activity in recent years. The way kids today learn about sexuality is through their peers; saying that a kid shouldn´t know the word sex is like saying boys shouldn´t know girls. The fact is kids do know about sex, but they probably know too little because education and parents aren´t ready for teaching kids about what they should know.

As a final note: every generation thinks there´s a "problem with today´s youth"; it´s nothing new.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

(I dont know what an aenoid is)

 

[Traitorfish]

Smoking obviously is a dying habit. But don´t kid yourself: kids will smoke, because it is bad.

That's the thing, though, I think it's widely considered less that kind of "bad", and more just a bit sad and smelly. The only ones who ever did it very much when I was at school were the neds, and they were almost defined by the disdain everybody else held them in. Most folk just drank and smoked pot if they wanted to "bad"; stuff that was actually fun, and didn't just leave stains on your teeth.

Of course, I'll admit that's all a bit second hand. I mostly just sat in my room and listened to Motörhead.

 

[Shaihulud]

The problems with todays kid is that they are too soft and not used to the harshness of life, they live a life thinking that the world owes them, that they have rights.

 

[ZeletDude]

This has reminded me of arguments I have with my parents..
They always say that my generation (I was born in 1995), bad at communicating as according to them we can't talk face to face and the majority of us ony text. (I text but I also talk in real life.. And on the phone..) I guess this is true for the majority of people, I mean I personally find texting much easier then the phone.. my parents also think my generation also thinks that we think were entitled to get what we want.(I guess this could be true?)...

 

[nonconformist]

Pfft, kids today are wimps cos of internet and computers.

Back in the day, you could actually get up to real trouble,.

 

[Agent327]

That's the thing, though, I think it's widely considered less that kind of "bad", and more just a bit sad and smelly. The only ones who ever did it very much when I was at school were the neds, and they were almost defined by the disdain everybody else held them in. Most folk just drank and smoked pot if they wanted to "bad"; stuff that was actually fun, and didn't just leave stains on your teeth.

Smoking ´pot´ is still smoking; I include that in ´bad´. (And don´t kid yourself: smoking marijuana habitually isn´t healthy either. Luckily, I haven´t heard anything about 6 year olds smokin´ pot... yet.)

 

[Tee Kay]

They should all be drafted! They'll learn some discipline!

 

[gangleri2001]

I'm 8 years old and what is this?

 

[Patroklos]

This is a video game site, most of its posters saying they knew what sex was at eight probably don't know what sex is now

 

[Flying Pig]

The problems with todays kid is that they are too soft and not used to the harshness of life, they live a life thinking that the world owes them, that they have rights.

You're seriously telling me that the 'I know my rights' barrack-room lawyer is a new construction?

 

[spryllino]

Yesterday, while volunteering at the library, there was a kid, who I assume to be around eight years old.

While organizing the books in the Graphic Novels section, I overheard the kid on the phone, possibly talking to an older sibling. Or maybe a parent (even though I seriously hope it was not a parent). The kid said he wanted cigarettes, and asked the person on the other end of the line to get him some.

[...]

I think this kid is a very good example of what today's youth behave like. That kid probably did not know the dangers of smoking, and I doubt it was his parents on the phone with him. I think adults need to take more responsibility for their kids' actions, and prevent America from becoming a nation of troubled youth.

Are you really so naive as to think that you can get to the age of eight without so much as an inkling that smoking is a bad idea?

 

[Earthling]

I'm 8 years old and what is this?

QFT. But also, I got reminded by a random sports blogger.

I could go with a different name for the current young generation (called "Millenials" and broken down at 2000 by the media, which as I said before I find silly). But anyway, the "Notre Dame sucks Generation" does have a nice ring to it, from the question young children ask their parents: "Daddy, why do show this Notre Dame team on TV? Did they use to be good?"

 

[Colonel]

Ahh how I miss the coal mines and going to school uphill both way in 10ft of snow... These damned kids today wanting everything handed to them on a silver platter.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

The kids today aren't even inferior quite like the older generations of kids today.

 

[Bartleby]

I have 8-year-olds-smoking on vinyl.

 

[Traitorfish]

Smoking ´pot´ is still smoking; I include that in ´bad´. (And don´t kid yourself: smoking marijuana habitually isn´t healthy either.

Well, yes, it's technically smoking, but they're generally considered distinct habits. It's not as if people nip out lunchtime for a pot break.

Luckily, I haven´t heard anything about 6 year olds smokin´ pot... yet.)

How about nine year olds?

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

Yesterday, while volunteering at the library, there was a kid, who I assume to be around eight years old.

While organizing the books in the Graphic Novels section, I overheard the kid on the phone, possibly talking to an older sibling. Or maybe a parent (even though I seriously hope it was not a parent). The kid said he wanted cigarettes, and asked the person on the other end of the line to get him some.

After that, when organizing the books for small children section, I overheard the kid swearing at one of my teen-aged peers. The woman in charge of the youth section asked him to leave, and he did.

About ten or twenty minutes later, I saw him outside, smoking a cigarette.

You are going to get your variety of kids that goes to a public library. I had a similar experience once where I was looking for a Max Weber book that I wanted to read again, and while I was in the "Humanity" section, a teenage girle (probably 13 or 14) asked me if she can bum me for a smoke - I casually said no, and ask her how did she know I smoke, and she replied "I saw you smoking one in your car at the parking lot" (quite observant!). After the exchanges, she abruptly said "" and all I did was laugh at her while seeing her storm away.

While reflexing on it, I am sure later on in that girl's life, she will find that she won't go far anywhere with that type of behavior if she does mature, and realize it. To think of it, I say kids today (the ones that act uncivil in public) slowly mature along with having recieved more mature contents that are easily accessible to them than it was once was when other people of older generation (that had acted quite similar) once were when they were kids. They do, however, simply can quickly see through an adult's eyes and ears from an early age, but yet can't cope on how to comprehend it; and, will, or perhaps not, eventually grow into a person who can act decent in public places.

It still rest on the individual. And I think the result is still the same on regarding kids today than kids of other past generation. Yes, they all live in different times, and all don't share what contents (culture) they have access to; but, they are still people that share the most common thing: that is that they all have different route, and different time period, on reaching an understanding of "growing up."