(06-15-2013 03:05 PM)CardinalJim Wrote: I can see this happening. The younger generations are getting softer and softer. If today's 18-24 year olds would have had to fight WWII, we would be speaking German or Japanese. Young men today are wimps. It is a result of the emasculation of American Male. If you are an American Male under the age of 40, chances are you have been pussified and you don't even know it. No discipline anymore, no respect for authority. When Fathers stopped putting foot to a$$, rather when Mothers insisted Fathers stopped putting foot to a$$, kids got fat and lazy.
We have raised a Nation of fat, lazy, undisciplined free loaders. I can see football ending because of it.
CJ
Every single generation since the dawn of civilization has said the exact same thing. Consider that 30% of 18-year-old American males were rejected from the army during World War Two for a lack of physical fitness, and they were pretty much taking everyone. I highly recommend reading "
The Soft American," an SI article from 1960 written by President Kennedy.
I'm 30 and in my experience, my generation is every bit as hardworking as the older ones. Baby boomers accuse us of having a "lack of commitment to our job," but this is a misperception: The job market turns over faster now, as skills become more obsolete, and companies no longer have a commitment to workers. Why should workers commit to a company that can't commit to them? Why should we invest 100% of our effort in acquiring arcane skills that will be obsolete in 5-10 years?
Also, consider that we are expected to do WAY more of our own work than past generations. There are no secretaries, and personal items like insurance and investing for retirement are way more complicated than they used to be. We have to invest more in a wider and more durable skillset than previous generations, and we have to be committed to ourselves to avoid being screwed over because there is no "company man" looking out for us.
This generation also has many strengths over previous generations:
1) working with people of a different gender, race, or religion isn't even remotely an issue.
2) We are less materialistic than previous generations. This is why you see countless articles about younger people not buying luxury cars and dropping cable.
3) There is more of a desire to contribute to the
public good rather than the
private good. Although this may be a "stage of life" thing, my parents tell me that hippies and their allies were only 10-20% of their generation, and I see this trait in 70-80% of gen Y and millenials.
4) We are more flexible in our careers. Although this is out of necessity, as noted above, so this really shouldn't count as a "strength."
(06-15-2013 03:55 PM)CardinalJim Wrote: (06-15-2013 03:40 PM)Knightsweat Wrote: Completely agree. Although I'm not sure it's any worse than people who use the TV as a babysitter. At least on a computer they're exercising hand eye coordination and problelm solving skills. The lack of social interaction, due to video gaming, is the true hole in these kids personalities, IMO.
Isn't that the truth. I once caught my teenage son texting with his friend that was sitting in the same room. He explained that it was easier then talking. I too am concerned about the younger generations intra-personal skills.
CJ
This is a legit concern. I think the lowering of communication skills is also part of what is polarizing the political spectrum: lower levels of reading comprehension are making people less able to see the other point of view.