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No Respect for the Younger Generation

liberal1

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Each day teenagers are pounded into them how useless, lazy, and ignorant they are. Our entire focus is trying to fix what's wrong with the new generation that values virtual "gaming" more than reality. Now, I am not trying to dismiss the reports of rising obesity and all the rest, but I do wish someone could lay off for a little bit. Instead of focusing on achievers, hard workers, kids who try their best everyday, society clumps every single teenager into a cluter and claims them ignorant, vile, sexually perverted beings who violate the good family Christian beliefs (whatever those are?). I did the one thing I hate to do which is not pose a question at the end, but sinceI'm an ignorant, self absorbed teenager and your (probably) a wise, selfless adult, I am sure you can post an opinion to this post.
 
Just existing does not merit respect. It is something that must be earned.
Demanding it won't work. You can earn your respect by rising above the stereotype that many have of your generation.
I expect you will, but it isn't likely to happen overnight.
 
Just existing does not merit respect. It is something that must be earned.

Then why do I have to respect my elders? Because all I see is ya'll leading the world to hell in a handbasket.
In my view respect is deserved untill you do something to lose it. Respect is the default position (on the day to day level, not like at a skilled job or on a sports team), not a condition you work for. Its about maintaining respect, not earning it.
 
OdgenTugbyGlub said:
Then why do I have to respect my elders? Because all I see is ya'll leading the world to hell in a handbasket.
In my view respect is deserved untill you do something to lose it. Respect is the default position (on the day to day level, not like at a skilled job or on a sports team), not a condition you work for. Its about maintaining respect, not earning it.
Go back and read your initial post. You are making unfounded assumptions about the older generation based on the acts of a few. When we older ones do it to you, it ain't fair. But you get to do it? You don't have to respect all your elders, as some do not deserve it.
There is no default position for either age. Those who do nothing but grow up, consume resources, and then die, do not deserve respect from others. Mere animals can do that. It is those who leave the world a better place than they found it that deserve respect. Which of the 2 that I just mentioned will be your goal in life?
 
Go back and read your initial post. You are making unfounded assumptions about the older generation based on the acts of a few. When we older ones do it to you, it ain't fair. But you get to do it?
Tounge where? Oh, thats right, in the cheek. Sorry if you don't like my young whipper snapper sarcasm. ;)

There is no default position for either age. Those who do nothing but grow up, consume resources, and then die, do not deserve respect from others. Mere animals can do that. It is those who leave the world a better place than they found it that deserve respect. Which of the 2 that I just mentioned will be your goal in life?

Well now pad'ner, thats a mighty deep thought, but let me ask you something, wouldnt saying that "Just existing does not merit respect. It is something that must be earned" put the default respect level at zero? Now let me ask you another thing, whose definition of better are you using? Thats a mighty subjective term there. Besides, according to this thought, I would have to be dead before you respect me, and I don't plan on waiting that long for a little respect. Do you? I guess no one really gets any respect in the end then right?
 
OdgenTugbyGlub said:
Tounge where? Oh, thats right, in the cheek. Sorry if you don't like my young whipper snapper sarcasm. ;)
Well now pad'ner, thats a mighty deep thought, but let me ask you something, wouldnt saying that "Just existing does not merit respect. It is something that must be earned" put the default respect level at zero? Now let me ask you another thing, whose definition of better are you using? Thats a mighty subjective term there. Besides, according to this thought, I would have to be dead before you respect me, and I don't plan on waiting that long for a little respect. Do you? I guess no one really gets any respect in the end then right?
You are confusing respect with courtesy, or civility. We all deserve courtesy, and should act with civility to one another.
If you are too young to know someone who is making the world a better place, then you may not be able to understand what I am saying. And if you are using sarcasm, explain why you are doing so.
Just being a better parent than my own is something I have done. Not bragging, and not likely to merit a page in a history book, but my kids should respect me for what I have done for them. I suppose I could have kicked them out at age 17 like my parents did. But that would have been selfish, like expecting respect for being exactly as bad, or the same, as my parents.
 
You are confusing respect with courtesy, or civility. We all deserve courtesy, and should act with civility to one another.


Courtesy and civility are born out of a respect for others, a respect for their right to be treated with civility and courtesy. You have to have respect on some level for them for you to be civil and courteous to them.


If you are too young to know someone who is making the world a better place, then you may not be able to understand what I am saying.

I am young enough not to be set in my views or better and worse, and old enough to know that my current views may or may not be right. Don't lord your age over me, I know what I would consider a better world, but I also know that about 50% of the people within ten miles of me would completely disagree with me. Better is a subjective term not an objective term.

And if you are using sarcasm, explain why you are doing so.

Sarcasm needs no explanation. It exists solely for the user and his friends amusment.

Just being a better parent than my own is something I have done. Not bragging, and not likely to merit a page in a history book, but my kids should respect me for what I have done for them. I suppose I could have kicked them out at age 17 like my parents did. But that would have been selfish, like expecting respect for being exactly as bad, or the same, as my parents.

Congrats, but do you expect them to have to recognize what you've done for them to respect you? I bet you expect them to show you respect even when you do things that they dont see as in their best interest, but you know are. In your view, you aren't making their world better, and thus you dont deserve their respect. (hypothetical situation, I'm not calling you a bad parent or making a slight on your kids.)
 
OdgenTugbyGlub said:
Courtesy and civility are born out of a respect for others, a respect for their right to be treated with civility and courtesy. (1) You have to have respect on some level for them for you to be civil and courteous to them.




I am young enough not to be set in my views or better and worse, and old enough to know that my current views may or may not be right. (2) Don't lord your age over me, I know what I would consider a better world, but I also know that about 50% of the people within ten miles of me would completely disagree with me. Better is a subjective term not an objective term.



Sarcasm needs no explanation. It exists solely for the user and his friends amusment.



Congrats, but do you expect them to have to recognize what you've done for them to respect you? I bet you expect them to show you respect even when you do things that they dont see as in their best interest, but you know are. (3) In your view, you aren't making their world better, and thus you dont deserve their respect. (hypothetical situation, I'm not calling you a bad parent or making a slight on your kids.)
1. Courtesy and civility should be a given in any polite society, no need for respect as a requirement up front. I am certainly not going to show respect for criminals, child molestors, etc. by default, or just because they started out as humans. It is what you do in life that garners respect.
I realize that with the term "dissing" coming into use that the younger generation may have an entirely different view of respect than the older generations before them.
2. If you think I am "lording" my age over you, you have a chip on your shoulder. Did you come here to debate the question/issue, or just pick a fight?
3. I have made their world better than what I had, at some sacrifice to me, they know it, and they appreciate it. That is respect. And sometimes they have even been uncivil and discourteous, but in a joking manner. I give to them more than they give back in that vein as well. My once skinny son will never make fun of my pot belly again, now that his is bigger than mine. I was able to point out to him that I didn't get mine til I was over 40, he got his before turning 30.:lol:

The question remains, what will you do to be deserving of respect? Or, if you like, to maintain the current level of respect that you deserve?
 
Perhaps if the younger generation showed some respect for the older generation, they would be respected too. You harvest what you seed.
 
Old and wise said:
Perhaps if the younger generation showed some respect for the older generation, they would be respected too. You harvest what you seed.
There was a joke going around, about a young man bragging about all the modern items his generation has compared to what the older man's generation had, insinuating that the older generation was no longer relevant.
Then the older man reminded the young man just who it was that invented most of the technology that the current generation enjoys....
It is up to the newer generations to build upon what came before, not just enjoy the fruits of the prior generation's accomplishments.:2wave:
 
I give a measure of respect to every human I meet....and it is either increased or diminished by the actions they use. Slamming my Grandfather, is a great way to diminish it.
 
I, too, show respect at the outset until it's shown one doesn't really deserve it.
Every generation of teens thinks it is not getting the respect they think they deserve. But, in working with teens and having gone to school as an older adult surrounded by under-20's, I can honestly say that some (not all) truly aren't worth much respect. Rude, crude, devoid of basic manners, destructive and careless with other's property (come on, do you really have to walk down a hallway banging on every locker, shouting obscene rap lyrics?)
are surefire ways to not be treated as the adult you portend to be.
Short story: In the school where I worked, staff had 'miscellaneous duties' and mine was in the cafeteria. I had many 'daughters' in the school and one, standing in line to get her lunch, corrected my calling her a girl by saying, 'I am a WOMAN, Mrs. R!'(she was 13). I proceeded to ask her:' Oh? Who'd you vote for last election? Where ya working now? How many kids you have? Taking care of your bills ok?' The rest of the kids around us broke up into uncontrollable laughter and she shrunk to about 3 inches tall. Not my intention to totally embarrass her, but rather bring up a point(which she got)-you earn certain respects and titles through living, not by age. Respect as another human being is automatic and can wane or increase as your actions dictate. Respect just because you demand it is not automatic and will probably NOT increase much as a result.
 
1. Courtesy and civility should be a given in any polite society, no need for respect as a requirement up front. I am certainly not going to show respect for criminals, child molestors, etc. by default, or just because they started out as humans. It is what you do in life that garners respect.

I dont show respect for hard criminals or child molesters either because they have done something that throws my obligation of respect out the window, i dont have to be present at the time of the act or on the recieving end of the act for them to forfit my respect. You dont seem to be arguing against me here man.

2. If you think I am "lording" my age over you, you have a chip on your shoulder. Did you come here to debate the question/issue, or just pick a fight?

You said: "If you are too young to know someone who is making the world a better place, then you may not be able to understand what I am saying."
That would be lording your age over me because, obviously, I am too young to understand your arguement. I didn't come to pick a fight but I'm a confrontational person by nature so I'm sorry if all this is coming across as personal because it's not.

The question remains, what will you do to be deserving of respect? Or, if you like, to maintain the current level of respect that you deserve?

I'll do what I will in this life, right or wrong, for better or worse because as I said everyone has different ideas of what thes concepts are. Ill follow my own moral compass and in then end someone other than me will take the measure of my life. (Jesus, buddha, Allah, an intangible force, other people, whoever you prefer). The thing is I dont really care because I'll be dead.
 
ngdawg said:
I, too, show respect at the outset until it's shown one doesn't really deserve it.
Every generation of teens thinks it is not getting the respect they think they deserve. But, in working with teens and having gone to school as an older adult surrounded by under-20's, I can honestly say that some (not all) truly aren't worth much respect. Rude, crude, devoid of basic manners, destructive and careless with other's property (come on, do you really have to walk down a hallway banging on every locker, shouting obscene rap lyrics?)
are surefire ways to not be treated as the adult you portend to be.
Short story: In the school where I worked, staff had 'miscellaneous duties' and mine was in the cafeteria. I had many 'daughters' in the school and one, standing in line to get her lunch, corrected my calling her a girl by saying, 'I am a WOMAN, Mrs. R!'(she was 13). I proceeded to ask her:' Oh? Who'd you vote for last election? Where ya working now? How many kids you have? Taking care of your bills ok?' The rest of the kids around us broke up into uncontrollable laughter and she shrunk to about 3 inches tall. Not my intention to totally embarrass her, but rather bring up a point(which she got)-you earn certain respects and titles through living, not by age. Respect as another human being is automatic and can wane or increase as your actions dictate. Respect just because you demand it is not automatic and will probably NOT increase much as a result.

It sounds as though her parent has already been according that girl more respect than she deserves. Some discipline would have been more useful. I would see those shows, like "Maury", where the drill seargent comes out and yells at these juvenile delinquents and generally scares the begeesus out of them for a few minutes. And that is supposed to accomplish what? Humiliation? Wow, I'll bet that works wonders :roll:

I feel for anyone that is charged with handling these little ingrates at a time when anything you do to them can get you fired, prosecuted, and filed suit against. And lord knows, the parent should have had a little more respect for herself than to raise a child that way, then expect everyone else to have to deal with it. Any mother that takes a child to a tv show to have the child screamed at should be investigated by CPS. Or sends a child to school with the kind of attitude you had to deal with, for that matter. Poor kids.
 
There's a saying carved over the door of the library at my school:

"Who knows only his own generation remains always a child"

Felt it was relevant somehow...respect and all that malarky.
 
Looks can certainly be deceiving when it comes to the younger set. There used to be a family across the street from me that covered 4 of 5 generations, great-grandparents, grandparents, and grandkids and one great grandchild. They went from as young as 1 to up in the mid 80's. The grandkids, 2 girls and one boy, were into tatoos, body piercings, single motherhood, and a lesbian relationship. I would call them hillbillies, but there are few hills in Louisiana where they came from.
I got to know the grandkids, all were pleasant, well mannered, etc. even if they did look like beings from another planet. I helped the boy fix his car, he helped me fix mine. Courtesy and civility came first, respect followed. The girl with the kid was taking responsibility for her child, the other girl kept her lesbianism at a low profile so as to not upset the elders, and so on.
The thing that allowed this is that there was no hostile attitude present from anyone about the generational differences. Had that been present, the whole situation would have been different. Anyone who comes off as an old grouch, or an angry young punk is being disrespectful from the start.
And if you read the first post, it sure sounds like there is some anger there.:(
 
Sheesh...talk about missing the point....She was insinuating to me that she should not be called a child, but in doing so just proved she was.
As one my 'daughters' in the school (probably about 15-20 girls), she normally paid me some respect and the reasons they did was because they knew I would always be upfront, not take their bull, but treat them as they deserved to be, sometimes respectively, sometimes a bit not.
You reap what you sow and they figured that out with me pretty quick to the point of, when my contract was not renewed, they sent letters and petitions of protest to keep me on, and parents thanked me at graduation for all I'd done for their kids. What was my position? Teacher's Aide.....
It's not only what you do, it's how you do it that warrants respect and that comes no matter what your age.
 
Old and wise said:
Perhaps if the younger generation showed some respect for the older generation, they would be respected too. You harvest what you seed.

Since I am hitting middle age, do I have to respect either of you?
 
galenrox said:
Well you have to keep in mind that he's 14. When you're 14 you're angry, and although they typically lack wisdom, a lot of them know a lot and understand a lot more than they're given credit for.
When I was 14 I was really angry too, I bet you were too. But they can't learn anything if they're being patronized all of the time. If you talk to them like adults, hold them to the same standards as adults, and expect them to act like adults they will become adults, if they're treated like stupid little kids all of the time, they'll never learn how to not be a stupid little kid.
Think about it like learning a new language. You can pick up on it by being taught it, but you never really learn it well until you spend some time immersed in it, living in the country or whatever.

It isn't difficult at all for me to understand a 14 year old kid, as my wife teaches them and has stories quite often about them. She usually gets along with them better than most other teachers, but every few years or so she gets one that needs his ass whipped by his daddy, but usually mommy won't let daddy do what needs to be done.
Most of them are not being patronized all the time, and they are being treated like young adults, and they are fine with that. It is the few that want to be brats that make a teacher's work day miserable. Those few need to be booted out of school until they learn to behave themselves at school.
One mom asked her, "did you ever have a child like mine?" My wife said, "no, bit if I did, his dad and I would have taken care of the situation as soon as the first opportunity presented itself".
But like I tried to say earlier, there is an entirely different view of what respect is among the younger generation. Too many of them think that they deserve something that they do not want to earn, and are not willing to give in return even if they do get it.
A quote from someone,
"That which is achieved too easily, is esteemed too lightly"
Respect that is earned has more value than respect that is handed out like welfare.:cool:
 
Just existing does not merit respect. It is something that must be earned.
Demanding it won't work. You can earn your respect by rising above the stereotype that many have of your generation.
I expect you will, but it isn't likely to happen overnight.
However stereo-typing is not only inefficient, but immoral.
 
galenrox said:
Yeah, but dude, think about it this way.
Kids are doing things that need to be done responsibly (sex, drugs, alcahol, etc.) younger and younger, while doing actual responsible things (getting married, starting a family, getting a real steady job, etc.) older and older. What this shows is that generation to generation we are we are becoming less and less mature. Now what makes someone mature? Life experience, screwing up, facing the consequences, learning to take accountability, and those things are hindered by people not getting treated as adults at older and older ages. Like, I'm 21, and it would be considered really weird if I was engaged or married, like out of the people I met in high school only 2 are getting married. My grandpa married his first wife when he was 20, and it was considered 100% normal. Now I'm not saying that not getting married young is a bad thing, but it just shows how we as a generation are immature. And a large part of that comes from the seniors treating us like children older and older, instead of treating us like adults.

I somewhat disagree, I would venture to say that if drugs and such were as equally available to past generation, we would have the same problem with drugs, but thats just my opinion. And as far as sex, wasn't the 70s known as the sexual revolution. Every new generation has its problems, that is not saying the generation is worse than the last, it is just that a new generation is full of teenagers and young adults, who naturally make mistakes because we are learning about life and how we want to go about it.

It seems to me that with every new generation, the older generation woes the world, and it is somewhat understandable. The newer generation is going to do things differently than the older generation, always has, always will. Since everybody naturally thinks that they are right, each generation is going to have a problem when another generation of ideas come along, because it is not "their" way. When my generation gets older, we will talk about the next generation, and so forth.

Oh crap, I forgot to say what I disagree with, we aren't getting married older and starting a family because there are more individual activities available to more people, more people go to college than before. Our generation wants to fulfill its own personal dreams before we 'settle down', and since life span increases, we can do that. I wouldn't deem that irresponsible just a different focus of values.
 
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UtahBill said:
It isn't difficult at all for me to understand a 14 year old kid, as my wife teaches them and has stories quite often about them. She usually gets along with them better than most other teachers, but every few years or so she gets one that needs his ass whipped by his daddy, but usually mommy won't let daddy do what needs to be done.
Most of them are not being patronized all the time, and they are being treated like young adults, and they are fine with that. It is the few that want to be brats that make a teacher's work day miserable. Those few need to be booted out of school until they learn to behave themselves at school.
One mom asked her, "did you ever have a child like mine?" My wife said, "no, bit if I did, his dad and I would have taken care of the situation as soon as the first opportunity presented itself".
But like I tried to say earlier, there is an entirely different view of what respect is among the younger generation. Too many of them think that they deserve something that they do not want to earn, and are not willing to give in return even if they do get it.
A quote from someone,
"That which is achieved too easily, is esteemed too lightly"
Respect that is earned has more value than respect that is handed out like welfare.:cool:

I agree, my parents believed in strict punishment, but not at 14, thats a little late to start spanking them. However, it is because my parents disciplined me. For the 25 year old brat, I blame them, but for the 14 year old brat, I blame the parents (who came from the previous generation mind you). The bratty attitude you experienced (as it is becoming more common) is not the fault of the younger generation, but of the past generation that raised allowed them to become bratty. Still, I think most people eventually grow out of it.
 
Well considering I ma not far from my teenage years repect much like trust is earned not given. Especially if you are a liberal it will be much harder for you to attain. Good luck:2wave:
 
SKILMATIC said:
Well considering I ma not far from my teenage years repect much like trust is earned not given. Especially if you are a liberal it will be much harder for you to attain. Good luck:2wave:

Leave it to a CON to try and turn a discussion about the respect issues youth face into a partisan mudslinging contest. Typical.
 
HTColeman said:
it is just that a new generation is full of teenagers and young adults...
:D
SKILMATIC said:
Well considering I ma not far from my teenage years repect much like trust is earned not given.
The point is that older people are expected to be respected whether they earn it or not, merely because of the fact that they are older. I don't want built in respect, I just want to be treated as a normal person (as opposed to the messed up trouble maker stereotype that nearly all teens are given).
 
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