Today's generation is the best behaved on record

[brothern]

From Vox, the CDC released a massive report last week on the state of American's health.

Vox reported several of the declining indices for American teens. Not included in these graphs is an all-time low in teenage deaths/motor vehicle accidents (from 47.2 / 100K in 1970 to 16.6 in 2010), or even the amount of times that teenagers went to an emergency room within the last year.

 

[ttwtt78640]

29% of young adults meeting exercise guidlines is not great news when obesity in that age group is no where near histoirically the best.

http://cdn.missionreadiness.org/MR_Too_Fat_to_Fight-1.pdf

 

[Winchester]

Stigmas removed from getting contraceptives and safer cars.

 

[Philly Boss]

Interesting. The teen birthrate one is very interesting because its clear that through the 60s the rate was so high because so many women were married and pregnant befor 20. I think the drug use one is also interesting. It's good that cigarettes and coke use is down but I think what the chart shows is the previous generations drank and smoked weed in their teens and it was just a part of growing up. We take it way too seriously these days. You shouldn't drive intoxicated but other than that I don't think it's a big deal.

 

[Winchester]

Interesting. The teen birthrate one is very interesting because its clear that through the 60s the rate was so high because so many women were married and pregnant befor 20. I think the drug use one is also interesting. It's good that cigarettes and coke use is down but I think what the chart shows is the previous generations drank and smoked weed in their teens and it was just a part of growing up. We take it way too seriously these days. You shouldn't drive intoxicated but other than that I don't think it's a big deal.

We didn't have the video games now available, had to do something for fun.

 

[sangha]

29% of young adults meeting exercise guidlines is not great news

True, but it sure beats 18%

 

[ttwtt78640]

True, but it sure beats 18%

Better is not best. These charts use different age groups and over different time periods. Naturally, the good trends were selected to assert that better is, in fact, best (of that presented).

 

[Goshin]

You'd think the CDC would be a reliable source... but frankly I have trouble believing it.


Does "cocaine" include crack and meth? Meth is a big problem around here.


I have some trouble believing only 20% of HS Seniors are smoking weed too.... unless it goes up in the early 20s...


Does "teen birth rate" include those aborted? Doesn't sound like it.


A higher percent using birth control... well in a way that's good, but I don't know that it's THAT good or there would not be so many abortions annually...

 

[Gathomas88]

Interesting. The teen birthrate one is very interesting because its clear that through the 60s the rate was so high because so many women were married and pregnant befor 20. I think the drug use one is also interesting. It's good that cigarettes and coke use is down but I think what the chart shows is the previous generations drank and smoked weed in their teens and it was just a part of growing up. We take it way too seriously these days. You shouldn't drive intoxicated but other than that I don't think it's a big deal.

Frankly, I suspect college usage of illicit substances among the current generation probably more than makes up for the decline in high school usage anyway. :lol:

STD rates are trending upwards among twenty somethings as well.

 

[Arbo]

From Vox, the CDC released a massive report last week on the state of American's health.

So because cars are safer than ever, and birth control is actually pushed and the options are vast, overall 'behavior' is better? There's a serious logic jump in there.

 

[sangha]

Better is not best. These charts use different age groups and over different time periods. Naturally, the good trends were selected to assert that better is, in fact, best (of that presented).

Also, the OP refers to exercise, while the charts you linked to refer to weight

And no doubt, there are good points and bad.

 

[Goshin]

I know that presumably studies and figures are more accurate than anecdotes... but frankly based on what I see I just don't see that the current 16-22 generation is remotely 'the best behaved' overall.

 

[Philly Boss]

We didn't have the video games now available, had to do something for fun.

Like unprotected sex and watching the mtv? Who the **** told you gen xers it was ok to do blow?

 

[Goshin]

Frankly, I suspect college usage of illicit substances among the current generation probably more than makes up for the decline in high school usage anyway. :lol:

STD rates are trending upwards among twenty somethings as well.

Yeah, excluding the 18-22 crowd would certainly slant the data.

 

[sangha]

Frankly, I suspect college usage of illicit substances among the current generation probably more than makes up for the decline in high school usage anyway. :lol:

STD rates are trending upwards among twenty somethings as well.

Alcohol use seems to be going down

 

[Gathomas88]

Alcohol use seems to be going down

Interesting. I wonder how much of the decline since the 1980s is due to raising the drinking age to 21 in most of the country.

It was still 18 when my parents started college back in the day.

 

[AJiveMan]

Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus as role models. :roll:

 

[thinkforyoursel]

One of the biggest problem facing today's youth is ....white males over 55.

If these people were silenced ....today's youth would be much better off.

 

[lizzie]

One of the biggest problem facing today's youth is ....white males over 55.

If these people were silenced ....today's youth would be much better off.

By what method do you propose that they should be silenced? Seeing someone actually come out and state that so bluntly, is a bit disturbing.

 

[Goshin]

By what method do you propose that they should be silenced? Seeing someone actually come out and state that so bluntly, is a bit disturbing.

No kidding. Age-ism at its slimiest.


Tempted to say "guess what my good youth? If you've lucky and live long enough, you'll be old one day too!" :roll:

 

[lizzie]

No kidding. Age-ism at its slimiest.


Tempted to say "guess what my good youth? If you've lucky and live long enough, you'll be old one day too!" :roll:

Yeah, imo, that kind of blows the idea that today's youth are "the best behaved" out of the water. Or maybe they are well-behaved but hateful. Give me a misbehaved kid who is loving, over a well-behaved hateful one, any day of the week.

 

[AJiveMan]

One of the biggest problem facing today's youth is ....white males over 55.

If these people were silenced ....today's youth would be much better off.

I always love All In The Family, every time Archie opened his bigoted mouth, Edith would just roll her eyes and not say much because Archie was supposed to the the man of the house. :roll:

IMO, your white males over 55 thing doesn't hold water, the white males (father figures) and mothers over 55 should be monitoring what their children watch on television and watch over their internet activity. It's part of being a responsible parent.

 

[Winchester]

I always love All In The Family, every time Archie opened his bigoted mouth, Edith would just roll her eyes and not say much because Archie was supposed to the the man of the house. :roll:

IMO, your white males over 55 thing doesn't hold water, the white males (father figures) and mothers over 55 should be monitoring what their children watch on television and watch over their internet activity. It's part of being a responsible parent.

Hopefully the kids are out of the house by the time one turns 55. :2razz:

 

[AJiveMan]

Hopefully the kids are out of the house by the time one turns 55. :2razz:

Some never leave their sanctuary, my sis in law is 49 y.o., still living with mama who is now 80, she never left the nest, never really paid rent, mortgage, electric, etc.. and now orders mama around like a first lieutenant.

 

[Arbo]

One of the biggest problem facing today's youth is ....white males over 55.

I remember a time in history when people said something similar, just change out the 'white males over 55' part to something else. And their thinking killed millions of people. Great job, good to know where exactly you stand with history.