Tomorrow's generation. Guess, I just got old.

Derosa

Derosa

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I speak only for myself and ask for some thoughts. As a bit of a sidebar perspective, I am on the other side of collecting SS; my parents were reared in the Great Depression; Dad joined the Army the day after Pearl harbor and spent the next three years in North Africa, Great Britain, France and Germany; Mom worked in a pottery plant making plates, cups , saucers, etc. they put their collective life on hold for the greater good - rationing, little communications from loved ones or interactions from abroad, etc. Then came Uncles and family DRAFTED and then went to Korea, a brother and friends to 'Nam; and I waited to be drafted before graduation from HS. The point of all this is this story from a media outlet - Why teens may never be the same after the pandemic - CNN.

Really? Stress from a missed prom or graduation? From a few weeks of staying home? Yes, I know there are some really serious problems with the virus, but, come on, sacrifice is not a four letter word and it is not the first time in American history.

What am I not seeing? Let the opinions flow. There is no right or wrong, just, opinions. (If this is not the right forum, mods, please forgive and move a you see fit.)
Regards,
 
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Sadly I must agree. A generation who's biggest fear is their phone battery dying or someone saying something they don't like. Have you seen the parody vid of them when the escalator stops? Sums it up.
 
Tubbsy said:
Children are the product of parenting..... enough said...
Click to expand...

Maybe 50% are... Not too many teenagers readily admit that their parents know more than they do. Teenagers have a tendency to learn from each other because obviously no one else understands what they're going through. :rolleyes:
 
And for many of my/our generation, graduation was followed by that senior trip, Vietnam via Fort Polk, LA. or Paris Island. SC.

This year's seniors can still look forward to college if that is their plan.

Maybe they should actually study some American and World History so they can realize how fortunate they really are.
 
Many very good observations here. Having been in the classroom from 1983 to 2009, I had an excellent opportunity to observe the effect of both education and parenting that has led to the current generation of youngsters. Many of my students (who are the parents of the current generation of impressionable and manipulated students) were the children of parents that grew up in the sixties. In short, we are seeing the second generation of the anti-establishmentarians of the sixties. In many respects, a family line nurtured in a drug culture that challenged authoritarianism and distanced itself from responsibility. The current parents were not held accountable for their actions by their parents, and didn't have the exposure to responsibility to instill it in their children (the current crop of easily led bodies). What is missed is that the schools (not necessarily by choice of the entire teaching staff) diverted from teaching history and civics, developing a generation without direction. In many respects, we have two generations incapable of independent thinking.
 
There's a reason they were called the greatest generation. What they did, and how they did it, never ceases to amaze me. No generation in our lifetime will compare to the sacrifice and bravery they showed.

Korea, Nam, the 60's, civil rights, aids, 911, Iraq and Afghanistan...all watershed moments. Some more impactful than others....but all impactful nonetheless. Especially to the younger generation of the time.

Covid is the same in that respect. It will have a lasting impact on this younger generation. But not as that article points out, because of missed proms or social isolation for a few weeks. That's just short sighted and kind of dumb. But make no mistake Covid will impact this new generation. The how and how long remains to be seen.
 
I think this is just a piece of garbage writing. The author needed a dramatic story, and went fishing for expert opinions and to find enough teenager quotes to fill it. It is ridiculously hyperbolic, and veers into self-parody when he writes sentences like "Their identities are fracturing in isolation" or "Many of the pieces that once defined them are lost to the virus".

Of course there are going to be teens that don't handle this situation well; there are plenty of threads here showing that some adults don't either. But the level of drama that the article suggests is way over the top. Most high-schoolers won't be emotionally scarred for years, they'll likely just remember that they got out of school early.

We don't know yet just how this will all play out. But most of them will adapt and do fine, quite possibly better than the adults. And that may be contrary to what older folks who like to romanticize their own generation and complain about the younger ones want to believe.
 
I will try not to go too much into the bizarro world I get the pleasure of living in... but apparently it's a common thing now for anyone to have "PTSD" this can be over anything, it can be over things that never even happened, and you don't get to question them because you can't tell someone that they are over reacting because you don't know how they feel.

So, every little thing gives you PTSD to the point you can't function, and you expect the world to bend to your every unreasonable demand.

It's now a competition to see how many medications you can be on, how many mental health professionals you are seeing (psychiatrist, counselor, job counselor, physical therapist, primary care doctor). Get them to prescribe you a cane and use the Walmart scooter.

And articles like that just reinforce this behavior, the world is telling you that your life is ruined over this and now it's expected that you feel that way.
 
Tubbsy said:
Children are the product of parenting..... enough said...
Click to expand...
...and the schools ... and the culture ...and society ...and the internet ...and social media ...and...

Saying that any and every problem with the kids is a problem with their parenting is like assuming the kids and their parents are in some kind of vacuum.

It just ain't so...
 
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Being raised in the UK I never had an expectation of a prom and a big graduation ceremony, be it from elementary or high school. Things just didn't work that way. So, forgive my down to earth views on this subject, it could be I just don't understand...or maybe it means I understand all too well, you folks be the judge.

Here it seems that every little step at school is built up to be this massive thing worthy of huge amounts of anticipation. I learned at an early age that big anticipation can sometimes lead to crushing disappointment. Now we have the blanket "nobody fails" culture in our schools. How does any of this prepare kids for adversity of any kind?

Much of the CNN piece is hand-wringing hyperbole to me. Oddly enough we had a local PBS program on education and a video group chat with some high school students tonight. The question of prom and graduation came up and the answers were mixed. One of the girls was totally gutted, while the other was rather more meh about it. Both the guys were somewhat disappointed but said that all they could do now was concentrate on going to college. Nobody, including the moderator, said anything about the start of college possibly being delayed.
 
First I came to the realization that I was old. Then I had to come to grips with the concept of being obsolete. Recently I learned that I am non-essential.

Hopefully, this self-quarantine thing will keep me from becoming a burden. I don't think I could handle that load.

Sure, I'll have another beer! Thanks for asking.
 
Absalom said:
I think this is just a piece of garbage writing. The author needed a dramatic story, and went fishing for expert opinions and to find enough teenager quotes to fill it. It is ridiculously hyperbolic, and veers into self-parody when he writes sentences like "Their identities are fracturing in isolation" or "Many of the pieces that once defined them are lost to the virus".

Of course there are going to be teens that don't handle this situation well; there are plenty of threads here showing that some adults don't either. But the level of drama that the article suggests is way over the top. Most high-schoolers won't be emotionally scarred for years, they'll likely just remember that they got out of school early.

We don't know yet just how this will all play out. But most of them will adapt and do fine, quite possibly better than the adults. And that may be contrary to what older folks who like to romanticize their own generation and complain about the younger ones want to believe.
Click to expand...

Have to agree, the article is idiotic. They must have searched far and wide to find kids that are so brittle. Ours adapted to the present situation without drama.

Kids are very adaptable.
 
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