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baddog · 08-20-2007, 04:49 PM

I had an epiphany the other night.

I was visiting one of my girlfriends and somehow we got on the topic of today's youth (18-25). As she works with job placement, she has gained a lot of insight to the supposed right of entitlement that kids these days think they have.

She mentioned how when she was in college (she's 33) it was not unusual for students to take some time off, and go backpack through Europe, with the opportunity to actually interact with others. This could take place on the flight over, riding the rails, etc, etc. Today, people plug in their iPods and don't even talk to the person sitting next to them.

She blames a lot of this on TV and the Internet, in that parents use these tools as babysitters. Instead of going out to play with the neighbors, kids are playing with their XBox, or in some Yahoo chatroom. This has resulted in a generation of people that have very little in the way of life experience, and social interaction beyond the online forum.

So many people come to her looking for $75k a year, with no skills beyond knowing how to use MS Paint and perhaps a little html. They expect that the Internet is there, and since they have been using it since they were 8, there is no logical reason why they should not be successful at it.

I jokingly mentioned that I have spent the last 10 years pretty much tethered to my pc, so what makes me any different? Her response, "life experience."

Then it dawned on me, that is part of SonOfSam's problem. He thinks that since he moved out at 16 that he has seen it all. If he hasn't done it, it hasn't been done. Fact is, at 20/21 most of us thought we knew it all. Reality is, as we grow older we only learn how wrong we were, and how much smarter our parents have become as we grow older.

I did mention to her that there was a gnat on GFY that fit the description she had laid out, as she told me the problem most likely that this gnat probably had a lousy relationship with his parents, and that he perceives me as an authority figure . . . . so naturally, he has to rebel.

Well, SOS, I am not your dad, and I would probably hang myself if I were from the disappointment in raising a son like you. You should not mope around too much that you failed at your Internet endeavors, not everyone can succeed and there are lots of other opportunities out there, so don't dispair.

Step outside, and find out that there is a life beyond your room. You have a lot to learn and live, and (if you live long enough) you will look back and realize just how clueless you really were.

Oh, and "Julia Blue" says hi.

08-20-2007, 04:49 PM
baddog So Fucking Banned Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: the beach, SoCal Posts: 107,089	My apology to SonOfSam . . . and a pic I had an epiphany the other night. I was visiting one of my girlfriends and somehow we got on the topic of today's youth (18-25). As she works with job placement, she has gained a lot of insight to the supposed right of entitlement that kids these days think they have. She mentioned how when she was in college (she's 33) it was not unusual for students to take some time off, and go backpack through Europe, with the opportunity to actually interact with others. This could take place on the flight over, riding the rails, etc, etc. Today, people plug in their iPods and don't even talk to the person sitting next to them. She blames a lot of this on TV and the Internet, in that parents use these tools as babysitters. Instead of going out to play with the neighbors, kids are playing with their XBox, or in some Yahoo chatroom. This has resulted in a generation of people that have very little in the way of life experience, and social interaction beyond the online forum. So many people come to her looking for $75k a year, with no skills beyond knowing how to use MS Paint and perhaps a little html. They expect that the Internet is there, and since they have been using it since they were 8, there is no logical reason why they should not be successful at it. I jokingly mentioned that I have spent the last 10 years pretty much tethered to my pc, so what makes me any different? Her response, "life experience." Then it dawned on me, that is part of SonOfSam's problem. He thinks that since he moved out at 16 that he has seen it all. If he hasn't done it, it hasn't been done. Fact is, at 20/21 most of us thought we knew it all. Reality is, as we grow older we only learn how wrong we were, and how much smarter our parents have become as we grow older. I did mention to her that there was a gnat on GFY that fit the description she had laid out, as she told me the problem most likely that this gnat probably had a lousy relationship with his parents, and that he perceives me as an authority figure . . . . so naturally, he has to rebel. Well, SOS, I am not your dad, and I would probably hang myself if I were from the disappointment in raising a son like you. You should not mope around too much that you failed at your Internet endeavors, not everyone can succeed and there are lots of other opportunities out there, so don't dispair. Step outside, and find out that there is a life beyond your room. You have a lot to learn and live, and (if you live long enough) you will look back and realize just how clueless you really were. Oh, and "Julia Blue" says hi.