And another generation of losers just bite the dust!!

I was working with this 16 year old dude the other day... He was trying to tell me how school just wasn't for him and bragging about how much he smokes.

I tried explaining to him how the best thing he could do is go back to school, quit smoking erb and just work on getting onto a few of them little honey's well concentrating on getting good grades... Its the best and most easiest time of your life, why would you just waste it on smokin lunz?

He helped me cart a few sheets of plaster up the stairs, which completely screwed him. I told him that a lot of people have to do this crap for 40 years straight, because they just played the clown at your age and refused to take the easy road.

He's a lost cause though... After I left he apparently just started flipping out and lost his s# for being criticized for slacking off... He could have just busted a sweat and earned some good money. But instead he decided he was a victim for refusing to go to school and then wanting to just sit around giggling at his phone when someone else was nice enough to offer him another chance.

'Junkie loser in the making'... What is it with some kids? Its like there just destined to fail from the beginning.

It really frustrates me! Cause even though I always respected my elders and never scorned hard work at his age, the dude kinda reminds me of me at his age... I feel like slapping him behind the ears and just saying, don't you realize how miserable you'll be at my age for just wasting the best (and easiest) years of your life.

But truth be told, there's nothing you can say... All you can do is just sit back and watch the train wreck of a grown man that they become.

It's kinda sad really.

Because just like a lot of us....

He has to learn the hard way. He has to see for himself how hard life can screw him before he gets it.

The message isn't new. My daughter just turned 18. She will graduate this year. I did not graduate and neither did her father. I am more proud than I can say but I can also say that there are still some things she has to learn the hard way as well. Just like so many people from so many generations before this one. My parents tried to tell me. My husband's parents tried to tell him... I'd bet folks told you too....

It's basically SSDD syndrome only it spans generations.

Some of us eventually grow out of it and some of us don't but I agree... It is beyond frustrating when they just won't listen or when they just don't get it.

You did what you could. Hopefully one day he will wake up and realize you were right. It's not too late until it's too late.

The way I look at it is that there are varying mentalities in all ages. I once watched a 80 year old man, who was wearing a backwards cap, and dressed kind of 'douchey', go up to a random overweight person and puff up his cheeks and widen his arms to make fun of their weight, then just walk away laughing by himself. So I wouldn't go so far as to say a full 'generation', in regards to behavior in this way.

I would say that the new generation may be at a severe risk in some areas because they are conditioned to believe there is no losing, and everything is fair, and you can't get a 0%, and everyone gets a participation award. This type of condition seems extremely dangerous, because when someone does fail, and they will, eventually, the impact is going to be massive, and potentially detrimental. Again, though, it's isolated to individuals, not an entire generation.

On the other hand, I don't really think our system we have (in north america at least) is very great at all. Go to school for a long time, accumulate a bunch of debt (statistically true), probably don't get a job that's pays very well, and even if you do get a decent job, you're still going to work your but off (statistically) 5+ days a week for years upon years until you can retire at an age where you're becoming too frail to really do much with your life.

There are of course exceptions to this system, such as people who are great at saving, born into wealth, taught to be happy with what you have (and have little interesting in all the big, unnecessary toys), are excessively healthy, so on and so forth.

So I don't really feel that him fitting into the system is necessarily correct, but from what you've described him as, he certainly needs to at least be aware of what could potentially be ahead of him.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

It likely comes back to his parents. We are witnessing the generation that has been raised from the womb with an ipad infront of them for pacification. The parents are lazy in the face of technology and life lessons are skipped over while their child is babysat by a movie.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

Smoking weed at 16 and being lazy isn't the end of the world. He's got plenty of time to change.

I know a few people who were getting stoned at 16 and screwed around for a few years. With one exception, they've all got good jobs or professional careers now.

Totally agree with your feelings of wanting to whoop him upside the head so he doesn't make the same mistakes as we all do. Thing is, do we want robots who do as we say or people who think for themselves? You know the right answer to that

I guess you don't understand the mindset of a 16 yr old kid, let alone one who has never been told he could be successful. This generation is being told they don't have a chance.

Teenagers often have a very warped sense of maturity. He probably thought you would be impressed with what he said. Why wouldn't he, his friends probably are. They often think maturity means freedom to do whatever you want and that includes freedom from responsibility. It is likely that somewhere in his mind he thought he was sounding mature.

You are reinforcing his beliefs by writing him off as a lost cause. Do you really think one day of working with him is going to change 16 years of programming? He already thinks he is a lost cause, and will continue to think that as long everyone else sees him that way.

You can help this kid, but you have to be louder than all the other messages he is receiving. No, he isn't going to understand how his current actions are going to make his future miserable. Teens lack that kind of foresight. Trying to tell them how bad things will be in the future will fall on deaf ears. What you have to do if focus on the message that hard work breeds success.

Can you imagine how hard it is for this current generation, being constantly told they don't have a chance? Why bother with school when you are told you won't be able to get a job? He didn't decide he is a victim, the media is constantly telling him he is, and he doesn't know any better. Why not show him a different perspective.

I know I am ranting about your rant, but calling a kid a lost cause irritates the crap out of me. No kid is a lost cause, even the most troubled. Some just take a bit more work than others. At the end of the day, it's the adults in his life fault for not making a difference while he is still a kid.

Sorry for ranting on your rant. I do understand your frustration, I just feel bad for the current generation.

People who smoke weed often have one mind set, and that is "i can do it tomorrow", but tomorrow never comes.

I have been there and seen many people go that route, some make it some don't.

originally posted by: Ghost147
I would say that the new generation may be at a severe risk in some areas because they are conditioned to believe there is no losing, and everything is fair, and you can't get a 0%, and everyone gets a participation award. This type of condition seems extremely dangerous, because when someone does fail, and they will, eventually, the impact is going to be massive, and potentially detrimental. Again, though, it's isolated to individuals, not an entire generation.

I think that is probably the worst thing that has happened to the current

generation.


I grew up with prize giving's and disappointments. This seemed to be the

trigger which made people determined to succeed .... there was always

the next time, try harder etc.


To some extent that also continued in my children's generation. 'Failure'

giving one the opportunity to do better next time, 'strive' for a better result

next time.


Imagine how I felt when I was involved in my grand children's life of nobody

ever loosing ... every body gets a prize. ???? where does achievement fit in?

Why even try you will get the same award as another who has put in blood,

sweat and tears! I guess that's what gave the world *the entitled generation*


Looking back ....

Whilst I enjoyed my successes .... it was my failures which taught me the

most, and the present generation is un aware of the adrenalin of

achievement!

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: Subaeruginosa

Smoking weed at 16 and being lazy isn't the end of the world. He's got plenty of time to change.

I know a few people who were getting stoned at 16 and screwed around for a few years. With one exception, they've all got good jobs or professional careers now.

Totally agree with your feelings of wanting to whoop him upside the head so he doesn't make the same mistakes as we all do. Thing is, do we want robots who do as we say or people who think for themselves? You know the right answer to that

actualy those days are gone, the percentage of youth that can pull themselves out of the rutt and go on to better themselves is down to smallest of percentage.
In Australia where the OP is from I done some work in the DJJ and i can say that from experience the government over the last 25 years has severily screwed the system for the transition of youth into the workforce and career paths.
In Australia early in 2000's in the east coast states apprenticeship schemes were transitioned to private companys and given the names RTO's or registered training organisations these guys would go around to each work place and sign off apprentices according to each module and of course this was open to and still is complacency and fraud, the skill level has plumeted and apprentices now in Australia are seen as no more than slave labour. so in one generation the once excellent apprectiship system in australia has turned to #.
second. in the early 2000's private employment company's, these company's set up shop hand in hand with the australian governments social security and would recieve a bonus for every person they found a job for, soon, you couldnt find a job out of the news paper you had to be enlisted through one of these company's also doing a course through a TAFE college counted as a bonus so the college that was once just for the training of apprentices of all fields now became the nursery for every person that could not find a job. once going to Tecnicaly advanced and further education college was a big deal back when getting an apprenticeship in Australia was a big deal, like when being apprentice of the year was a big deal. now TAFE is just a next extension of highschool a place these kids need to go to get paid by the government.
again and again different systems were put into place to stunt and retard the development of younger generations i hate to see what the next 10 years will give us.

Think of it as a raise for you.

If you don't reach this kid and help get him turned around and pointed in the right direction, and it does take time, your taxes are only going to pay for him to sit on his butt, smoke weed and giggle at his phone forever.

For every kid you save, that's less money you have to chip in for two reasons:

1.) Fewer lost causes on couches.

2.) More productive tax payers in the workforce helping pick up the slack.

So a potential productive person is a terrible thing to waste. He'll thank you for it too because he'll be much happier earning his own way.

a reply to: Ghost147

The way I look at it is that there are varying mentalities in all ages. I once watched a 80 year old man, who was wearing a backwards cap, and dressed kind of 'douchey', go up to a random overweight person and puff up his cheeks and widen his arms to make fun of their weight, then just walk away laughing by himself.

Are you sure you didn't see Johnny Knoxville filming a movie?

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

Walk through a high school and peek into some classrooms. You'll find a lot of the same. Instead of pushing these kids to make something out of their lives, our education system is dumbing down curriculums to compensate for their laziness and apathetic nature.

Oh, and they can't take constructive criticism. They're big whiners and expect to be spoon fed information. From what I've seen, the welfare rolls are only going to increase exponentially.

a reply to: WeRpeons

Well they have their phones and Wiki. That means they're smart you see. They can look up anything.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

I know a lot of people like to accuse these past few generations of being like this, but to be fair, there's been people like this throughout human history. Want proof of it?? Crime. That's all the proof you need.

Throughout history, there have always been hard workers, and there have always been those who want it easy. The ones that want it that way tend to be easily convinced into a life of crime. Stealing is easier than working hard for something.

So to keep it short and sweet, it's greatly unfair to blame current generations for this sort of behavior, because it's been a constant throughout history. But don't sell them short. Just because they're young, and act in ways you find despicable, doesn't mean they won't change and do something more than you did with your own life. Plus, you said it yourself, he reminds you of you. You changed, did you not?? I also bet you didn't listen when people told you the same stuff.

Man, you'd think people who traveled a similar road wouldn't judge, but here you are......

I honestly think that by the time a child hits the labour market it's way to late as the poison has already been put in their heads. Can parents be responsable? Only a little as their experience of the transition from school to work was clouded by their parents.
The majority of the blame lies squarely on teachers. But not all teachers but the vast majority of them. They teach, supposedly to a curriculum, yet they put their own spin on it.
First let me say that teachers are just grown up children in adult bodies. They go to school, then go to college, some go to university, some go to teacher training college. THEN they go to work in schools teaching your children. They have never left school and worked in the real world.
Yes, you want your child to be taught to read, write, add up and try to be a future member of society. Yet they seriously lack in teaching them about the real world. Yes, yes they teach them about "what's the interest of 2% on a $100 loan over a year" but what they don't teach them is that the banks are legalised gangsters that want to get you into debt so they can own you. Or, teach them that there are more bad people that want to scam you than wants to help you.
They teach absolutely nothing that prepares children going into an adult world.
The rest is down to the governments with their silly stopgap programs to supposedly teach school leavers with trades instead of spending the same money in the infrastructure to provide secure, long lasting employment which would have a long term knock on effect with proper apprentiships.
As for universities and degrees, if the world only wants 500 nuclear physisists it's no good universities turning out 1000.
Just add what profession you want into that last statement as there are an awful lot of graduates that are gonna leave to flip burgers. a
And aint that the truth.