The Failing Youth of Today

Before I begin, those reading should know that I'm about to turn sixteen so I believe what I say is easily approved coming from my own perspective. You'll understand what I mean as you read. Let's begin...

I'm apart of the most striving and populated social network[s] today, Facebook, and what I see on a daily basis makes me lose my faith in the direction which today's teenagers and adolescents are heading. Aren't we "the future"? I have 1.2k friends and of that, I only associate, talk to daily, and know a little less than 10% or so and by that I mean, around 20 or so genuine friends which I know personally. The things I see while scrolling down my 'news feed' sometimes make me just stare in awe. For example, the plethora of mainstream rap lyrics, Lil Wayne, posted by junior-high kids that talk about - you know - the typical rap that most kids listen to; sex, drugs, violence, and whatnot. These are kids 12-years-old at minimum.

It's sickening. I'm lucky enough to prefer a genre that generally strays far away from meaningless obscenities. The ones though, that don't give other music genres a chance, are consciously making a detrimental impact to themselves (so I feel) listening to the garbage. Sure, every genre has its good and bap but when most kids listen to whatever is on the radio then that's what they're going to reiterate. "Monkey see, monkey do," or something to the equivalent can be applied here. How come it's like this? Why does the status quo, societal norm, politically correctness, and other swaying factors affect the minds and personality? I'd compare it to brainwashing.

To those who say that pop-culture has no affect on people would be blatantly ignorant and oblivious to what can be observed by simply reading the statuses a junior-high kid posts on a daily basis. No, I'm not saying that this is EVERYONE around the area that I live or just in general, but from what I see daily and even in school, it is. Kids would rather be aficionados in "pulling hoes, f*cking b*tches, getting 'bread'" and fighting with one another over a small disagreement than self-benefiting by means of a proper education, moral groundings, and other various positive factors. I grew up around this environment yet I am the exact opposite from most of my peers.

What in the actual f*ck is wrong with today's adolescents? Where did everything go wrong?

Why is it such a big deal nowadays for people to be practically anorexic and that if you're moderately chubby; you're known as FAT?

I was warned of all these things growing up. I never expected it to be like it is, though. This is almost depressing. There's so much more I could have talked about but I really would spend hours typing this and I have things to do.

So, ATS, thoughts? Is today's youth on a steady decline in intellect and other values that are seemingly necessary to live an average life in the "real world"?

I agree with you, and in my late 20s, I remember seeing my peers in middle/high school behaving the exact same way. So perhaps it is not just your generation, but that particular age group of young people attempting to discover themselves through exploring what they have available to them. In this case being distasteful music, and less than morally stable celebrities.

What do your less than 10 percent you actually know personally dwell in? I bet it is something similar to you, or vice versa. People tend to gravitate their habits and interests toward those they associate with.

Try not to be too disgusted. There are a lot of intelligent people out there, who know better, and are not susceptible to every materialistic, and menial thing that is thrown their way. They just do not flaunt it as blatantly as others.

Try to stay positive, and continue to educate and culture yourself, and it will become a beacon for others.

People's who's minds aren't willing to be changed, won't until they are ready, and only they can decide when.

I can see what you are saying.

I'll be 30 next week. All my friends are people I grew up with or work with.All pretty much my same age. I used to post some of the stuff I post here, All you would hear was crickets.

So I stopped bothering to inform the masses.

Now I just post things that I find amusing, Low and behold! All the idiots come out of the woodwork to give their banal opinions.

It makes me want to pour gas on my computer and set it on fire.

Yes I agree with your assessment. On the other hand you sound like every other older generation ragging on the new. It's been that way for a long time.

I think that there is a huge decline in common sense from all walks in life but it shows the worst in the younger generations. I have seen teens stand around and laugh at someone who fell down instead of helping. Crossing the streets without looking up from their phones... Which leads me to what I think is causing it. All the cool tech and toys. Kids that grew up watching TV as the babysitters. Helicopter parenting (Parents that hover over the kids and not let them fail or get hurt).
Glad to see some youth recognizes the cancer or their current generation. I doubt it will get better.

Each generation tries to be more shocking and offensive than the last.
What concerns me about the current generation of young folks is that in spite of all the college debt that they have, they don`t seem to be very smart or know very much about the real world.
The bright side of having an entire generation of rap lovers that can`t even spell their own names is that it cuts down on competition in the job market if you are looking for a job.

Originally posted by watchitburn
I can see what you are saying.

I'll be 30 next week. All my friends are people I grew up with or work with.All pretty much my same age. I used to post some of the stuff I post here, All you would hear was crickets.

So I stopped bothering to inform the masses.

Now I just post things that I find amusing, Low and behold! All the idiots come out of the woodwork to give their banal opinions.

It makes me want to pour gas on my computer and set it on fire.

I'll be 30 next week too!

I find the same thing w/FB. I find that if I post something that I actually thought about and has meaning, I don't get any "likes" or comments.

Now if I post a picture of a cat in a box, all hell breaks loose and suddenly I have 10 likes and 20, "That's so true!" comments.

I went ahead and un-liked just about everything. I edited my interests too -- now my feed is practically dead. No one really posts anything on FB themselves anymore. If anything, most people just "like" and "share" other people's crap.

Most people's feeds I assume are filled with ads and "junk". Mine was, and thats why I un-liked all that stuff. If you just want to see what your actual friends are doing -- do the same thing I did.

I remember being 16, and I felt frustrated with my peers. Things change when you get into your mid-20's. Things like career, family, your home...those become the priorities in your life. Right now the OP is 16, at that age your social life is probably 10 times more important than it will be 24 years down the road.

Anyway, happy Birthday watchitburn! I'm asking for night vision goggles or a sweet crossbow (just to see if anyone will actually get me those rediculous items LOL)

reply to post by MystikMushroom


Well, Happy Birthday to you too Mr. Mushroom.

I have done exactly the same thing with my FB, my friends a very boring. And I swear to god, if I have to see one more goblin looking ultrasound I'm going to lose it.

I don't expect to get anything for my birthday except maybe a few drinks, which is completely fine. I think I'm going to get myself a pet octopus.

I will name him Larry.

reply to post by Philosophile


you might be interested in this thread "The Secret Meeting that Changed Hip-hop and Destroyed a Generation"

Originally posted by Jack Squat
This is a really good read. No way to check it's authenticity, but very interesting.
The long and short of it is a closed door meeting happened that encouraged rappers to glorify criminal activity in order to fill new prisons for mad cash.

Originally posted by watchitburn
reply to post by MystikMushroom

 

Well, Happy Birthday to you too Mr. Mushroom.

I have done exactly the same thing with my FB, my friends a very boring. And I swear to god, if I have to see one more goblin looking ultrasound I'm going to lose it.

I don't expect to get anything for my birthday except maybe a few drinks, which is completely fine. I think I'm going to get myself a pet octopus.

I will name him Larry.

Oh god the ultrasounds. . .

OP: As you get older, women will start to pine on and on about how they are pregnant. Every one of your female friends that gets kocked up will act like they are the first woman in the history of man to get pregnant.

Be prepared for constant "Week XX" updates, and photos of their ugly, troll like spawn.

Despite the internet connecting us all closer together, I find that people in their "real offline lives" are actually more isolated. No one calls each other anymore, no one "hangs out". I've also noticed that the older you get, the less important day-to-day stuff is. Most of the people that post on my FB feed constantly are younger people.

I think as you get older, you realize just how non-special your life is. You realize that pretty much everyone experiences the same stuff you do, and your not the center of the universe.

I bought a live lobster at the grocery store once. I named him "Leonardo" and kept him in the crisper drawer in my fridge with moist paper towels for a time.(Disclaimer: the internet told me to!) Those bastards will eat anything, he loved tuna fish. Unfortunatley, you really can't keep a lobster as a pet. After a few days he started to get a little sluggish, so I made bisque out of him. I hope you don't have to make your octopus into dinner.

ETA: True story...I had a video of him somplace crawling around on my shoulder.

Well, I think the educational standards have really gone downhill, but this is old news.

I turned 51 years old this week, and your thread made me think back to when I was 16 years old back in the 1970s. I have to say, if we had the internet and Facebook back then, I think the same problem would have occurred. A bunch of vapid, shallow dummies who are confused by anything that is more than one sentence, who all want to be more grown-up, more cool, and a bigger partier than the next fool. Yeah, there were kids in junior high back then who were just as bad.

Back when I was in high school, the academic standards were greatly lowered, especially in California. We were all stoned and drunk, driving around burning gas, looking for the next party. I'm surprised most of us survived (a few of us didn't). Such a pathetic waste of youthful energy we were....and I see nothing different 35 years later.

I think it was Mark Twain who said, youth is wasted on the young. So true.

Bottom line: Every generation who has everything handed to them and has too much free time on their hands will show themselves to collectively be a bunch of imbeciles. The intelligent ones, the driven ones, and the ones who care will rise above it.

You will rise above the idiocy. You are the hope for our future!

Originally posted by Philosophile
Before I begin, those reading should know that I'm about to turn sixteen so I believe what I say is easily approved coming from my own perspective. You'll understand what I mean as you read. Let's begin...

I'm apart of the most striving and populated social network[s] today, Facebook, and what I see on a daily basis makes me lose my faith in the direction which today's teenagers and adolescents are heading. Aren't we "the future"? I have 1.2k friends and of that, I only associate, talk to daily, and know a little less than 10% or so and by that I mean, around 20 or so genuine friends which I know personally. The things I see while scrolling down my 'news feed' sometimes make me just stare in awe. For example, the plethora of mainstream rap lyrics, Lil Wayne, posted by junior-high kids that talk about - you know - the typical rap that most kids listen to; sex, drugs, violence, and whatnot. These are kids 12-years-old at minimum.

It's sickening. I'm lucky enough to prefer a genre that generally strays far away from meaningless obscenities. The ones though, that don't give other music genres a chance, are consciously making a detrimental impact to themselves (so I feel) listening to the garbage. Sure, every genre has its good and bap but when most kids listen to whatever is on the radio then that's what they're going to reiterate. "Monkey see, monkey do," or something to the equivalent can be applied here. How come it's like this? Why does the status quo, societal norm, politically correctness, and other swaying factors affect the minds and personality? I'd compare it to brainwashing.

To those who say that pop-culture has no affect on people would be blatantly ignorant and oblivious to what can be observed by simply reading the statuses a junior-high kid posts on a daily basis. No, I'm not saying that this is EVERYONE around the area that I live or just in general, but from what I see daily and even in school, it is. Kids would rather be aficionados in "pulling hoes, f*cking b*tches, getting 'bread'" and fighting with one another over a small disagreement than self-benefiting by means of a proper education, moral groundings, and other various positive factors. I grew up around this environment yet I am the exact opposite from most of my peers.

What in the actual f*ck is wrong with today's adolescents? Where did everything go wrong?

Why is it such a big deal nowadays for people to be practically anorexic and that if you're moderately chubby; you're known as FAT?

I was warned of all these things growing up. I never expected it to be like it is, though. This is almost depressing. There's so much more I could have talked about but I really would spend hours typing this and I have things to do.

So, ATS, thoughts? Is today's youth on a steady decline in intellect and other values that are seemingly necessary to live an average life in the "real world"?

I'm only a couple years older than you, I'm 19. I feel the same way.

I want to fight for humanity sometimes, then I see those people on the street, make eye contact, and think "Oh my GOD I hope they don't have kids!"

Then I get depressed and feel like there's no point in fighting for humanity when humanity will keep producing screw ups. Fighting for people who are WORTH it, however, I could get into. But then, you get into the moral debate of who's to SAY who's worth it? Yatta Yatta...

Point is, stick with good, intelligent, worthwhile people. DO NOT surround yourself with people who are not worth your time. Decide for yourself the people you want to be close to, and go find them.

Trust me, you'll regret it forever if you waste your time on people who aren't worth it.

Why do you need 1.2k 'friends'? I was one of the first on Facebook, back when Myspace was still very much alive and kicking, and even now I've only got around 200 friends. I don't need more. I also don't like the idea of complete and random strangers knowing all my personal stuff, so everything is mostly private anyway.

The type of people you are describing, these 12 year olds, they don't discover their personal identity until they're around your age anyway. Till then, they're all just following the crowd, playing it safe and mostly conforming with each other, because it's safer that way.

Sorry, but if it is bothering you this much, it's gonna take a hell of a lot of clicking, but rid yourself of them. Delete them all.
Social networks aren't the be all and end all.
It took me a further TEN YEARS to realise I need very little in my life to keep my mental ebb in balance. If that means screening who I get friend requests from, and being selective about who I talk to, then that's fine by me.
I'm not saying don't be sociable, but I fail to see the point in having quantity over quality when it comes to social interactions.

My advice would be to sort your FaceBook friends list out if you want to carry on using FB.

Unless you know someone enough to chat to regularly, bin them.

Surround yourself with people you like, and who don't listen to this kind of rubbish, or act this way, and you'll find life can be very different.

You become what you surround yourself with, whether online or in real life.

CX.