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Kids getting lazier

Colbehh

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This may or may not be true as a whole, but I was walking through a strip mall with a few of my friends just hanging out and talking when we decided to check out an electronics store that was about about 4 stores down as I started down that way my buddy stopped me and said, "Hey, where are you going? The car is this way." I laughed a little and asked why don't we just walk there and I got a collective response of "screw that!"

This along with the Remember When thread got me thinking. I started to be bothered when I actually looked at where we were going, it seems we care about nothing! So what, if I'm not crazy, is making my generation and others so much lazier about anything. Many in my generation half a$$ just about anything whether its at school, home or anywhere else. It seems that many of us just know we can slide on by and nothing will ever really be done about it. I feel like we've lost so much self responsibility, I don't understand what has happened in the last generations to make teen pregnancy the norm and not a big deal. Is it social standards and how they've all gone down hill? Is it both parents always working full-time to support the family that there is less guidance? Some people say its video games and not playing enough outside as a kid but are there any other factors involved that could be provoking this or is it all just the technology we grew up with?

I'm 21 by the way, so this is the group that grew up in the 90s.
 
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Runum

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Overall I agree with you, although I have seen instances of motivated kids aside from this arena. I do believe that most of our problems are a symptom of an inherent problem. I believe that our society has lost it's guide stick of what is right and what is wrong, absolutes. We, instead, have been looking for the exception, myself included. Also, in the movies the bad guy is praised and made a hero(ex. Pirates of the Caribbean), the person that stands up for what is right is mocked. There does not seem to be a sense of sacrifice for the betterment of the country. There seems to be an acceptance of any and all beliefs and actions no matter what. To do otherwise is to risk being labeled intolerant and prejudiced. Remember our country is called the great social experiment. I do believe that our country can continue to grow and overcome our limitations but I do believe we have to find some common ground that, once agreed on, is non-wavering. Just my two cents worth.
 

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Don't think so. I think every generation at some point thinks that the next generation has lost its mind. I think that's because the following generation is always different (not better or worse per se) and humans tend to think highly of themselves (and their generation). I am 22 and I am pretty sure that the generation before us though the exact same things about us that we think of the generation that comes after us.
In the end I dont think that the "quality" of mankind has been constantly declinign for the last 1000 years or so. So I think its a perceptional bias.
 

Jonleehacker

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For me, laziness like that was a learned response to pain. It is painful to try to improve, or break new ground; you might fail or just get ridiculed for trying. So therefore, just act "cool" and don't try anymore - numb out.

Unfortunately numbing out and acting as if you don't care is also very painful, and even worse it can take years to manifest into real consequences.

A lot of the blame has to fall on the school system where there is almost no reward for taking risk and all reward for playing it safe and being a generalist.

If a young person doesn't have parents who is able to support them while they explore (deviate from the norms of school) then they will probably numb out, and either become sheep or very lost.
 
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AroundTheWorld

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++ Wise words. There is a book about laziness in kids out there... can't recall at the moment. I think it is by Mel Lavine (sp)... Anyone know of the book? I would like to read it one of these days... haven't yet.
 

NoMoneyDown

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A lot of the blame has to fall on the school system where there is almost no reward for taking risk and all reward for playing it safe and being a generalist.

If a young person doesn't have parents who is able to support them while they explore (deviate from the norms of school) then they will probably numb out, and either become sheep or very lost.

I concur wholeheartedly on both accounts. Unfortunately, our society has become over-litigous, IMHO, which has contributed to the factor 10-fold. For example, I heard just the other day that some school district is going to start changing an "F" grade to an "Incomplete" for homework/tests/etc in which a student doesn't turn in their work. IOW, it doesn't get counted toward their GPA as (they claim) there is no work to grade them on. Huh?!?!
 

NerdSmasher

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For example, I heard just the other day that some school district is going to start changing an "F" grade to an "Incomplete" for homework/tests/etc in which a student doesn't turn in their work. IOW, it doesn't get counted toward their GPA as (they claim) there is no work to grade them on. Huh?!?!

There are schools here in Ohio that either want to, or have, changed the lowest possible % grade in a class to 50%. If you do nothing, you get a 50%. And, like, a 60% is a D, so... where's the reward for trying anything at all?
I don't understand people's ideas, sometimes. :coco:
 
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I85

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I'd say a lot has to do with the parents, but of course not all. Often time they are too busy working to pay any attention or too drunk/high to care. In the end though, the choice is up to their kid.
I don't understand what has happened in the last generations to make teen pregnancy the norm and not a big deal.
This is one of the things that makes me wonder what this country will be like in 20-30 years. I know sooo many kids that have kids, and most should not be allowed to have a kid. We(tax$) will likely be taking care of them and their kids. I can't imagine these kids will know right vs wrong when their parents can't even tell the difference. Could be interesting :(.
 

G_Alexander

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I'm 19 years old. I have started 3 profitable companies including a non-for profit foundation. (If you count the ones I did when I was a kid, then there are dozens).

I have a new company on the way right now which can be scaled to all universities in the country.

I am maintaining a 3.75 GPA at a Big Ten University.

I am not trying to brag here, I am simply showing you that not everyone out there is a "lazy kid of the next generation". I have a friend who is a minority, no father, who has worked on two entreprenurial efforts and I have faith he will do extremely well in life.

While some kids may be lazier than others...make sure you take into consideration who you surround yourself with. Every generation has dead beats in it.

Like many have said here, if you are around people that are lazy, nay-sayers who don't believe in you...DROP THEM. Change it up so you are not dragged down with them.

97% of my friends have great ambitions and are not at all lazy. One of my friends is a lazy a$$, and he is a roommate, so I have to deal with it. I hate seeing him sleep through all his classes and never get out of bed unless he is cooking or playing XBOX.

Laziness is not the norm in my opinion.

-Alex
 

Russ H

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Thanks, Alex.

This thread could be combined with the "remember when" thread:

Remember when your parents complained about how lazy your generation was? I do. ;)

Seems like every generation feels this way on some level towards younger generations. Weird.

Thing I find most interesting about the "younger generation" (16-28) is that theyr'e getting so much of their news info from Comedy Central (Daily show, Colbert Report) and online.

To me, this shows a more sophisticated news consumer (I'm sure there are other opinions about this, tho!) :)

-Russ H.
 
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Colbehh

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Maybe it's partly the area where I am at West Tennessee (Memphis-area) where we have some 60 failing schools. I suppose it is a combination of things. Many of the kids I knew at the public school that graduated couldn't completely read or write. The No Child Left Behind is doing exactly the opposite - they're getting so far behind there isn't much you can do by the time they're in high school.
 

rcardin

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There are schools here in Ohio that either want to, or have, changed the lowest possible % grade in a class to 50%. If you do nothing, you get a 50%. And, like, a 60% is a D, so... where's the reward for trying anything at all?
I don't understand people's ideas, sometimes. :coco:

My school district will not allow any lower than a 50 for the six weeks. There was an article in the Dallas Morning News today about some senator wanting to change it. They found out there are some school districts that will not allow lower than a 70 for their students. IF you do 10% of the work that is what your grade should reflect but we don't want to hurt their self esteem:coco: so just give them a 50 and maybe they will do better next 6 weeks.

I wish I could show up for 10% of my days at work and still receive 50% pay. Hell I would have 3 or 4 jobs then.:groove:
 

hatterasguy

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This is why I don't get along well with a lot of people, they just piss me off. My friends wouldn't do it, but if they wanted to drive 4 stores down I would have said they are being lazy.


I was born to late, I probably would have loved the 20's and 30's.

As for the schools let them, there are kids in China and India who would love those pampered can't fail brats jobs. They will get them to.
 
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20art

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While some kids may be lazier than others...make sure you take into consideration who you surround yourself with. Every generation has dead beats in it.

Like many have said here, if you are around people that are lazy, nay-sayers who don't believe in you...DROP THEM. Change it up so you are not dragged down with them.
Alex
This is a good point for the youth that want to stay away from laziness or anything else that they don't want. I have seen the differences in my grades during my years of school.
 

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