RSS
Home › Columns › Columns
On Tap: Today's youth are not the devils we old folks make them out to be
STORY TOOLS
Share and Enjoy
More Columns
- Ramble On: I've become one of those early Christmas shoppers
- Staton Facts shows the love for Break.com
- The Thanksgiving holiday doesn't mean you can't have fun on the Clemson campus
Rate this Article
I will be the first to admit that I am getting older.
I no longer enjoy yelling ridiculous things at people out the car window while cruising. I only sneak out of the house for a beer every couple months instead of every weekend. And I can’t seem to listen to “the rap” anymore.
As much as I would like to deny it, there is no doubt that I am getting older.
And while I get older, I find myself trying to avoid the pitfalls of those generations that came before me of branding today’s youth with the “bad seed” label. I am trying to keep from saying things like, “Dang-gone kids of today with their crazy rock music” or “Back in my day, we spent every night with our parents reading the good book, not doing the drugs or talking back.”
Because the fact of the matter is, the youth of today are not doing anything that we didn’t do in our own youth. As a matter of that previously mentioned fact, I would hazard a guess that what today’s youth get into is a bit less rebellious — on the whole — than what Gen X or even the Baby Boomers found themselves dabbling in.
It’s all too popular, when one becomes an “adult,” to lay the ills of the world on the young people of that time. After all, they are impetuous, spoiled, have raging hormones that lead them around and generally don’t trust anyone older than 25.
But were we so different when we were 16, 18 and 20? Did we want to hear about how things were different when our parents — or even older siblings — were our age? Did we want to hear that everything we were doing was wrong and that we would suffer for those “mistakes” for the rest of our lives?
Of course we didn’t. What we wanted to do was live life, enjoy our youth and have a little fun before we became the kind of people who told teenagers to get off the lawn or that they were going to Hell because they tried a sip of beer.
The reality is, studies have shown that today’s youth are less likely to engage in premarital sex, less likely to do drugs, less likely to drink and less likely to smoke. They are more ambitious than any of the last two generations and even when they do make a few mistakes, they are typically not life-altering ones that will destroy any chance they have at happiness.
It’s a far cry from what today’s “old people” are preaching that all the social degradation occurring in the world today is the fault of the young people.
The way I see it, most of us old folks are simply jealous of the young people. We remember the fun we had at their age, we remember having our whole lives ahead of us, and we remember the feeling of freedom before responsibility and real life kicked in. Sadly, instead of wanting today’s youth to revel in those feelings, we want to strip them of that happiness and tell them, “It’s all your fault.”
Well, it’s not their fault. It’s ours. And the faster we realize that we can help mold young people without bringing them down with a guilt trip, the better off we will be.
But I still might yell about the lawn thing from time to time.
Comments
There are 13 responses to this article.
Comments are meant to offer our readers a forum for thoughtful, robust debate about local issues.
Comments are moderated, but you may find the content of the conversations offensive, objectionable or factually disputable.
IndependentMail.com does not necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post or respond to every suggestion for a comment to be removed.
Before you post, consider this:
Please read our official user-contributions policy.
Yawning
There are good and bad with every generation however growing up in the late 60's early 70's rarely did gangs rob and kill for sport in our area and I do not remember children killing their whole family, raping younger childern or many things that grace the pages of our local paper. I do remember talking back, sneeking to smoke and things like that which to me is not nearly as "life altering" as murder, rape and other crimes so common in our society today.
Wake up, Yes we are in a moral and social degregation today though not brought on by the youth of today but carried on never the less.
You must be getting real old and not able to see (as in blind) if you don't see the difference. Some of the music they listen to tell's them a good message,and some of the music is just bad, even the music producers have asked some of the so called (artist) to calm it down,but that is not all, Spare the rod, spoil the child(that is the Goverment's fault). Our Fault? (NOT) But there is still a lot of good young people, but they are good to who they want to be good to, I think a lot of them have lost a lot of morals, some have no respect for life, most of them think we owe them anything they want.. It's time you get your head out of the bucket and watch what is going on.
in response to 57freebird
freebird,
There isn't more rape, murder, and violence than before.
We just have a 24/7 media that covers that sort of thing more often and the media itself is more accessible.
We didn't have widespread cable TV, satellite service, or internet access during the 1970s. Now, every household has at least one. Use any of those products and you can receive a barrage of 24/7 news.
The truth is, violent crime is down across the board except in a few major cities. Some people say it is because more people are in prison for longer.
I think computers and cell phones have also increased the ability of citizens and law enforcement to quickly respond to crime and find people. So, we probably have less "repeats" before suspects are caught.
There are probably a lot of other factors that I'm missing.
The church has slipped, the family has fallen apart, and there is 3 seconds on the clock...what are you going to do?
I'm 27 and I still like to bump a little Snoop and yell out the window from time to time.
in response to The_Shark
I'll get around to it.......
in response to andrew.hammett
I was refering to local crime in the local paper and we did not see this type of behaviour 35 yrs ago when I 15.
There are a lot of alarming lyrics and a lot of alarming statistics. Before 24/7 news coverage we were not as aware of some things, but there was still bad stuff going on. There was quite a bit below the surface, and it was easier to ignore.
There are just as many really good things going on, they just don't get as much attention. While I hate my child's choice of music overall, I find that there are songs that have merit and show talent.
in response to 57freebird
That's probably because 15 year olds don't have a clue about the world around them most of the time.
They are the center of their own universe.
I must put my 2 cents worth in here. I grew up in Tampa, and was in Jr. High around the time when they "desegregated" the schools/children- in the 70's.
Let me tell you, those times were as bad- if not worse, as Anderson is now. Not only was I robbed and beaten
nearly daily in school... there was hash, marijuana, THC, Quaalude's and speed to be had in every corridor. There was rape and violence at every turn
and gezzz...go figure I went to a "good school"
Much like our own TL Hanna.
So don't throw out that old "music" crutch. The bullies I encountered listened to Tony Orlando for Christs sake.
I agree with Andrew Hammet-the media has brought all of this to the forefront and in our faces.
I grew up in Anderson in the early 60's. I remember the boys drinking beer when they got a chance, usually girls that I knew didn't. Drugs I never heard of but they may have been around some.
I know we were more scared of teachers. I still quote Miss Cathcart at Mccants Jr. high. I tried getting out of trouble in her room by talking back only one time
in response to tdr1945
tdr1945, I know what you mean! Miss Cathcart could freeze you with just a stare. I also talked back to her once and once was enough for anyone who knew or was taught by her. Having said that, she was a good teacher and so were other teachers at McCants back in those days. Teachers could show children they cared without being worried about it being misconstrued or mistaken for something more sinister. Children were taught to respect and be guided by teachers, now they look more to their peer groups for what is acceptable behavior and how they should "act" to fit in. There are some really good kids out there today who genuinely care about respecting others and how they themselves behave in order for people to have respect for them. We just have to remember to praise when praise is due and show love and guidance when a child goes astray.
(Requires free registration.)