**Patriotic Retirement**

[Marlin]

I bet I could go out and find 50 Mexican immigrants today who would be willing to haul 150 pound bags of poop to feed their families. Try to find 50 22 year old American kids who would be willing to work that hard. THAT is the problem with this country.

Bart

My neighbors kid won't mow lawns in the summer. It's too hot, and 15 bucks isn't enough. His parents will give him money if he needs it. Takes me about 45 minutes to mow, edge and weed eat. Thats 20 bucks an hour, and he won't do it. That, folks, is our future, World of Warcraft, if there was lawnmowing in that, he would do it for 50 gold

[nfpgasmask]

My neighbors kid won't mow lawns in the summer. It's too hot, and 15 bucks isn't enough. His parents will give him money if he needs it. Takes me about 45 minutes to mow, edge and weed eat. Thats 20 bucks an hour, and he won't do it. That, folks, is our future, World of Warcraft, if there was lawnmowing in that, he would do it for 50 gold

Dude, you couldn't be righter. It's sooo sad. My younger brother (who turns 24 this year mind you) is a textbook WoW kid. I am honestly really quite worried about his health. He was a really handsom looking dude, until about 3 years ago. WoW claimed his body and mind (oh wait, and weed). He is now GROSSLY overweight, has NO COLLEGE education, and very little work experience. I hate to say it but he is the laziest person I know, and he is my brother. I would love to help him but I refuse to help those who do not help themselves first. At this point I am simply worried about him. If he keeps going the way he is going until 30, he is gonna be really sick. And this all stems from excessive parental guilt and continued spoiling and coddling. He has been handed everything on a silver platter since he was 12 years old. But now he is a grown man and their is no excuse. Sad, just sad. I hate seeing my family as part of this problem.

Bart

[pbkid]

Dude, you couldn't be righter. It's sooo sad. My younger brother (who turns 24 this year mind you) is a textbook WoW kid. I am honestly really quite worried about his health. He was a really handsom looking dude, until about 3 years ago. WoW claimed his body and mind (oh wait, and weed). He is now GROSSLY overweight, has NO COLLEGE education, and very little work experience. I hate to say it but he is the laziest person I know, and he is my brother. I would love to help him but I refuse to help those who do not help themselves first. At this point I am simply worried about him. If he keeps going the way he is going until 30, he is gonna be really sick. And this all stems from excessive parental guilt and continued spoiling and coddling. He has been handed everything on a silver platter since he was 12 years old. But now he is a grown man and their is no excuse. Sad, just sad. I hate seeing my family as part of this problem.

Bart

this is what scares the crap outta me with my own generation...how many kids are absolutely addicted to these games that RUIN lives...its been proven to cause divorces and families to fall apart...and in this way there is some laziness in my generation...

however, bart, look at your generation (i think your in your 30's right?), and marlin im not sure how old you are, but if you were a child/teenager/college kid during the 70's...try to tell me that the generations that came out of the 70's were not completely *&#$ed...
i would much rather have a lazy generation that has to learn the hard way that they need to work than to have a generation who is forever ruined by drugs...
hmm, definately seems to be easier to criticize a younger generation once you have done your own stupid actions huh?

and no, im not saying that either of you did drugs and ruined your own future (which i assume neither of you did judging by how intelligent you gentlemen are), however, there are many from that generation that DID ruin their lives with drugs...

now look at my generation, yes their are some lazy people, but at the same time, we are the most technologically intelligent generation EVER, and that may be attributed to the 'laziness'....so dont generalize that ALL young people are lazy...
and at the same time, sometimes things that negative, turn out to be positive

[Scott Harness]

Everybody is so touchy today! I thought everybody born after 1980 was in trouble. Everything has been dumbed-down. Most highschool grads can't do simple math or read above a 5th grade level.Cuts in education and zero attention span(from video games) are part of the problem.

[Marlin]

Everybody is so touchy today! I thought everybody born after 1980 was in trouble. Everything has been dumbed-down. Most highschool grads can't do simple math or read above a 5th grade level.Cuts in education and zero attention span(from video games) are part of the problem.

True true, I teach at the nuclear power school, when I came in, Physics and Algebra2/trig were minimums. Now, I have students who never got past earth science, and never took math past algebra. These kids are the top 10% of the nation on standardized tests!!!

[nfpgasmask]

this is what scares the crap outta me with my own generation...how many kids are absolutely addicted to these games that RUIN lives...its been proven to cause divorces and families to fall apart...and in this way there is some laziness in my generation...

however, bart, look at your generation (i think your in your 30's right?), and marlin im not sure how old you are, but if you were a child/teenager/college kid during the 70's...try to tell me that the generations that came out of the 70's were not completely *&#$ed...
i would much rather have a lazy generation that has to learn the hard way that they need to work than to have a generation who is forever ruined by drugs...
hmm, definately seems to be easier to criticize a younger generation once you have done your own stupid actions huh?

and no, im not saying that either of you did drugs and ruined your own future (which i assume neither of you did judging by how intelligent you gentlemen are), however, there are many from that generation that DID ruin their lives with drugs...

now look at my generation, yes their are some lazy people, but at the same time, we are the most technologically intelligent generation EVER, and that may be attributed to the 'laziness'....so dont generalize that ALL young people are lazy...
and at the same time, sometimes things that negative, turn out to be positive

Yes, I am 33. I dunno, I think to generalize that kids growing up in the 70s were all druggies is just as bad. Sure, in high school and college I did *ahem* experiment a tad, but I never let that crap get the best of me. And after college was over I never looked back. Now, take a look at BOTH my brothers. One is 24 (as mentioned above) and the other is 31. You already heard the story about the 24 year old, and the 31 year old is only half better. His 20s were spent partying hard, and not building his future. And now, BAM, he realizes that life ISN'T a non-stop party, and he is paying for it now.

As always, you can't simply lump everyone into a certain stereo type. All I am saying is that there is a trend among younger generations that I see. And again, it isn't everyone, of course. Furthermore, while I do believe it is a growing trend among younger people, there are still LOADS of older people (late 20s, early 30s) that are just as bad.

Realistically speaking, most of what I am talking about has to do with the way that our family structure has changed over the last few decades. Both parents working, often divorced, etc. Kids are not raised today the same as they were 15 years ago. Sure, some parents strive to give their children that same childhood, but in most cases, it is simply not the same.

For example, when I was 8 years old, I got on my bike (no helmet either) and I was left to my own devices ALL DAY. I would ride out, COMPLETELY FREE, to do whatever I wanted. I might have had $5 in my pocket I earned by mowing the lawn and doing my chores. Maybe I could get some Big League Chew and a comic book that weekend. My parents NEVER worried about me, as long as I was home for dinner. Today, parents are UBER PARANOID about safety. Kids are constantly brought up with more fear and less independence. They are brought up by the TV and the XBOX. (what is more harmful? Growing up a couch potato with no real understanding of the world or the remote possibility of falling out of a tree and breaking an arm or worse, getting kidnapped?) Again Jack, this is not everyone out there, but you know what I am getting at.

I grew up with complete independence. Video games and TV were the BOTTOM of the barrel when it comes to entertainment. That is what I did when it was pouring rain. Otherwise I was out, exploring, catching snakes, falling in creeks, jumping my bike and climbing trees, and most importantly, having true freedom and gaining valuable life lessons that video games and MTV simply do not provide. Kids today are either too fat and lazy to do those things or they are simply forbidden to have that kind of freedom, which is almost worse and even more depressing. My youngest brother grew up on the couch playing Final Fantasy. He DID NOT have the same childhood I had, not even close.

Know what I am saying? Don't think I am saying YOU are a lazy, stupid, spoiled kid...cause I'm not!!

Bart