Have I missed something?
There was a point in time during my life in which I felt I still had some connection to the youth of today's society. Now I'm beginning to think that point was not in recognition of a connection, but more of a departure, a departure from my own juvenility. Everyday I see more and more subtle nuances that define a new generation, and, to be honest, it kind of depresses me. Reasons? Explanations? I am not sure if one can really pinpoint a single scapegoat to explain the behavior and attitudes of this group. Personally, I can think of quite a few.
Television.
How dare I attack that which I have spent most my life worshiping? It is actually quite simple. In 1985, the average amount of television channels was around 19. The average in 2002.....102. (ITfacts) When I was in my childhood, I watched a considerable amount of television, but with only a handful of channels I'd eventually get bored and go outside to do something constructive. Sometimes, just sometimes, I'd even read (gasp!). With over 100 channels on average, and even more if you're privileged enough to own a digital cable box or miniature satellite dish, if one looks hard enough, one will always find something to watch. Once the critical viewing threshold is reached and one decides to back away from this cube of mental sterility, one still has the option of the........
Internet.
I view the internet as a wonderful weapon. When used correctly, it is the greatest invention mankind could have possibly thought of. However, when the primary goal of surfing time is the passing of time, it means only to destroy an independent mind. The sick irony of this is that as impressionable youth attempt to use this beacon of light for the unending pursuit of knowledge, they become incredibly gullible, especially in politics and world affairs. One could conduct an experiment by asking the average teenage activist why they have a hatred for George W. Bush.....then following up with quizzing them to name the three branches of the US government.
Loss of Parental Role Models.
It was once natural to resent one's parents, if for no other reason but to be different. Today it almost seems as if the parents resent the children, or have disappeared altogether. The father, replaced by the television, the mother, the Internet. The crazy uncles and deranged aunts, American Idol judges, homosexual cousins, instant message emoticons. With access to that kind of endless information, why would one seek the oft simple yet spoken from experience guidance from one's parents, one's own flesh and blood. I once met a young lady from the backwoods of South Carolina, actually I probably shouldn't refer to her as a lady, as she's still just a girl who happens to be 18. This girl was very much attracted to me, and with good reason, but upon further inspection it was to be discovered she was already a mother, with her mother tending the baby as we spoke. It immediately occurred to me that she had most likely never gotten a sit down with her parents to get the basic lecture on, if nothing else, birth control or contraception....I know she wasn't catholic ("the southeastern branch of Trans-presby-lutheranism" - Rev Lovejoy).
It is for this last reason that I will withhold some of the blame from the youth as it is only partially their responsibility to grow in the right light. However, I often sit and wonder, do I really think the children are our future, and can they lead the way?
There was a point in time during my life in which I felt I still had some connection to the youth of today's society. Now I'm beginning to think that point was not in recognition of a connection, but more of a departure, a departure from my own juvenility. Everyday I see more and more subtle nuances that define a new generation, and, to be honest, it kind of depresses me. Reasons? Explanations? I am not sure if one can really pinpoint a single scapegoat to explain the behavior and attitudes of this group. Personally, I can think of quite a few.
Television.
How dare I attack that which I have spent most my life worshiping? It is actually quite simple. In 1985, the average amount of television channels was around 19. The average in 2002.....102. (ITfacts) When I was in my childhood, I watched a considerable amount of television, but with only a handful of channels I'd eventually get bored and go outside to do something constructive. Sometimes, just sometimes, I'd even read (gasp!). With over 100 channels on average, and even more if you're privileged enough to own a digital cable box or miniature satellite dish, if one looks hard enough, one will always find something to watch. Once the critical viewing threshold is reached and one decides to back away from this cube of mental sterility, one still has the option of the........
Internet.
I view the internet as a wonderful weapon. When used correctly, it is the greatest invention mankind could have possibly thought of. However, when the primary goal of surfing time is the passing of time, it means only to destroy an independent mind. The sick irony of this is that as impressionable youth attempt to use this beacon of light for the unending pursuit of knowledge, they become incredibly gullible, especially in politics and world affairs. One could conduct an experiment by asking the average teenage activist why they have a hatred for George W. Bush.....then following up with quizzing them to name the three branches of the US government.
Loss of Parental Role Models.
It was once natural to resent one's parents, if for no other reason but to be different. Today it almost seems as if the parents resent the children, or have disappeared altogether. The father, replaced by the television, the mother, the Internet. The crazy uncles and deranged aunts, American Idol judges, homosexual cousins, instant message emoticons. With access to that kind of endless information, why would one seek the oft simple yet spoken from experience guidance from one's parents, one's own flesh and blood. I once met a young lady from the backwoods of South Carolina, actually I probably shouldn't refer to her as a lady, as she's still just a girl who happens to be 18. This girl was very much attracted to me, and with good reason, but upon further inspection it was to be discovered she was already a mother, with her mother tending the baby as we spoke. It immediately occurred to me that she had most likely never gotten a sit down with her parents to get the basic lecture on, if nothing else, birth control or contraception....I know she wasn't catholic ("the southeastern branch of Trans-presby-lutheranism" - Rev Lovejoy).
It is for this last reason that I will withhold some of the blame from the youth as it is only partially their responsibility to grow in the right light. However, I often sit and wonder, do I really think the children are our future, and can they lead the way?
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