This generation of kids...

[Feraud]

I find it odd at how important calls are over living people in ones presence.

I find it a sad Pavlovian attitude people are being trained to accept.
It is not just the children but parents who are setting the bad example.

 

[LizzieMaine]

In the past we had kids that wanted to be like their parents and would work at being just like dad or girls wanting to be just like mom. however there was always some that rebelled and pushed at going their own way. This is part of human nature too so it is part of the mix but in the past the place of the parent was given a lot of re-enforcement in the community so a portion that wanted to rebel did not.

At some point, we see a shift in the power of the parent and the power of the child or teen. I am thinking that it has to do with a shift where people begin to indulge the children. After WWII we see an explosion of goods like toys and clothes marketed to kids and teens. Some of you may recall seeing some type of argument between child or teen and parent over an item or clothing. I think that the marketing appeal to kids and teens is one of the wedges that was driven between parents and their children and helped along the split and rebellion.

I think this is one of the very key things that changed after the war, and not for the better. You started to get marketing to the teen culture during the war years, because advertisers were desperate for new markets with so many other sales opportunities closed off at the time, but it really exploded after the war -- especially when television became fully-established on a national basis in the early fifties. There had never before been a generation hit so hard by *so much* direct, hard-sell marketing at such a young age -- even the children of the thirties, with the radio programs and licensed-character merchandising of their day, hadn't had to contend with the constant shilling that the kids of the fifties and sixties faced.

So yes, I think you could blame Don Draper and his colleagues for a lot of the attitudes that developed with that generation.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

That's a pet peeve of mine. If my phone goes off, I say "Excuse me" and shut my ringer off and return the call or text later and continue on with my conversation. If it's a call I know I have to take, I make it quick.

This makes me think of what happens when some one gets a call on their cell phone. A few people may say excuse me i have to take this call, but so many people put up the hand, like a traffic cop, and grab the call. I actually walked over to talk to you but that is more important. I find it odd at how important calls are over living people in ones presence.

I always wonder what happened to that. When I was a kid, I wanted to be just like my dad. Dad would lift weights, I would lift weights. Dad collected breweriana, I collected breweriana. Dad liked old cars, I liked old cars. He could fix things, I tried to fix things. Typical father/son dynamic. I don't see that anymore. I have a few friends who have kids who are a few years old and should absolutely be at the 'I wanna be like Dad' age, and it just isn't happening anymore.

I posted this in another thread and I think it might be applicable here.

There is a lot of interesting comments that point to some of the sociological questions as to the who and why people are doing things.

In the past we had kids that wanted to be like their parents and would work at being just like dad or girls wanting to be just like mom. however there was always some that rebelled and pushed at going their own way. This is part of human nature too so it is part of the mix but in the past the place of the parent was given a lot of re-enforcement in the community so a portion that wanted to rebel did not.

At some point, we see a shift in the power of the parent and the power of the child or teen. I am thinking that it has to do with a shift where people begin to indulge the children. After WWII we see an explosion of goods like toys and clothes marketed to kids and teens. Some of you may recall seeing some type of argument between child or teen and parent over an item or clothing. I think that the marketing appeal to kids and teens is one of the wedges that was driven between parents and their children and helped along the split and rebellion.

As a result many parents today simply don't act or dress grown up and echo the teens and twenty somethings look to try to be hip in their children;s eyes to try to stem a divide over clothes and dress.

Now it may be the nature of rebelling but this may actual push some to chose dressing up as an act of individuality and rebellion?

 

[John in Covina]

I just have to toss in that I don't have cable and had no clue as to the reference to Draper. Time to look him up - oh that Mad Men program. I haven't seen it just what people post about it here.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

When I was a kid, I wanted to be just like my dad. Dad would lift weights, I would lift weights. Dad collected breweriana, I collected breweriana. Dad liked old cars, I liked old cars. He could fix things, I tried to fix things. Typical father/son dynamic. I don't see that anymore. I have a few friends who have kids who are a few years old and should absolutely be at the 'I wanna be like Dad' age, and it just isn't happening anymore.

When I was growing up many of the dads had hobbies such as woodworking, dirtbikes, etc., which they would often share with their kids. Nowadays they share their kids' TV and video game addictions.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

This makes me think of what happens when some one gets a call on their cell phone. A few people may say excuse me i have to take this call, but so many people put up the hand, like a traffic cop, and grab the call. I actually walked over to talk to you but that is more important. I find it odd at how important calls are over living people in ones presence.

I think somebody here at the Lounge first mentioned it on one thread or another but I can't find the reference. But it seems that a certain cellphone/texting etiquette has evolved where it's now considered rude NOT to respond to a call or text message immediately! This happens a lot with people I know that I often wonder if perhaps I should have phoned them instead of taking the trouble to visit with them. At least I'd be prioritized if I called. The mind boggles.

 

[Pompidou]

At the rate technology is progressing, it's no longer good enough to want to be like one's parents, I imagine. There was a time when it was expected that a son would do what his father did and a daughter would be a housewife. Even when that was no longer the case, the culture was still such that parents would say, "I want my kid to be just like me," and it was largely reciprocated. With the explosion of college education, something changed, and parents started saying, "My kid will have a better job than I did."

 

[Tiller]

So yes, I think you could blame Don Draper and his colleagues for a lot of the attitudes that developed with that generation.

[video=youtube;GDuIvZkLun8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDuIvZkLun8[/video]
The most honest rant I've heard in my life.

"Now that's what all the kids want to be. "Oh I want to be young and stupid!" But you know what you don't want to be that!.....

But you can't be young forever that's against the laws of the universe!'"

 

[AtomicEraTom]

In the words of Ron Howard on American Graffiti "You can't stay seventeen forever."

Craig Ferguson figures out why everything sucks.

The most honest rant I've heard in my life.

"Know that's what all the kids want to be. "Oh I want to be young and stupid!" But you know what you don't want to be that!.....

But you can't be young forever that's against the laws of the universe!'"

 

[AmateisGal]

To go along with the marketing theme...

As the mother of a soon-to-be 11-year-old girl, I can't stand the marketing that is directed toward her age group. Don't get me started on the clothing styles, either. We don't have cable and don't even get basic channels, but mostly just watch DVDs (she is a HUGE fan of Hogan's Heroes and the original Pink Panther movies). I have noticed that she has developed her own interests quite well since she doesn't have the commercials blasting in her ear all the time about the latest toy or fad. Of course, she does pick up on some of those fads from school, but not much.

She is reading a children's book series called Warriors - about fictional cat clans with names like "Stealthpaw" and "Tiger Paw", etc.- and has created her own "warriors" world in her closet- she made a forest out of construction paper, uses her plastic toy cats, put in rocks, leaves, etc., and spends hours playing with them. And this was all spawned from reading BOOKS.

She's also been known to make a mean Schultz or Colonel Klink impression.

I don't regret not having cable one bit (well, ok...I DO miss Turner Classic Movies...). It's allowed me to "control" some of the marketing efforts directed at my daughter.

 

[Undertow]

I can tell you from experience, I've become very much ostracized by my former friends and fellow peers for two reasons:
1. I don't, and won't, own a cellular phone.
2. I don't have a facebook account.

I'm not trying to rattle my walking cane and yell, "Darn kids!" here, but I do think it's quite indicative of just how selfish and strange our society has become when a guy like me is branded "psychopath" because I refuse the aforelisted luxuries.

In fact, I'm quite intimate in my interactions and prefer the company of a friend, as opposed to a phone or text message. If I'm unavailable, or my friend is unavailable, to meet, so much more the reason to look forward to our next meeting. [huh] If I'm with a person and they interrupt our conversation with texting, or taking calls, honestly, I find it rude and I typically cool off our friendship. Why not? What's the sense in hanging out with a friend, or going for a walk, or cooking someone dinner if their nose is stuck to a phone screen?

 

[sheeplady]

In the words of Ron Howard on American Graffiti "You can't stay seventeen forever."

I really have no idea why anyone would want to stay 17 forever. Can you imagine being stuck in high school living with your parents for eternity? You can't drink, you can't smoke, and you have no privacy. Constant acne and awkwardness. That is my nightmare.

Either these people lived some pretty glamour-filled teen years, or they are warped in the head.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I had a great high-school life. I had a ton of friends and plenty of space and freedom and my family is awesome. Still, I wouldn't wanna be 17 again.

I really have no idea why anyone would want to stay 17 forever. Can you imagine being stuck in high school living with your parents for eternity? You can't drink, you can't smoke, and you have no privacy. Constant acne and awkwardness. That is my nightmare.

Either these people lived some pretty glamour-filled teen years, or they are warped in the head.

 

[scottyrocks]

Even though Ive slowed down a bit over the years, it keeps getting better. I wouldnt want to go back, even knowing what I know now.

 

[JimWagner]

The most honest rant I've heard in my life.

"Now that's what all the kids want to be. "Oh I want to be young and stupid!" But you know what you don't want to be that!.....

But you can't be young forever that's against the laws of the universe!'"

Pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

 

[rue]

^ Yes, yes it does.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I was seventeen once and I wasn't any good at it.

I wouldn't mind being 32 forever, though. All of the adult responsibilities and privileges, and none of the presbyopia. And I still had a 27 inch waist.

 

[Mario]

The most honest rant I've heard in my life.

"Now that's what all the kids want to be. "Oh I want to be young and stupid!" But you know what you don't want to be that!.....

But you can't be young forever that's against the laws of the universe!'"

Thank you so much for the link. That really made my day! lol lol

I absolutely love this kind of rant. And Craig is only rivaled by Bill Hicks and George Carlin. Way to go!

 

[kamikat]

I was seventeen once and I wasn't any good at it.

I wouldn't mind being 32 forever, though. All of the adult responsibilities and privileges, and none of the presbyopia. And I still had a 27 inch waist.

You can have 32! At 32, I was potty training a 2yr old. I really enjoyed 35, though, the thinnest I've been in my adult life, both kids in all-day school, before the husband was laid off. That was the best time of my life.

 

[Fletch]

I can tell you from experience, I've become very much ostracized by my former friends and fellow peers for two reasons:
1. I don't, and won't, own a cellular phone.
2. I don't have a facebook account.

I'm not trying to rattle my walking cane and yell, "Darn kids!" here, but I do think it's quite indicative of just how selfish and strange our society has become when a guy like me is branded "psychopath" because I refuse the aforelisted luxuries.

In fact, I'm quite intimate in my interactions and prefer the company of a friend, as opposed to a phone or text message. If I'm unavailable, or my friend is unavailable, to meet, so much more the reason to look forward to our next meeting. [huh] If I'm with a person and they interrupt our conversation with texting, or taking calls, honestly, I find it rude and I typically cool off our friendship. Why not? What's the sense in hanging out with a friend, or going for a walk, or cooking someone dinner if their nose is stuck to a phone screen?

May I be the devil's advocate for a bit?

You're out of tempo. People today who are nice and social don't wait for time to be together physically and share intimately. They're too in touch with the tempo of the lives people generally lead. They would no sooner ask their friends to give up FB or texting than to paint their heads blue and meet at the full moon.

That - ironically - is part of being nice and social in any era. You make allowances for a lot of dumb mindless stuff because it is kinder to accept others' lifestyles for what they are and go along. Not to mention that it makes others more open to you, and usually, easier to keep close to (even tho that closeness has a limit).