Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Stereotypes don't develop from a small handful of people exhibiting certain behaviors, but rather because an overwhelming majority follow the herd and act the same way everyone else around them acts. Sure, there are false stereotypes and close-minded thinking, but as the years drag on here in the US I really feel people around me getting stupider and stupider. I see and hear things and think to myself "It's already 2505" and if you've seen the movie Idiocracy by Mike Judge you'll know what I'm talking about.
I've lived in several different states, though primarily in the West, so I do have some regional comparisons. And the older I get, the dumber the younger generations seem to be. I think what bothers me the most is the complete lack of hardship my generation (X) and those after me have experienced, therefore creating zero challenge or effort required to survive. It seems that very few people I meet are even aware of the challenges and hardships of those before us - and I'm not going back that far. For every retarded comment I hear, I only wish I could magically port that person to an impoverished city in India or send them back to the Depression era, with a faint glimmer of hope that they will see how easy and environmentally destructive their current life is. My father was born in the midst of WW2 Germany and had to steal potatoes from nearby farms because - GASP - there was actually very little food available to buy. Or to have to pee in a pot and find it frozen the next morning because there was no heat. The younger generations in the US have absolutely no concept or respect for this, and the waste I see is simply atrocious.
I see young girls in a public bathroom turn on the sink faucet and just let it run and run and run as they *** away on a cell phone, then just walk away and leave the water running. I see coworkers fill up their rubbish bin with plastic food packaging, rotting food, cans and bottles in ONE DAY while at the end of the week my bin has maybe a couple pieces of paper in it. I hear an 18 year old say she's afraid to eat "organic" vegetables because she thinks it's full of bugs and will kill her. I see weekly garbage bins around my neighborhood (I think these are 40 gallon containers?) overflowing with paper boxes, cans, bottles, unwanted furniture, small appliances - yet it takes my husband and I 6-8 full weeks to fill this same bin with waste material (which is still pretty bad) because we actually have the mind to reuse or recycle as much material as possible. I'm not trying to be snotty or holier-than-thou here...I'm just saying that NOBODY CARES because their life is just so easy and everything is disposable. Just throw it away, buy more! I had to blink at a City Data commenter who was ecstatic over the idea to hang her laundry outside to dry instead of using a dryer. It's like she had never even heard of such a thing - and I believe it. A couple of years ago I dealt with a leasing agent who had no idea what a compost bin is. Ok, fair enough, city girl. I explained that you can toss your kitchen scraps and dead leaves into it and in a few weeks it breaks down into rich soil for your garden. "Why would you do that?" she asks. Sigh.
The water wasting is the worst, particularly because I live in a desert region. I see people just blasting their sidewalks and cars like it's a neverending fountain. The city where I live has a hotline to report infractions against the "summer irrigation rules", but apparently it's BS because last Monday I saw the library running sprinklers after 10AM to try to revive the dead, pointless grass surrounding the building. Here it's "illegal" to irrigate vegetation on Mondays and after 10AM. So I guess I'll call the city to report them to themselves.
I could go on and on. The younger generation is dumb dumb and triple dumb and it's going to turn around and hit them hard in coming years. I can hardly wait.
oh, because the "older" generations have done so well at not being wasteful?
some of us would love to recycle and "eat organic" and not use a dryer, but some of us, like myself, live in a little apartment, and can't afford to buy fancy organic food or string a clothesline between my building and the train tracks outside of my window.
but hey, at least i'm not driving a car around anymore.
gnubler. There are plenty of dopey people in all age brackets. Come to Kansas City and you'll see precisely what I mean. The worst drivers are not the 20 somethings but the people that are over the age of 40. They *** away on their cell phones and don't pay attention to anything on the road. And people of all age brackets exhibit the same distasteful traits you've outlined. If anything the 20 somethings may be less prone to the problems you describe aside from the cell phone problem.
If you seen the movie Idiocracy and take a good look at society today, you will understand where the OP is coming from. I agree, there is a definite dumbing down of Americans.
Speaking of which, Gen X (which I am a part of), in my opinion, is leading the herd. Sorry to say, but even at our age we are still a generation of slackers. I will say that on our behalf, we are probably the last generation who still enjoys reading books in our own free time.
wonder what the older generation thought of the OP when they were that age, hindsight is 20/20? Its just amazing how intelligent one thinks one is the older one gets.
If gnubler's father and mother were born around WW Two it is likely he is not all that old. In my estimation the WW Two generation is the last one to truly have a clue. However, I see a real awakening on the part of some of the 20 somethings. They seem to realize things are going bad and many are speaking up. I've noted that Ron Paul, the independent Republican candidate has a lot of support among younger people. That is a good sign.
seems to me that making disparaging remarks about the younger generation has been going on since the pyramids were under construction. The more things change, the more they stay the same.........
Okay, every generation is full of idiots, especially when they're still young. It sounds like you're looking at high school students and judging them on that. This is nothing new, there are still plenty of smart people, if not more - nice try on preaching doom and gloom though!! But you failed.
These same arguments have been made throughout human history. Don't worry, the world will be fine.
Thank you! That's all that needs to be said.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
