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Simple answer. Parents have gotten lazy. I believe they spend way too much time away from their home. Perhaps spend more time in traffic than at home. I blame the emphasis on suburbs that promotes spontaneous development that increases traffic and a lack of activities to do.......but what about cities, young people in the city are likely at a disadvantage to begin with. With a lack of opportunity available to them, they look for other ways to feel like they belong and harass those who are not like them.
My point is that parents are not there for their kids. Kids do not have guidance to lead them in the right direction. They have to learn the hard way about life especially when they find themselves in trouble or when they mature, which ever comes first. I hope it is the latter for the sake of our society.
Parents are a big part of it. I often wonder what will become of the next generation. Whenever I go into certain public places, I sometimes see parents who aren't disciplining their children properly, if at all. It makes me wonder what will become of the kids born after 1992. I remember when I was a kid(I'm 26 years old BTW). If I ever misbehaved in a restaurant or some other public place, I knew how much trouble I would get into. That is when I was 10. I knew not to misbehave in a store or cause some kind of crap in the store. In fact, one woman commented to my mother(at age 10) about how well-behaved I was(in an airport). Both of my parents made sure I didn't act up in public places like stores.
If the parents aren't doing their job, then it makes me wonder about the the nexr generation, about how many more degenerates will come out of it. One place where this could be very clear is in the schools.
I remember my high school(class of 2004). There are many people I know who have turned into degenerates. I think the degenerates have always been there. It is just now these degenerates are taking over pop culture.
I have more to add to this. The USA is not the only place where you can find degenerates. You can find them in other countries. A few years ago I was speaking with a friend of mine about her country, Japan. I had this idea that in Japan, there are no high school dropouts, or degeneration in Japan. She let me know that this was not really true, that in fact, there are youths in Japan who are on drugs or dropping out of school.
This is what I see. There are degenerates in both the USA and Japan. The difference is this. In the USA, alot of degenerates spend their lives coasting and getting by. A few get lucky. In fact, there has always been an undercurrent of "degenerate" in the USA for a long time. However, in recent years, the degenerate culture started to become part of pop culture. Think about music made by Kurt Cobain, Biggie, Ice Cube, Marilyn Manson,etc. This is music that basically glorifies being a degenerate. Add to it the "ME" culture, and the degenerate culture becomes quite popular among some youths. Historically, anyone who had degenerate behavior were pushed to the shadows, kind of like the stepchild living in the attic or basement. Nowadays, it still happens, but a culture has formed from it. The stigma is felt, but the individualistic culture has led to a mentality of "so what if I'm a degenerate? I'm proud of it".
In Japan, there is no room for degenerate behavior. You are expected to perform well in school, and if you don't, you not only disgrace yourself, but you disgrace your family too. The group culture in Japan means that it isn't all about you. If you drop out of school or end up on drugs, you get pushed to the shadows because such behavior is considered a great shame.
The difference is that in America, there is an individualistic culture in which any degenerate behavior can continue. In Japan, such behavior is punished quickly and harshly, because it is about the group. In a group culture, there is no room for degenerate behavior.
Two apparently opposite things contribute the most to American degeneracy: debased Protestantism and the pseudo-religion of self-esteem.
Popular-level Protestant dogma disconnected virtue from anything like actual behavior, making "faith" the ultimate value and relieving people of the need to practice what they claimed to believe. Religion is thus only a stamp, a membership card.
The modern, thoroughly stupid idea that self-esteem is a basic right and does not need to be earned is usually associated with liberals, but serves the same function in reducing anyone's incentive to behave decently.
I'm American and I will say there are way to many people on drugs here like cocaine, pain killers, and heavy meds without perscriptions. There are a lot of depressed people with drinking problems and a lot of straight up idiots who can't hold a conversation.
A lot of people here are also socially retarded and can't let loose without drinking.
People here don't dance or are ashamed to dance, many people don't cook or don't know how to cook, and many many women I grew up with tolerate physical and mental abuse from men.
I don't ****ing get it. Foreign people in the US generally have their **** together compared to their American counterparts.
This is coming from someone who is from Boston and also lived in Miami for five years.
My biggest grip is the amount of shyness and lack of letting loose. A culture that doesn't embrace dancing beside stripper dancing is missing something huge.
It's all spiritual. Very easy, like many people here have stated. With, a higher power, and purpose, and values on thinking of other people this affect's behavior. Respect for others makes the difference. Love for other people. Jesus Christ is my savior and makes the difference in many people worldwide.
It's all spiritual. Very easy, like many people here have stated. With, a higher power, and purpose, and values on thinking of other people this affect's behavior. Respect for others makes the difference. Love for other people. Jesus Christ is my savior and makes the difference in many people worldwide.
I agree that lack of religion adds to the issue. Even as a non religious person, the ethics and values you learn from studying religion stick with you.
You know how if you raise a dog without being properly socialized it has odd behavior? That's what the suburbs have done to our children. Reality is what you watch on MTV, your freinds are online, and your personality is expressed through video games and other fantasies.
We American's took our post-WWII wealth and squadered it by sequestering ourselves into private domains where the front door is the garage and we talk to as few people as necessary.
To be fair, we are a populous country. Maybe if you looked at degenerate per capita it wouldn't be so bad? Tossing a drink is quite bizarre. Who am I kidding? You're probably right.
On behalf of those Americans, I appologize. I'm sure that if you stay long enough you will see that we are also generous, considerate, and kind.
This is epic. I have noticed the first paragraph as well and never found a way to verbalize it in a way that other could understand. I grew up in an old school city and when I moved to Miami which is a giant suburb I met so many people EXACTLY what your are describing.
Sheer size and numbers. In Canada we have about 34 million people and about one degenerate per thousand persons..You have well over 360 million people...if my math is correct you have ten times as many degenerates Nothing special about your degeneration...you are just bigger and have more room for more rot.
Because here they understood "democracy" as in: "do whatever the hell you want with complete disregard to who you hurt"! Nothing is regulated properly, loopholes everywhere, and people are vaccinated against common sense at birth!
I am from an European country too, and I am perplexed at what is allowed here in terms of fashion, education, and basic common sense in general.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dusk99
I'll give a recent example. I'm walking down a busy road when out of nowhere someone tosses a drink at me. Add to that random people in passerby cars who scream things just for the hell of it. Such behavior would be unthinkable in my home country (by the way I'm from a small European country). I also know bored suburban teenagers who have nothing better to do on weekend nights than to go out and vandalize people's property. Most of them do drugs, which also seems to be the norm in this country. I've never encountered such a high degree of inconsiderate idiocy as I have in this country. What is it about your society that produces such degenerates? I expected Americans to be a civilized people.
Because here they understood "democracy" as in: "do whatever the hell you want with complete disregard to who you hurt"! Nothing is regulated properly, loopholes everywhere, and people are vaccinated against common sense at birth!
I am from an European country too, and I am perplexed at what is allowed here in terms of fashion, education, and basic common sense in general.
Which one? - It's easy to hide behind an invisible wall.
I too am European (and I extract the urine from Americans whenever I want to)
But I do at least have the balls to declare which European city I am sheltering behind.
"I am from an European country too"
Which one? Put your money where your mouth is!
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