I was wrong, I admit it. I will no longer be posting in this thread.
Let this thread die, because it deserves to.
Let this thread die, because it deserves to.
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Kids these days don't know how good they have it.
- Thread starter Lightning Count
- Start date
From a consumer point of view, I guess this is true...but uh, I'm not sure anyone who says that kids don't know how good they have it nowadays has a grip on the reality of what today is really like
OP
OP
True, social anxiety and depression is worse than ever. Social media enabled bullying is a lot worse than what we went through.
Also future generations are inheriting a planet that is fucked by the boomers.
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OP
Climate change deniers are the worst of the fucking worst. They have that fuck you got mine attitude
I'm nearly 40, and I disagree.
For adults, yes, a lot of what we enjoy has become better, more accessible, more immediate, and more diverse since the 80s and 90s. But this generation of children are bearing the brunt of a social experiment on a scale neither we nor our parents could have imagined. I was bullied as a child and younger teen, but I knew that when I left school, it would stop for the day. Had I been constantly connected, it would never have ended.
And by the same logic, I have enjoyed an international job and client market that has opened up in an incredible way, but I was also of an age where my career was already up and running and my primary challenge was growing it. Young people now are competing against not just their domestic cohort, but also the global one.
I'm not saying that 2020 isn't great, in terms of technological progress, but that's a dual edged sword for young people.
For adults, yes, a lot of what we enjoy has become better, more accessible, more immediate, and more diverse since the 80s and 90s. But this generation of children are bearing the brunt of a social experiment on a scale neither we nor our parents could have imagined. I was bullied as a child and younger teen, but I knew that when I left school, it would stop for the day. Had I been constantly connected, it would never have ended.
And by the same logic, I have enjoyed an international job and client market that has opened up in an incredible way, but I was also of an age where my career was already up and running and my primary challenge was growing it. Young people now are competing against not just their domestic cohort, but also the global one.
I'm not saying that 2020 isn't great, in terms of technological progress, but that's a dual edged sword for young people.
Technology-wise, sure. But for everything else (inflation, tuition, climate change, cost of health insurance, cults of ignorance, etc.), at least in the US, things are awful and will seemingly never improve.
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Yeah modern technology is pretty great.
Get a grip lol. JFC, dude.
Yeah, I think it's only better from a consumer, tech perspective.
But their environmental future looks grim and they're living in a pandemic, in some places they can't go to school and play with their friends. My 1 year old nephew, for example, probably might not have recollection of seeing people without masks on the street, so in his baby head using a mask is normal life. I guess it's not so great then
But their environmental future looks grim and they're living in a pandemic, in some places they can't go to school and play with their friends. My 1 year old nephew, for example, probably might not have recollection of seeing people without masks on the street, so in his baby head using a mask is normal life. I guess it's not so great then
Yeah would be pretty awesome having all this tech when I was younger. That is probably how every generation feels though.
Kids never know these things. They never know how good they have it. It's not just these days. They've never known. It's not part of childhood to have the level of perspective that allows for this.
It's not like we didn't have anxiety and depression back then either, you know..
Growing up back then we didn't think about it, but having no phone apart from the box a couple of streets away meant communicating wasn't easy. No internet, so no streaming, in fact 4 channels on a black and white tv, outdoor toilets, less rights, outdated laws, guys like me never got to go to university, accessibility of healthy food, healthcare, all sorts of things that over the years have seen improvements.
Even with all that though, I'd say each generation has their own issues to deal with.
Growing up back then we didn't think about it, but having no phone apart from the box a couple of streets away meant communicating wasn't easy. No internet, so no streaming, in fact 4 channels on a black and white tv, outdoor toilets, less rights, outdated laws, guys like me never got to go to university, accessibility of healthy food, healthcare, all sorts of things that over the years have seen improvements.
Even with all that though, I'd say each generation has their own issues to deal with.
I cannot imagine what it's like navigating the internet/social media scape as a teenager now. Like it was a mess when I was a kid, but now it's built into our lives as a very non-stop thing.
Depression is on the rise.
Even twelve years ago it was expected that people went to college to get good jobs, and that hasn't gone away, but tuition has only gone up and the job market is just a total fucking shitshow right now. We've probably bitched about entry level jobs asking for years of experience for awhile, but I don't see that fixing itself by the time the current age of kids are looking at careers. And as someone else said, we're now competing globally and not just within our city circle or the surrounding areas.
I didn't like high school, but there were so many on/off buttons that let me shut it all out for the day or weekend. I don't know if those are around as much.
Depression is on the rise.
Even twelve years ago it was expected that people went to college to get good jobs, and that hasn't gone away, but tuition has only gone up and the job market is just a total fucking shitshow right now. We've probably bitched about entry level jobs asking for years of experience for awhile, but I don't see that fixing itself by the time the current age of kids are looking at careers. And as someone else said, we're now competing globally and not just within our city circle or the surrounding areas.
I didn't like high school, but there were so many on/off buttons that let me shut it all out for the day or weekend. I don't know if those are around as much.
I grew up in the 80s and 90s and feel the same way. I'm really, really glad I did not grow up with social media. As other people have said, kids are definitely better off as far as technology goes but I don't if I would consider the rest of their lives an upgrade. Anyway, some more "back in my day" observations:
- If you wanted to watch a movie you didn't physically own, you had to go to the video store, look at boxes on shelves to see if the movie looked interesting, and hope that someone else hadn't already rented it.
- If you didn't know how to get somewhere, you had to ask for directions or get yourself a printed map to plot your own course. Would it be the fastest way there? Probably not.
- If you wanted to talk to someone, you had to call the one number belonging to everyone in the house and hope that someone you wanted to talk to was there (and that someone you DIDN'T want to talk to didn't pick up).
They have to read much more at school now compared to us and our parents. Foreign language learning became also more demanding.
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Also with many mental and developmental issues getting detected by psychiatrists and psychologists you see many more kids with issues. In my generation those students would be punished or slapped by the teacher because of laziness and causing problems.
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Also with many mental and developmental issues getting detected by psychiatrists and psychologists you see many more kids with issues. In my generation those students would be punished or slapped by the teacher because of laziness and causing problems.
A lot of what you're listing is still being experienced by people born after 2020. Weekly shows are very much still a thing, they have a harder time trying to get a product on release day due to bots, downloading games can takes hours depending on where you live.
With that said every generation has some unique challenges.
With that said every generation has some unique challenges.
I cannot even imagine being cut off from my closest friends for a year as a young kid, let alone be stuck in the house with my family that entire time, nowhere to go. 2020 is a HORRIBLE reality for kids, and things are only going to get worse with climate change. Also, with the smartphones, internet, etc, parents are savvier then they were in the 90s. Kids can't get away with anything anymore.
Disagree. I wasn't bullied 24/7/365 growing up because social media wasn't a thing yet. I wonder if I would even make it out of middle school alive nowadays.
Well, you convinced me.
Well, you convinced me.
Uuuh no. Social media is trash, cell phones, teachers not caring like they used to. If you don't have a celly best believe your friends will and you'll be hit with fomo. everything you do under constant scrutiny. Nobody goes outside.Your whole life is running from the algorithm.
Libraries are closed and the older generation is fucking your planet everyday. Living life doesn't come down to video games and tv.
And don't get me started on living as a black kid.
Libraries are closed and the older generation is fucking your planet everyday. Living life doesn't come down to video games and tv.
And don't get me started on living as a black kid.
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Sounds like you're around my age (37). I actually think things are overall worse now for people growing up, mainly due to social media but also the state of world politics, climate change, job markets, house prices etc. Like you, I've experienced life with and without the internet and I must say there are benefits to both.
I don't envy anyone growing up right now.
I don't envy anyone growing up right now.
Forgot starvation. Or dying of thirst because the corporate overlords are controlling the limited water supply.
I mean this is more us problem. It's a problem all over the world
It was a weird time when social media was Orkut and MSN messenger.
im nearly 40 to and thats the thing im not envious of, i knew when i went home i could get some respite, obviously some kids werent as lucky but it was a small amount but these days it can literally follow kids anywhere they go.
You underestimate the pleasure of having something AFTER you WAITED for it.
You underestimate the pleasures of dreaming about something - the road, not the destination - and overestimate the pleasure of instant gratification.
You underestimate the evil of ingratitude that can show up once people have everything they want instantly.
You underestimate the toll of negative, depressive folks on internet forums like this one can have on young people.
You underestimate the pleasures of dreaming about something - the road, not the destination - and overestimate the pleasure of instant gratification.
You underestimate the evil of ingratitude that can show up once people have everything they want instantly.
You underestimate the toll of negative, depressive folks on internet forums like this one can have on young people.
I mean, go and talk to kids in actual 3rd world countries, they would come live in the US without hesistating for even a second. US is the stuff of dreams. They get to experience problems that are alien to most of us.
Kids these days have it good because they have nothing to think about except education and well-being, and basically ways to improve their QoL. Kids their age in the 30s or 40s had to go to war, who the hell had time or thought about what electronic equipment you had?
Honestly if anything being able to plop your kid in front of Netflix for like six hours probably does more to hurt them.
I really do not want my future kids growing up with iPads and the like - entertainment is fine in doses, we can do family movie nights or whatever but they should be reading and going outside. Then again I was a massive couch potato as a kid myself so who knows if I'll have it in me to raise them like that.
I really do not want my future kids growing up with iPads and the like - entertainment is fine in doses, we can do family movie nights or whatever but they should be reading and going outside. Then again I was a massive couch potato as a kid myself so who knows if I'll have it in me to raise them like that.
Given the choice to be a kid these days or a kid during the times I grew up in, there's no question I'd pick the latter. Being a kid in today's world would be a fucking nightmare.
We've had forums for decades now. And let's face it. Places like this are for old people. Kids use discord or other social media to get depressed now.
