How to classify today's kids..?

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
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Not terribly long ago, the media heads grouped a generation with a label of Gen "X". Then we had Gen "Y".

What would we call today's batch of young adults coming into the market place that grew up with computer, cell phone, and iDevice tech being the norm?

NextGen?
 
AggieMike88 said:
Not terribly long ago, the media heads grouped a generation with a label of Gen "X". Then we had Gen "Y".

What would we call today's batch of young adults coming into the market place that grew up with computer, cell phone, and iDevice tech being the norm?

NextGen?
Click to expand...

Gen F
(Fat).
 
Well, I know a few things for sure about them...
Lose the electrical grid and they go nuts... If they can't connect, they fall apart... My grand daughter is a case in point - she sassed her mom who canceled the phone service on her smartphone for 2 months... She is showing classic signs of depression...
Another thing is that most of them (not all) do nothing with their hands... Most have never used wrenches on an engine, taken a sink drain apart, planted a garden, repaired a flat tire, and on, and on... (though some are really good at growing pot)

Most are totally unprepared to survive in a zero technology world brought on by war/volcano/earthquake/whatever... The young people in Iraq/Afghanistan are vastly more prepared to get along in a world of outhouses and donkey carts... Our little hot house flowers would curl up and die...
 
I call them Electrogen. They are the generation that is going to either: (a) be electrocuted by all their electronic junk, or (b) physically die of withdrawal if the system goes down.

Take their technology away from them even for a couple minutes and they freak out. I know of several people that can't even go potty without taking the phone with them and preferably their ipod as well. (Aside: I quit going to dinner with a friend of mine because the phone, calls and near constant text messages and internet access, took unconditional priority over our conversations. If I'm going to go sit at a nice restaurant and not talk to anyone, I'm going to go by myself and actually enjoy the lack of company)

I'm convinced that the ADD, biplar and all that other related nonsense is technology induced. We didn't have those problems when we were growing up. They're now raised with the technology stuff in their hands 24/7/365+ and it's jumping from one thing to the next constantly over very short time periods. It's worse than the sesame street 3 minute attention span.
 
I thought they were called "millenials" or something like that.

@ Frank, sure we had ADD. They just didn't know what it was back then. I had friends who were definitely ADD and I probably was too...and still am in many ways.
 
@Denny; Add cooking and knowing good nutrition info to your list. Fast/quick food is too easy and "cheap" to get, and we know over time will create a mountain of health problems.
 
How about helicopter kids? I think part on the problem is over protective parents. There was an article in the WSJ about that recently where Moms and Dads attending College Orientation with their kids were actually sneaking into the student only meetings since they felt little Susy and Johnny couldn't handle it.

I also agree with the Electron Generation although I do miss the cable with Flying Wild Alaska and Ice Pilots when the power goes out. :D

Cheers
 
They are known as the "me" generation, due to their need for constant approval, especially in the workplace. The theory goes that they were raised by thier parents (us) with constant approval and no criticism. They never experienced success and failure, when everyone is a winner everytime. I do believe that there are many of this generation bely this stereotype, however. Just as the generation before mine criticized me and my peers, some of us still did OK and turned into successful, self reliant and halfway decent adults.
 
Dr. O said:
Well, I know a few things for sure about them...
Lose the electrical grid and they go nuts... If they can't connect, they fall apart... My grand daughter is a case in point - she sassed her mom who canceled the phone service on her smartphone for 2 months... She is showing classic signs of depression...
Another thing is that most of them (not all) do nothing with their hands... Most have never used wrenches on an engine, taken a sink drain apart, planted a garden, repaired a flat tire, and on, and on... (though some are really good at growing pot)

Most are totally unprepared to survive in a zero technology world brought on by war/volcano/earthquake/whatever... The young people in Iraq/Afghanistan are vastly more prepared to get along in a world of outhouses and donkey carts... Our little hot house flowers would curl up and die...
Click to expand...

Oh, please.

Old folks have been complaining about youngsters since there were old folks and youngsters.

Complaining about the younger generation is more a reflection of the tacit recognition of your increasing irrelevance than anything wrong with today's youth.

I'm sure Zogg complained about his son eating a cooked Mastodon leg and how he was so spoiled just because Ogg learned about fire.
 
BurtM said:
Oh, please.

Old folks have been complaining about youngsters since there were old folks and youngsters.

Complaining about the younger generation is more a reflection of the tacit recognition of your increasing irrelevance than anything wrong with today's youth.

I'm sure Zogg complained about his son eating a cooked Mastodon leg and how he was so spoiled just because Ogg learned about fire.
Click to expand...

Yup.

The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound.
Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book,
and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching."
Assyrian tablet, c. 2800 BCE
 
timwinters said:
I thought they were called "millenials" or something like that.

@ Frank, sure we had ADD. They just didn't know what it was back then. I had friends who were definitely ADD and I probably was too...and still am in many ways.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Same idea - different viewpoint. We were "normal" back then and easily distracted by "shiny". Kids today are not taught to resist distraction and get diagnosed with ADD by frustrated babysitters who call themselves parents. After I got grounded a few times for "failing to notice what time it was" and reporting back home as a kid, I learned to pay attention to my watch.
 
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My daughter is 25. Her ultimate dream is an off-the-grid hobby farm and teaching in a community college. A bit atypical, but it gives me hope.
 
airguy said:
I disagree. Same idea - different viewpoint. We were "normal" back then and easily distracted by "shiny". Kids today are not taught to resist distraction and get diagnosed with ADD by frustrated babysitters who call themselves parents. After I got grounded a few times for "failing to notice what time it was" and reporting back home as a kid, I learned to pay attention to my watch.
Click to expand...

Someone figured out what worked for you.

Different children are different, even from the same parents. It's the parents' job to figure out how to educate/stimulate/discipline to the best of their abilities. Sometimes, in spite of great efforts, even exemplary parents can't figure it out. Look at some of the adolescent criminals that have perpetrated abhorrent acts in spite of what most all of us would call good parenting.

And on the other hand, look at examples of children that have grown up under some pretty awful circumstances and have gone on to become good citizens.

People today that get frustrated by children getting diagnosed with various disorders probably aren't old enough to remember the old saws, like, "Spare the rod, spoil the child" and "Children should be seen and not heard."

The biology of generating children is pretty simple. Figuring out what is right for each one that results from the tab-A in slot-B isn't.
 
I would call them the P generation, think of cat.
But kids are so coddeled, babied, and spoiled.
I can't stand how parents are handicapping thier kids by having the goal of never disappointing them and NEVER say no to them. Kids can no longer be independent and walk a few blocks away to a friend, they need to be driven. Guess what there are NO MORE abductions today then 60 years ago, FBI stats. Parents don't want to give kids chores anymore, it takes time away from them being kids. So if thats the case, when do kids start learning responsibility and accountability?
I remember when I was a kid I couldn't wait to be older, to have more freedom, to be treated differently. My kids, they make it clear they are kids, and want to stay kids.

It's just scary to think how the younger generation will end up, especially when they are running the country when we are old.
 
Don't know why everyone is beating up on my generation. I'm sure some of you weren't perfect kids.

We will be fine.
 
DavidWhite said:
Don't know why everyone is beating up on my generation. I'm sure some of you weren't perfect kids.

We will be fine.
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You're one of the few exceptions. ;)
 
I think it was George Carlin or one other comedian that said, "When I was growing up there wasn't A.D.D or A.D.H.D,... it was just B.A.D." :rofl:
 
I look at some people my age (I'm 25) and I get a little sad. Then I take a look at those younger than me, and I get really sad.

Kids are pretty wimpy these days. Makes me proud to have my Dad as my Dad, if that makes sense. He taught me how to turn wrenches, fix things in a pinch, be a man about stuff, and survive outside. Sure, I enjoy the interwebz and I certainly play Xbox; but, I also like going outside and doing things. I like using my hands and I get bored at office jobs where I don't do any physical work.

However, the saddest thing is how fat this nation is becoming. Then we just point the finger of blame at someone else because of it! One of my fraternity brothers said something to us once: "When you point your finger at someone, there are three others pointing back at you." Makes a lot of sense.
 
Dave, I would expect anyone your age posting on here to have more discipline and ambition and common sense than the average... Becoming a pilot is not the instant gratification that Gen F (I like it! ) demands..

There are shades of gray in Gen F, however... My grandson, Cole, is a computer, internet and gaming expert... He is not fat however - 6' 4" of muscle that drove the HS coaches wild because he has zero interest in sports.. He starts as a Freshman at Akron University Honors College in 2 weeks on a 5 year Masters degree program in Biomedical Engineering... He just turned 16... Not all you Gen F are lost causes..
 
The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.
Click to expand...

- Socrates
 
DavidWhite said:
Don't know why everyone is beating up on my generation. I'm sure some of you weren't perfect kids.

We will be fine.
Click to expand...

Dave, I agree with you. When I look at our young soldiers I am inspired. When I look at the hard working young people that work for me, I am grateful.

The problem is not the kids though. Kids today are no different from any other generation for thousands of years. The problem is with over protective parents and a growing population that is presenting more risks and dangers than ever before. The problem is aggravated by a "nanny state" government that thinks they can provide everything for everyone and make everything "fair".

Kids today face harsher handicaps than any generation before them. I don't mean health or physical handicaps. That has largely been eliminated through technology. They are limited by societal handicaps. But the cream always rises to the top and I think our current generation has a lot of cream. Of course, cream is also fattening and I think it is a REAL DAMN SHAME that so many of our kids are so fat because of the life style that has been handed to them.

When I see a fat mother and father walking through the grocery store with their fat little kids with a basket full of chips and cokes and frozen pizzas and not a vegetable in sight (except frozen french fries) I want to have them arrested for child abuse.
 
It's a vegetable botanically; but, I put it more in the starch category. Going on the old-school food pyramid, it would be located on the bottom. If I'm going to be eating veggies, it's gonna be carrots and salads and stuff.
 
Bob Noel said:
or Gen huh?

or Gen you-want-fries-with-that?
Click to expand...

Or Gen needs-a-calculator-to-figure-change-on-a-$122.54-transaction-after-you-hand-them-seven-twenty-dollar-bills
 
HerrGruyere said:
I don't think I would consider french fries a vegetable, hahaha.
Click to expand...

Add any white starch that is consumed in too large of a portion to this list
 
I have a 12 & 9 yr old. Today's kids are just doing what they see us doing and what we allow them to do.
 
They are what we created them to be, don't blame them, blame us, we set a ****ty example and they learn from how we run the world.
 
RV10flyer said:
I have a 12 & 9 yr old. Today's kids are just doing what they see us doing and what we allow them to do.
Click to expand...

A good saying I heard long ago is "Today's kid is a copy of his grandfather". Meaning that the youngster is being taught the lessons, values, and morals that his/her dad was taught by his dad.

Edit: This fits what Henning posted just above.
 
AggieMike88 said:
A good saying I heard long ago is "Today's kid is a copy of his grandfather". Meaning that the youngster is being taught the lessons, values, and morals that his/her dad was taught by his dad.

Edit: This fits what Henning posted just above.
Click to expand...

Exactly, and what do we teach them besides greed, violence and selfishness?
 
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