If only everyone was as awesome as me, this whole self-loathing passive-aggressive Seattle-style angst would evaporate in a puff of smooth, flavorful Laramie cigarette smoke.
It's a combination of a jillion things, some of which are:
• The false self-esteem schools are teaching these days. Everybody always does a "great job!" and nobody is ever criticized. And they hold freakin' graduation ceremonies for passage into practically every new grade now. Ridiculous.
• The inability/unwillingness of so many parents to set limits and rules for their children and set & enforce standards of behavior. Everything's "Oh, he'll grow out of it, and if he doesn't he can go on medication." People are also far too interested in maintaining two incomes (and here in suburban CT, sometimes the two incomes aren't truly needed) as opposed to actually raising their children and nurturing their development as whole people.
• Society has become increasingly casual and permissive. The emphasis is on instant gratification and everything being as fun as possible. Our consumer culture offers entirely too many choices, from breakfast cereal to where to go to college. It's overwhelming, and it has spilled over into the moral aspects of our culture as well. For some reason, these days it's OK to be 30 years old and still fucking around, trying to "find yourself." I know an astonishing number of 30-somethings who have what Douglas Coupland calls "McJobs" -- low paying, dead end jobs -- as opposed to jobs (or even, heaven forbid, careers) that are going to help them build lives they can feel secure in. A lot of my friends have nothing in their savings accounts and no retirement savings started. It's frightening. Am I going to be supporting my own friends with my tax payments in 45 years?
Many young people today need a kick in the ass -- from their parents and families, from the educational system, and from Society in general. Instead, many of them are coddled from those very same angles. It makes for a really fun childhood to have no rules and no consequences for one's actions, but then adulthood hits and one realizes one doesn't know how to handle adult responsibilities. I speak from experience on this. In many ways, I didn't learn how to be a responsible adult until I was in my late 20s. I just looked better on paper and in bank statements than some of my friends.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2005-06-04 03:06 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2005-06-04 08:51 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2005-06-04 04:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-04 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-04 04:47 am (UTC)I LIKE IT.
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Date: 2005-06-04 04:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-04 05:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-04 08:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-04 06:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-04 07:32 pm (UTC)• The false self-esteem schools are teaching these days. Everybody always does a "great job!" and nobody is ever criticized. And they hold freakin' graduation ceremonies for passage into practically every new grade now. Ridiculous.
• The inability/unwillingness of so many parents to set limits and rules for their children and set & enforce standards of behavior. Everything's "Oh, he'll grow out of it, and if he doesn't he can go on medication." People are also far too interested in maintaining two incomes (and here in suburban CT, sometimes the two incomes aren't truly needed) as opposed to actually raising their children and nurturing their development as whole people.
• Society has become increasingly casual and permissive. The emphasis is on instant gratification and everything being as fun as possible. Our consumer culture offers entirely too many choices, from breakfast cereal to where to go to college. It's overwhelming, and it has spilled over into the moral aspects of our culture as well. For some reason, these days it's OK to be 30 years old and still fucking around, trying to "find yourself." I know an astonishing number of 30-somethings who have what Douglas Coupland calls "McJobs" -- low paying, dead end jobs -- as opposed to jobs (or even, heaven forbid, careers) that are going to help them build lives they can feel secure in. A lot of my friends have nothing in their savings accounts and no retirement savings started. It's frightening. Am I going to be supporting my own friends with my tax payments in 45 years?
Many young people today need a kick in the ass -- from their parents and families, from the educational system, and from Society in general. Instead, many of them are coddled from those very same angles. It makes for a really fun childhood to have no rules and no consequences for one's actions, but then adulthood hits and one realizes one doesn't know how to handle adult responsibilities. I speak from experience on this. In many ways, I didn't learn how to be a responsible adult until I was in my late 20s. I just looked better on paper and in bank statements than some of my friends.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-06 11:45 pm (UTC)Add 2. 4-5 years of increasing mediocrity and bureaucracy, sealed with a diploma.
Top with 3. McJob with no growth, a shitty apartment in a too-expensive place, and a complete lack of direction!
Ending in 4. High expectations and sense of entitlement wallowing in reality stew.