Missing the old days

[Flying Dutchman]

I was sitting at home today thinking (yes, believe it or not I can have a cohesive thought) about our children's generation and their loss of innocence. I was trying to figure out just where it went and why. Why are times so different now then when we were kids? Where did we lose our sense of family and community? I am going to blame technology and our ever increasing sense of "making things better".

I grew up here in Dodge. I can remember as a kid only having 3 channels to watch (well 5 actually if you counted PBS and channel 2 from Denver), listening to KGNO and KEDD on the radio (both AM channels) and having weatherman Boeman give us our forecast (he lived in Denver and called in the forecast which explained why he was usually wrong).
Watching tv was a family affair. There were no tapes of shows, no vcr's yet and no cable. Every Thanksgiving we looked forward to watching "The Wizzard of Oz" because that was the only time you got to see it. If you missed it you had a year to wait. I remember eagerly waiting for Christmas just to watch the shows. Again, they were on once, and only on one channel. You missed them, you missed out. This forced you to be with your family whether you realized it or not. Nowadays there is a tv in everyroom, more channels than you can possibly watch, vhs and dvd whenever you want it, video games on demand and the ever present internet. Our children are bombarded daily with information, as are we, that takes us away from that closeness. It has made us a world of procrastinators and allowed us to divert our roles as parents onto others. The tv takes the place of a babysitter. Children do not learn of the world by watching the news with us, they watch BET and MTV and think that is reality. Instead of sitting down with us and going over their homework (which my parents looked forward to because it taght them how I was being taught) they now go online and get the answers. Remember having to actually wait to use the phone? Remember having to physically go over to your friends house to see if they were there? Remember playing with your Tonka trucks and using your imagination? Setting up your army men around the yard and having the best battles?
It has all been replaced now. We have sold our souls to technology and replaced common sense with political correctness. I never thought, when I was younger, that I would one day be saying "I miss the old days".

[Detector]

I'll agree to some extent, but I believe technology shares the blame with a generation.

Even with todays technology we see the innocents of old in some children. I feel we have the defiant generation to blame as well. I like to refer to them as the 'Rights' generation. For example. When we were kids did you ever hear of trying to 'beat the rap'? If we screwed up we paid the price plain and simple. Todays its a us against them type society and in most cases them is the authority figure.

Have you ever taken the blame for something you didn't do? Not that big of deal 40 years ago but pretty rare in todays kids. It seems that children today know their Rights but don't know whats right. More and more moral values are being labeled a religious thing and religion is quickly being removed by the I know my Rights generation.

Knowing your Rights and knowing when to use them is the problem I see. We spend a lot of time teaching kids what they can and can't do(laws) and fail to teach what they should or shouldn't do(morals).

[Highwayman]

I think both are valid points.

On technology, part of that is the creation of the “instant” society. Everyone expects things done instantly and act like the world will end if they have to wait 10 minutes. All of our labor saving devices have been turned against us as now there’s an expectation that we accomplish ten times as much. We have become the most productive country in the world and are paying the price.

[Army_of_One]

Originally Posted by Highwayman

I think both are valid points.

On technology, part of that is the creation of the “instant” society. Everyone expects things done instantly and act like the world will end if they have to wait 10 minutes. All of our labor saving devices have been turned against us as now there’s an expectation that we accomplish ten times as much. We have become the most productive country in the world and are paying the price.

Amen to that! We are definitely in a society of "want it now". We have instant this, fast that, express everything! I feel that our upcoming generation should be called the "entitlement generation". They expect everything given to them or they are entitled to it. They are "entitled to go to school" at SOMEONE's expense. They are entitled to have having a good job w/ good benefits. They are entitled to have whatever they want regardless of how hard they work to get it....it's just owed to them. These kids don't wanna work their way up to be bank president...they just want to be bank president...because it's owed to them.

[Army_of_One]

Originally Posted by Flying Dutchman

Remember having to actually wait to use the phone? Remember having to physically go over to your friends house to see if they were there? Remember playing with your Tonka trucks and using your imagination? Setting up your army men around the yard and having the best battles?.

And if you lived in the country like I did...you might have to wait for the PARTY line to clear to make a call. And oh.....do I miss setting up the Army men in the sand box for that epic battle! *SIGH