What's wrong with today's youth?

that's absolutely true. and what ended the war in vietnam was not only the massive protests but finally when the birthday draft was instituted. all of a sudden it wasn't just the poor/black/brown/uneducated kid who was being drafted. but now it was going to be any kid who was unlucky enough to have been born on the day that was randomly picked as the #1 draft choice. all of a sudden it was the kid of the upper middle class or rich guy who was going. then lots of those people who were all for the war changed their tune when their kid was going to be shipped overseas. it became a horse of a whole other color when their child was threatened. if bush's kids had to go to iraq (instead of partying and getting arrested for dui) just how quickly would this thing be over....

no one's saying that protesting is going to end all war. but just the election this past year has proven that protests and being vocal have gotten some more americans thinking. and sitting at home on your duff and doing nothing is certainly not going to make this world a better place either.

 

The same things that were wrong with your generation, except to a lesser degree.

When Iraq lasts longer than Nam, maybe then you can start the stereotype comparisons.

 

i donno, but sometimes theyre really annoying. The ones who use drugs (most of them atleast) are even more annoying then the sober kids, cause most of them are just posers and will one day talk about drugs are bad, or drugs destroyed my life. most of them dont use drugs for the right reasons, to gain insight and spirituality. theyre just posers. Annoying sometimes, but I remeber everyone is just doing their best. really
the human race just tries to do what they feel is good, its so fucked up, sometimes its hard to tell that, but remeber it: everyones doing the best they can

 

If we want things to change, people to protest, WE need to organise it ourselves. It's no good sitting around, complaining about the state of the country, saying we need to protest and change things. The only way we are ever going to get people out and protesting is to set a date and a location, or several, and once we've decided on it, advertise it. Websites, newspapers, radio, whatever.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A4288999

The above is a great website with useful information, it only applies to the UK though. I'm guessing it's pretty much the same in the US but here is another website just in case.

http://www.girlistic.com/diy/protest.htm

The main thing we need to decide is what exactly we are protesting about. It's no good just saying how fucked up the government is, we need a specific issue. We can't even use 'end the war', because the war is technically already over (yeah right). Maybe something along the lines of bringing the troops home?

I know a lot of people on here are serious about issues like this, the main reason nobody is doing anything is because we can't do anything alone. There's no point walking through the streets with a placard and hoping people will follow you, this needs to be organised. Why not by us?

 

We can't becuz if we wanna do that and say what we want , SKIP IS BANNING US!!

 

OK as far as the Internet. They will soon figure out they can use it as a tool for making that noise.
Imagine if we had the internet back then?
What we would have used it for?
My 17 year old daughter had the military recruiters kicked out of her lunch room for chatting up kids.
Lot's of other young people are doing things to make a difference too.
We are making the same mistakes talking them down as our older generation did when we were that age.
If you remember Viet Nam started off the same way.
Guys were going there and at first you did not hear much.
Then after so many died and experienced the hell of what was going on they started speaking out.
All we can do now is help them see what they need to see and also get out and vote.
Many forget it was our generation that got 18 year olds the right to vote.
So let's all be ready to offer our help when the draft starts and they are taken from us. Already I know of many people who are setting up safe houses for when that happens.
Take the energy you are using to bitch about them and put it into something that they can us when the shit hits the fan very soon.

 

i don't think any youth, or adult generation, has ever had their life 100% right on....humanity is still learning and hopefully evolviing...and if they survive all the BS thats here today, maybe one day we will learn how to live right, naturally with the Earth under the law of love.

the best we can do now is change ourselves and the way we live... and remember its all a grand illusion ; )


and remember what mother theresa said. don't invite her to an anti-war rally...but if you ever hold a peace rally, you can count her in. anybody seen that movie the secret? if it ever comes up iin your life, check it out. or buy the dvd online even...it's worth every penny and then some.

 

Get him Skip, he's an ass anyway.

 

Nonhippydreamer, with duh big talk an short hair iz soh oh affraid to type whatever he wantz - here, no wunder he iz soh affraid uv everything like ah women. Hez got nothin to say anyway, vukin fag.

 

People as a whole are fucked,just accept it and enjoy.

 

be happy be short?

 

O thank you so much dear brother...

 

Thank you too , btw I got long hair

 

Yeah, I feel the problem lies mostly with computers, and cell phones....look! Now theres a new Nokia phone that is not only a PHONE, but it also has a CAMERA...and a VIDEOCAMERA....whoa guys, look at me taking my video with my cell!! its so cool! ha ha ha ha haa.........and it also has an MP3 Player...but the memories small......but dont worry! Next month there'll be an MP3 Player with 323454808 Megabyte memory!!


Yes, internet/videogames/cellphones....all are the leading problems. Back in the 60's, you had what, TV's, radios, and phones. And TVs werent even as common as they are now. So, back then, after people were done with "workin for hte system" they would go home....and tehy didnt have these braindead mindless things to get lost in....they didnt have the distractions of the computers and videogames and cellphones and all....thus they had energy/attention to put towards issues that really matter.

But now, kids are introduced to all this shit from a horrifyingly young age- they have baby toys now that are "toy cell phones" and they also have simplified comptuers for toddlers....you see this??? Theyre being dumbed down from the very time they are out of the oven! Everyone is just too absorbed with these videogames and shit to actually do anything. And one of the scariest things I hate to hear, is when I try to start a conversation about something political or philosophical, or something that needs to be fixed, a problem with society, etc. etc.....but then I get the answer from the person Im talking to:

"I think youre taking it too seriously..." "Its not that big a deal."

Those are two of the most dangerous thoughts, of which really show how our generation has been trained to think. We've been trained to think that anyone protesting over something is someone "making a scene" or as someone who needs to chill out and shut up.

Its disgusting. It makes me want to cry sometimes. But at the same time, I feel like I have "turned" classmates of mine on in my school, I talk about shit like that alot with people, and I am active with environmental, political, and humanitarian groups. I try to get people in school up.

At the same time, hearing old hippies bitch about our generation also pisses me the fuck off. I could turn it around and say: "Look at YOUR generation, the one thats doing all this shit to our youth right now! Its YOUR generation whos taught us how to be, who has influenced us! I'm lucky that Ive always had a good influence from my mom, but not all the other people I know have!"

I understand your frustation with our generation...but you guys still gotta do some shit too....wouldnt it be nice if we just all took it and did it all for you? Well, its not like that. You gotta ALWAYS be fightin for your rights. Its ALL our jobs.

It all comes down to whether or not youre a part of the solution of the problem. I consider my self part of the solution.

One last note- don't despair old hippies. Keep on trying to turn the others in my generation on as I try. Aaaaah its just so complicated, I could go on forever. Theres so many influences.....look back at the music in your age- all those musicians, they represented waht everyone wanted to be, tehy were good examples for the youth (for the most part)....what I mean is...in the 60's, it was COOL to sing about love being the solution, it was COOL to sing about peace.....but now, if someone was to write songs about loving being the solution, it wouldnt be seen as cool....Its cool now to sing about fucking and how the world is a miserable place, and how things "never go my way" or wahtever. We are also just lacking all of the things that your generation had.

But its coming. Our generation is waking up. Look at this past election for example.

Cheers and Much Love,
Dylan

 

Well, I think I can handle the temptation of my cellphone with camera pretty well. It's also good fun to sometimes take pics with it, nothing wrong with that. In my opinion it mainly depends on how they're raised. With a bit more discipline, attention and pointing out other ways of playing (more outside, limited computer and tv time and such) you can give children a lot more conscious thought. To guide them with love and sense is the most important, it's not that all those technology is evil by definition.

 

Hey Dylan
You should really pick up the book called Survival into the 21st century by Viktoras Skluvinskas(sp?) just search survival into the 21st century on amazon.com and get the used book.
Peace =)
Avocado

 

The next revolution starts on the interweb. The subversive 'doers' will be the script kiddies that you all condemn for not stepping outside. This is the age of the Alpha Nerds. Folk like Bruce Sterling will be our new Leary's and gurus - folk who understand the technology enough to see burgeoning new science, tech and trends as both positive and negative and now how we need to shape and use that technology so that it's impact is more positive than nasty.

Now this isnt' to say that the 'stepping outside' types still aren't needed and don't have an important role but please don't summarily discount some of the indoors folk as all being lazy, apathetic and having nothing to offer.

You can't solve the future's problems by wishing it was the past. And no matter who you are - young, old, hippie, nerd, traveller or shut in, smoke signals or cell phones- if you're not part of the solution, then get out of the way.

 

True, but both the disease and its host have mutated.

 

Well... I know one thing-- I don't have a cellphone or video game system (Well... I used to have the old ones from back in the day. I like nostalgia.) and I don't want one.

And it's almost impossible to not have a tv these days but I could count the channels I regularly watch on one hand.

You know, not all of us are braindead. You just have to deal with whatever you grow up with and whatever you grow up with is what and how you learn. It's just a different day but for some reason things seem to mutate and things are dealt with differently. I don't know if others see it that way, but you know... you just deal with it and don't say anything. (or rather keep the whining down)

I think alot of youth today don't acknowledge things because we're all waiting for something to happen rather than doing anything. It seems that's the way you grow up these days and the more entertainment and ideas you are fed, the less creativity you put into use.

People really need to look at all of their options and use all of their resources that develop over time rather than limiting themselves to a handicap, but I think some things are just ridiculous and outrageous. I'm sure I'm not the only one my age who thinks this, but you know, you have to be open to the ones that relate with the older and vice versa and it seems that people aren't always willing to listen, either.

 

I found it funny that after posting in this thread I actually came by an Alpha Nerd protest song about RFIDs.