# A more violent generation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 16, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-more-violent-generation/201953 "2003-09-16T15:39:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-more-violent-generation/201953/21 "2003-09-17T16:19:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SanibelMan \* > \*\*mnsmith547 & Muldoon’s Squishiness - \*\* > > Very good. You’ve both managed to stereotype a whole generation based on a few lazy and rich ones that you’ve seen. > > I’m 19, and no, I don’t know anyone who drives a brand-new BMW. My parents were not my “best friends,” and they did not let me do whatever I wanted. I’m a university student now, and I can tell you I see very few new cars in the parking lot, and most of those belong to the faculty and staff. We’re not all spoiled little brats who think we have the world handed to us on a plate, no more than any previous generation did. > > But hey, I’m glad you can reach such sweeping conclusions based on so little evidence. \*\* See? No respect for his elders. Seriously though, I am not generalizing based on the handfull of teens I see on a given day. Statistically, kids these days are less active and more overweight (just like the rest of us). They have more disposable cash thanks to their affluent Baby Boomer parents. These are statistical facts. As for their general attitudes, that is more subjective. I don’t work directly with teenagers but I suspect that they are the same as my generation was as was every generation before them. (my point to Muldoon’s Squishiness’ comment was that teens have been calling stuff “gay” as long as I can remember). > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gaudere \* > [Moderator Hat ON] > > Maybe if you follow the rules of GD you will be able to keep your posting privileges. You’ve been here long enough to know what not to do. > > [Moderator Hat OFF] [Grumbles]stupid adults…:mad: My appologies to MPangloss. I was not trying to insult you. I was simply trying to point out that there are always teenagers who think they are punk-asses and will try and get away with as much as they can if they think there are not consequences. As for being violent, they are not more violent than affluent wannabe gangsta’ kids 20 year who would shit themselves if you actually put them in 'da hood. ---
**Author:** ![MPangloss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@MPangloss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPangloss)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-more-violent-generation/201953/22 "2003-09-17T16:33:24Z")
> [@](#): > > He didn’t stammer “err…please sir…uh…could you…um…if it’s not too much trouble…turn the car around”. Thats funny, I don’t recall stammering or being anything but insistent, just not a loud-mouth. Seems you’ve misinterpreted the use of the word ‘please’ as a sign of weakness. Depends how you say it as in “PLEASE move this fuckin car before we have a problem” > [@](#): > > He fuckin’ laid into the kids until all they wanted to do was get the hell away from his block party. And what if it had the exact opposite effect and incited the moron behind the wheel to stomp on the gas and crash through the crowd. Didn’t think of that did you toughguy? When you grow up you’ll see that diffusing a tense situation is often the better alternative. ---
**Author:** ![HeartOfGold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ab992/32.png) [@HeartOfGold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeartOfGold)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-more-violent-generation/201953/23 "2003-09-17T18:50:04Z")
Background: 17 year old male. I live in a well-to-do town near Dallas. Poor relationship with my parents. Top of my class (not valedictorian or anything, floated around in the top 10) throughout high school and ended up graduating in the top ten of the class before me (long story: originally class of 04, graduated 03). Active in my (as opposed to my family’s) church. Generally well liked and respected by peers and adults. I agree wholeheartedly with **SanibelMan**. It is a mistake to judge an entire generation based on a few, bad encounters. I do, however, know many people that have received brand new beemers (and various other rich person cars). I do not consider these people to be evil simply because they are richer than I am or even because they show it. That just isn’t how it works. I have noticed that most of us evil ones act as our parents do. The kids that I know that drink, do drugs, etc. do so because their parents either a)do this themselves or b) don’t care. Others that have very proper parents seem to be more respectable. I am an exception (but defintely not the only exception): my parents provide me with an excessive allowance, I save this because they haven’t saved much for my college expenses (yes, I do think that is is a parents job to pay for whatever educational costs aren’t covered by scholarships and such); my parents are not churchly (I am avoiding “godly” and “holy” and other pretentious terms), I am however very involved; I generally do what is right without my parents input. Take notice that **MPangloss** and **msmith537** have been less than respectful to each other. They aren’t kids from what I can tell. I realize that most of their zeal towards the subject has been in good fun, but it still came across (to me anyway) as being slightly belligerent. I think this is a good example of how an onlookers attitude will affect how he (or she) views a situation. The youth in the OP was most definitely a jerk, but I don’t believe that he provided you with a good representation of our generation. I apologize for my paragraphness and general lack of grammar and such. I am recovering from oral surgery and the hydrocodon isn’t helping me to form nice and accurate thoughts. Have a nice day. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-more-violent-generation/201953/24 "2003-09-17T19:13:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Malacandra \* > \*\*…Eight decades ago there was this freaky obsession with beam weapons intended to cause abrupt cessation of life, but we’re still here. \*\* The 1920’s: rays; which caused death… I don’t understand… ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-more-violent-generation/201953/25 "2003-09-18T18:57:52Z")
We must remember that the teenagers of today were the “babies on board” of the mid-to-late eighties. Their yuppie parents had been raised by THEIR parents according to the rules of Dr. Spock: feed them whenever they ask. I have worked with this generation the entire time they have been growing up, and their biggest problem is that their PARENTS have no sense of what their job is. They have no idea what it means to be a nurturer or a role model, and many have abdicated their responsibilities in these and other areas. If I had spent my childhood doped up on Ritalin unnecessarily, I’d be an angry teen too. This is of course a very broad generalization of some trends I have noticed having worked with hundreds of children over the last decade. The remarkable thing is, it’s the MIDDLE class children that have the worst attitudes. I currently work at a private school that costs five figures a year in tuition, and I would say that I experience much less attitude and sense of entitlement from the kids and parents here than in the moderate-income public school I used to work at. Strange… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-more-violent-generation/201953.md?page=1)