# Individualist trends and fads: kids just phoning it in these days? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 22, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631 "2011-03-22T18:14:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/21 "2011-03-23T04:25:59Z")
Kids haven’t changed much. If you think they have, you’re probably old. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/22 "2011-03-23T04:57:35Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > When I was growing up, each new generation tried to be “cooler” and “edgier” than their parents. They partied harder. Listened to louder music. Tried heavier drugs. Dated creepier guys or slutier girls. Whatever. Basically tried to figure out new ways to piss off their parents as a statement rebellion and independence. > > I don’t see that with kids these days. You forgot to add “peaking at my generation which was the coolest and then going downhill from there” Clearly the most original thing ever said on the internet ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/23 "2011-03-23T05:31:05Z")
I dunno. It’s not like I turned 18 and was given “This Generation’s Message”. The internet and spread of social media has splintered what you might call the youth. Where before large groups might rally around one message or speaker, now there are facebook groups and if before you thought you had to sign a petition or carry a placard, now all you have to do is Like a page and it feels like you’ve done your part. I see plenty of young people who have very clear ideas about What’s Wrong With the World and they all have a voice for those ideals now. They don’t need to rent out a hall or pass out leaflets at bus stops. Maybe it’s a bad thing, maybe it’s a good thing, I don’t know. But that’s life; it changes and nothing stays the same. I’m sorry if that troubles you. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/24 "2011-03-23T07:59:23Z")
Bravo, **Stickler**. You’ll go far. (Not sarcasm!) ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/25 "2011-03-23T08:30:25Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Just your statement that you need to be treated as “people with something to say” is a very different way of thinking from previous generations. _“We’re the young generation, And we’ve got something to say.”_ ~The Monkees, circa 1966 😃 > [@msmith537](#): > > When I was growing up, each new generation tried to be “cooler” and “edgier” than their parents. They partied harder. Listened to louder music. Tried heavier drugs. Dated creepier guys or slutier girls. Whatever. Basically tried to figure out new ways to piss off their parents as a statement rebellion and independence. > > I don’t see that with kids these days. Well, frankly, short of turning to crime there isn’t much else kids can do these days that is out of bounds. Silly styles of hair and clothing, vulgar humor, drugs, tattoos, unwed pregnancies, promiscuity, etc. have all become so commonplace as to be blase. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/26 "2011-03-23T16:00:28Z")
Kids today are unimaginative, unoriginal and unadventurous. They seem to emotionally mature later and later, and still have a dependant mentality years after previous generations grew out of it. And god they’re so smug and selfsatisfied. Yet another one who thinks that todays kids are less cooler then their parents generations. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/27 "2011-03-23T17:27:24Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Bravo, **Stickler**. You’ll go far. (Not sarcasm!) Gee shucks. _blushes_ I guess I don’t really understand what the OP is complaining about. I have a friend who is the head of a coalition to get more wind and solar power used in our state. He is constantly going to speak at the state capital and travels once or twice a year to DC to speak and attend various functions there. He raises money to bring speakers and panels to the college and works very hard to get his message not only to us but to the general populace. Another friend of mine is developing his skills as a magician and has already launched two regional tours since he started college. His shows are well done, they are cheap and he employs majors from the school to work the various aspects of his business, the show manager is a business major, etc. Are these people humorless dweebs? Absolutely not! They are very funny people and in fact both of them participated in the school’s improv group. They are imaginative, bright-eyed thinkers who have a plan. And they’re not unique. There are a lot of students with just as much drive. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/28 "2011-03-23T18:04:33Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I dunno. It’s not like I turned 18 and was given “This Generation’s Message”. The internet and spread of social media has splintered what you might call the youth. Where before large groups might rally around one message or speaker, now there are facebook groups and if before you thought you had to sign a petition or carry a placard, now all you have to do is Like a page and it feels like you’ve done your part. I see plenty of young people who have very clear ideas about What’s Wrong With the World and they all have a voice for those ideals now. They don’t need to rent out a hall or pass out leaflets at bus stops. Maybe it’s a bad thing, maybe it’s a good thing, I don’t know. But that’s life; it changes and nothing stays the same. I’m sorry if that troubles you. Exactly. As an example, one of my friends was in the middle of the protests in Egypt [“tweeting the revolution”](http://www.nhpr.org/tweeting-revolution). He’s not handing out leaflets, but 18,000+ people (and the major news outlets) are listening to what he has to say. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/29 "2011-03-23T18:15:19Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > The 50’s, the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s - seemed like youth had something to say. Or something to do, or show off, or just bug their parents. > > I’m not seeing it that much these days. As we grow older, are we going to be cared for by humorless dweebs? > > What are kids doing these days? Texting, and lots of it. I really do think this is the crux of what the OP is getting at. Previous generations have competed with their grandparents for the same public space–a limited number of television and radio stations, physical facilities, and so forth. Today’s sub-20 crowd communicates increasingly through channels that don’t ping the radar of the older crowd. I just saw a story on Cracked about how [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0)has apparently swept the nation (indeed, the world). It must have swept right past me, because I’ve never seen it. You couldn’t say that about trends and fads of the past; you may not have liked them, but you damn well saw them. Today, a person or movement can have twenty million Twitter followers and yet still be invisible to the lion’s share of the population. What the born-since-1990 generation does is largely staying within that circle. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/30 "2011-03-23T22:27:23Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Think again. People my age (late 30) and older tend to view your generation of having the distinction of being the first generation to be less cool than their parents. Congratulations, msmith. You’ve become old. Make sure you get to the buffet by 4:30, and don’t forget to take your pills. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/31 "2011-03-23T23:17:40Z")
Why are kids today supposed to care if their elders think they’re uncool? That seems like a really uncool thing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/32 "2011-03-24T00:10:26Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > I really do think this is the crux of what the OP is getting at. Previous generations have competed with their grandparents for the same public space–a limited number of television and radio stations, physical facilities, and so forth. Today’s sub-20 crowd communicates increasingly through channels that don’t ping the radar of the older crowd. I just saw a story on Cracked about how [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0)has apparently swept the nation (indeed, the world). It must have swept right past me, because I’ve never seen it. You couldn’t say that about trends and fads of the past; you may not have liked them, but you damn well saw them. I knew before I clicked the link what YouTube video (Rebecca Black - Friday) it would be. I’m only acknowledging that music video because it was mentioned on SDMB. Elitist? I plead guilty. While that music video has an interesting premise with her getting up at 7 AM, cereal, bus stop, and then it changes, and then it really changes when she sings, “yesterday was Thursday…” - that was the only part of the music video I liked. She certainly has a future in eclectic music genres. Overall, though, her music video reminded me of [this music video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4e-eXWbbs). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/33 "2011-03-24T01:14:56Z")
It seems like it is more than just “kids these days are no good” griping. [According to ABC news, “27% of prime military age kids (age 17 to 24) are too fat to serve”.](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/military-recruitment-grapples-obesity-epidemic/story?id=11431486) And every year I seem to come across another article about kids taking longer to get married (if ever), settle into careers, buy homes and have kids. This is more than some generational fad. These are fundamental shifts in society that have been taking place over decades. > [@StusBlues](#): > > Texting, and lots of it. > … > Today, a person or movement can have twenty million Twitter followers and yet still be invisible to the lion’s share of the population. What the born-since-1990 generation does is largely staying within that circle. What good is a “movement” that no one outside of the movement ever sees? I’m curious though. When I was in college, it was rare to find anyone in the dorms on a weekend night. Everyone would go out to fraternity or appartment parties or bars or wherever. Do a larger number of kids spend their time inside surfing the web or playing World or Warcraft and such? Are those activities considered “mainstream” or is it still pretty nerdy? > [@RickJay](#): > > Congratulations, msmith. You’ve become old. Make sure you get to the buffet by 4:30, and don’t forget to take your pills. Yeah, and I’ll make sure your Mom packs your Justin Bieber lunchbox for school tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/34 "2011-03-24T01:26:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Why are kids today supposed to care if their elders think they’re uncool? That seems like a really uncool thing to worry about. Do kids still use the word “cool” anymore? It’s supposed to be the other way around. Your parents are supposed to be yelling at you to turn that music down, not copying your My Chemical Romance mp3s to their iPod. > [@Starving Artist](#): > > Originally Posted by msmith537 > Just your statement that you need to be treated as “people with something to say” is a very different way of thinking from previous generations. > > “We’re the young generation, > And we’ve got something to say.” > > ~The Monkees, circa 1966 Yes, I can probably quote you a hundred “listen to my generation” songs from the past 40 years. The point I was trying to convey was that previous generations seemed to have more of a sense of frustration that they weren’t being listened to. AClockworkMelon seemed to imply that his generation felt more like they were treated like “people with something to say”. I don’t know if that is necesarily a good thing. Isn’t it one of the roles of young people to challenge the status quo with new ideas? > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Gee shucks. _blushes_ > I have a friend who is the head of a coalition to get more wind and solar power used in our state… > > Another friend of mine is developing his skills as a magician… Ugh, I can’t decide which career is more useless!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/35 "2011-03-24T01:28:39Z")
Fair enough. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/36 "2011-03-24T01:43:04Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Do kids still use the word “cool” anymore? Sometimes, I think. But they may not be cool. > [@](#): > > It’s supposed to be the other way around. Your parents are supposed to be yelling at you to turn that music down, not copying your My Chemical Romance mp3s to their iPod. I think this is one of the distinctions young people today have let go of. There are tons of young people who share some of their parents’ taste in music and if you go to a show by the Rolling Stones or someone like that, you’ll see plenty of people who were not born when the band was in its heyday. Why do I have to share my grandparents’ disdain for rock music? This is a much less exclusive and scene-y attitude, although of course there will always be pretentious, exclusive music lovers. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/37 "2011-03-24T01:44:01Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > … > > I don’t know if that is necesarily a good thing. Isn’t it one of the roles of young people to challenge the status quo with new ideas? > … Facebook, Twitter, other social media and advances in information transfer? My dad’s “old person” company has to hire consultants to come in and help them communicate with younger people. Though I’ll admit, I’m in my mid-20s and have a hard time keeping up with the latest technology. :o ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/38 "2011-03-24T01:46:07Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Do kids still use the word “cool” anymore? According to Lisa Simpson, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/39 "2011-03-24T02:18:39Z")
Look! Another place where Boomers declare themselves the arbiters of cool for all eternity. Because that never stops being cool. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631/40 "2011-03-24T02:58:08Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Ugh, I can’t decide which career is more useless!😃 Luckily your decision is irrelevant to their career paths. Who says we have to challenge the status quo with new ideas? Maybe we like the status quo. Maybe status quos are being challenged all over the place and the youthful objections are overshadowed by older generational protests. I think you’re making unqualified assumptions here. What good is a movement that no one sees outside of the movement? What an arrogant thing to say! Because no one told you, no one of importance has been made aware? When we need your opinion or approval on our movements, we’ll let you know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individualist-trends-and-fads-kids-just-phoning-it-in-these-days/575631.md?page=3)