General Discussion

rasputin1952

(83,484 posts)

182. I'm a Boomer...

Sat Dec 28, 2024, 04:23 PM

Dec 28

and I have been watching this for quite some time.

First and foremost, the constant attention to "screen time" has resulted in some serious injuries and deaths.
When I lived in Boston, if driving, you were in a near-constant state of panic. I learned to drive in NYC, but I have never seen the likes of what I saw in Boston. Between the morons who have nothing better to do than blare their horns, cut you off without notice, and a great deal of somewhat younger people gazing mindlessly at cell phones, I have to wonder how many will survive.

When I would go to the Radio Station at one of the premier colleges of the area (there are a LOT of colleges in Boston) I would be the first one in on Sunday mornings. My show runs from 0600-1000 (Eastern), I'd go in at 0500, set up, then spend time cleaning up messes from the week before. There were trash and recycle bins feet from where I would pick up food items that were stale (or worse, moldy) and then "take out the trash" out to the bins not yards from the back entrance. Some of these people were Seniors. Going to their first job was going to be a very rude encounter.

I'm not sure where any "blame" lies, but it appears to me that simple common courtesy has taken a steep dive.

My son gave me a gift on Christmas, a book, Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story, pretty cool, but I told him it would take me some time to fill in the pages and there would be a boatload of Appendices, as there is not a lot of room to drop almost 73 years into the small "diary" and quite a few things require further explanation.

He's a fantastic son, and his family is top of the line. I owe him this, as I never got to know my own father, as he died after 5 years of slow-moving colon cancer when I was 13 (on the Fourth of July no less).
He's honest, compassionate, empathetic, as smart as a whip (just how smart is that?).

Life is complex, PTSD and Chronic Depression don't do me a lot of good, but I think this book will be therapy. I'll tell the truth, explain some of the more difficult things, and hope he will remember not to make some of the errors I have made. This, I hope, will be passed down to my Middle-School Grandson.

One good thing already, is that he knows where trash and recycling goes!
I did something right...

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Yikes. Result of texting and?--Companies are firing Gen Z employees soon after hiring them. [View all] hlthe2b Dec 15 OP

I personally think that a lot more time and emphasis should be spent on English composition courses Walleye Dec 15 #1

Our educational system is to blame for the lack of reading and writing in schools. rich7862 Dec 16 #129

21st century skills exboyfil Dec 16 #132

Absolutely. Writing essays, the thought process it develops, and by typing them on a keyboard... brush Dec 17 #176

It's even worse than that. snot Dec 16 #142

Would that be about Neil Bush's company Ignite*? (W's crooked brother) Attilatheblond Dec 17 #165

Sorry, I didn't catch that part of the story. snot Dec 17 #173

Apparently the high-level administrators never learned to not just read, but to think critically... brush Dec 18 #177

The problem is they want to text everything DenaliDemocrat Dec 16 #149

And in the details of "old math." Too many people do not know how to work with percentages. kerry-is-my-prez Dec 17 #166

I've been pondering for awhile bucolic_frolic Dec 15 #2

And a lack of respect for institutional knowledge. LisaM Dec 15 #8

Definitely! /nt bucolic_frolic Dec 15 #21

So much this! Horse with no Name Dec 17 #168

That has not been my experience. Happy Hoosier Dec 16 #108

And the young professionals of 30-40 years ago VMA131Marine Dec 16 #128

I love this... appmanga Dec 15 #3

WTH? SheltieLover Dec 15 #7

Back in the 1980s, H2O Man Dec 15 #26

An acquaintance of mine went to the pizza place Demobrat Dec 15 #33

I think of these H2O Man Dec 15 #41

I had nothing Demobrat Dec 15 #42

At such time, H2O Man Dec 15 #60

"where he tells his girlfriend's brother he has 'an appointment on earth'" snot Dec 16 #144

🙄 Rebl2 Dec 16 #123

Bringing parents to an interview is a new level of pathetic. Noel Kums Dec 15 #15

No kidding! calimary Dec 15 #25

And who the hell are these parents who would agree... 3catwoman3 Dec 15 #28

My God. Are these parents actually sitting in on the interview and prompting their kids answers? brush Dec 16 #86

I still remember in 1985, I moved to NYC for a job and was looking for an apartment... bsiebs Dec 15 #29

I still wouldn't live bamagal62 Dec 15 #57

I lived at 10th St and Avenue A in 1972 Lulu KC Dec 15 #69

I lived at 7th and Ave B ('76-77?) Nittersing Dec 16 #102

Ahh, Alphabet City DebbieCDC Dec 15 #72

I had a colleague, Leo, who received a call from a student spooky3 Dec 15 #54

The chair of a science department told me she got calls from the parents of young faculty. yardwork Dec 16 #105

I wonder how she replied? :-) spooky3 Dec 16 #116

She reminded them that she couldn't talk at all, due to laws, etc. yardwork Dec 16 #124

I find that seriously hard to believe Skittles Dec 16 #85

I had to tell a friend of mine not to go with her son to his first interview. Mariana Dec 16 #90

The children of very wealthy people don't even have to suffer the indignity of a real interview. hunter Dec 16 #118

That sounds like cat litter in the classroom exboyfil Dec 16 #133

Read a version of this story a couple of wks ago. This blew me away. Also mentioned allegorical oracle Dec 17 #161

I know a woman who works at a university to get students thru the program for teaching certification Attilatheblond Dec 17 #167

Bet they love AI. nt allegorical oracle Dec 17 #169

Maybe the ones who can spell it Attilatheblond Dec 17 #172

This has been going on for over 30 years Meowmee Dec 15 #4

Good grief! SheltieLover Dec 15 #10

Yes and endless tv shows, movies, video games etc. Meowmee Dec 15 #13

YouTube is for geezers JoseBalow Dec 15 #34

I think you're correct on that, Jose. Prof. Toru Tanaka Dec 15 #44

I like YouTube too! JoseBalow Dec 15 #47

Back at ya, friend! Prof. Toru Tanaka Dec 15 #53

Same here. Some of the You Tube videos that I watch are movie length, wnylib Dec 16 #112

I'm no youngster by any means, but I spends hours a day on YouTube Polybius Dec 15 #70

And a lot of those shorts have tik-tok watermarks... getagrip_already Dec 16 #126

I should have been more clear Polybius Dec 16 #130

"I'm going to be talking about the Mona Lisa by Leonardo DiCaprio." Prof. Toru Tanaka Dec 15 #43

Yup 😹😹 Meowmee Dec 15 #52

Yeah. AI hasn't quite worked out its kinks. PeaceWave Dec 28 #179

At Least Both Of Them... ProfessorGAC Dec 16 #121

Yes, lol 😹 Meowmee Dec 16 #155

I wouldn't put my name on what I have seen come out of AI so far exboyfil Dec 16 #135

Some of it is ok, if what I tested was ai etc. Meowmee Dec 16 #156

Some of this pre-dates COVID. I work at a law firm. LisaM Dec 15 #5

How much of this has to do with college? Renew Deal Dec 15 #9

Professors have their own issues, including parents. LisaM Dec 15 #18

Wouldn't IEPs cosmic wheels Dec 15 #30

My daughter had an IEP, and she isn't cognitvely impaired. She is quadriplegic with a speech disability, deurbano Dec 15 #55

Yes, you can have an IEP for ADD Lulu KC Dec 15 #63

I've heard this multiple times from different disconnected people in different regions Renew Deal Dec 15 #6

One of my hot buttons. I watched academic cbabe Dec 15 #11

Yes, we tried to save money and cut corners by dumbing down what was asked of kids meadowlander Dec 16 #80

It wasn't just about saving money. snot Dec 16 #145

Today's teachers came up during the "No Child Left Behind" period FakeNoose Dec 17 #170

Twas ever thus. They said this about GenX and Millennials too. WhiskeyGrinder Dec 15 #12

Gen X and Millennials are the ones who educated this generation IbogaProject Dec 15 #24

My point being that when Gen X got to the workplace, there were plenty of scare pieces about them being unemployable. WhiskeyGrinder Dec 15 #31

I'm older Gen X & did not live as you did - TBF Dec 15 #36

GenX has three cohorts IbogaProject Dec 15 #38

Yep. That scheduled and supervised bamagal62 Dec 15 #67

Born in '67. GaYellowDawg Dec 17 #162

Harvard started its writing program to handle the fact that students couldn't write Prairie Gates Dec 15 #68

Yes, but... Karia Dec 16 #119

IMO, readers are usually better writers. I'm curious if they're more empathetic too, generally. CrispyQ Dec 16 #131

One my slogans: in order to write well, one must read well. Plus way too much screen cbabe Dec 17 #171

They live in a world with which we lack familiarity. cachukis Dec 15 #14

In order to graduate with a four year degree, we had to write a 500 word essay. 2001 oldfart73 Dec 15 #16

In the mid 1980s, I was on the faculty of the school of nursing... 3catwoman3 Dec 15 #50

So, this isn't a brand-new phenomenon, unique to Gen Z? Mariana Dec 16 #99

I know a college ReRe Dec 16 #88

Have you read The Anxious Genrration SheltieLover Dec 15 #17

Exactly! Bluethroughu Dec 16 #134

Glad someone here has read it. SheltieLover Dec 16 #139

Oh goody! I had wondered when the youth bash threads would start up again. Celerity Dec 15 #19

I don't think it's youth bashing. LisaM Dec 15 #20

I was talking about some of the replies. Celerity Dec 15 #40

It is compassion for a problem we ALL have a role in propagating. Get a clue, Celerity. Really. hlthe2b Dec 15 #22

I was talking about some of the replies, and please do not tell me to 'get a clue' Celerity Dec 15 #45

You help no one by denying the problem exists. Is it new? No. Only getting worse. And yes, the ageism hlthe2b Dec 15 #49

You do not have right to condescend to me. EOS Celerity Dec 15 #58

You do not have the right to call out every other DUer on this thread that you disagree with-- hlthe2b Dec 15 #59

The examples I gave were youth bashing. You cannot spin that. Celerity Dec 15 #64

Well, at least there's no bashing of Abolishinist Dec 16 #81

Awww, thanks! Celerity Dec 16 #84

Sorry that some feel the need to crap on your posts Celerity Docreed2003 Dec 17 #164

thank you for the kind words Celerity Dec 17 #174

Btw, 'my abuse?' That is rich. especially coming from you, who condescendingly told me to 'get a clue' Celerity Dec 15 #62

You are correct Cirsium Dec 15 #73

It isn't strange for DU. It is par for the course. I have tried to get so many of social set, most of them in the 18 Celerity Dec 16 #82

Get a clue, Celerity. This abusive disconnect you have for those who are concerned for hlthe2b Dec 16 #96

I just read the article Cirsium Dec 16 #127

Note: snot Dec 16 #146

You do yourself no favors...Most here want to help. The question is, do YOU? hlthe2b Dec 16 #95

Just stepping in briefly here, then swiftly out again Emrys Dec 17 #157

Most here are concerned, want to help and take blame for the system that has failed several generations now hlthe2b Dec 17 #159

Do I care? Well, I can read. Emrys Dec 17 #160

Tell 'em!!! NNadir Dec 16 #138

if students cannot do the work. flunk them. does them no favors to do the work for them msongs Dec 15 #23

There is a Reddit subforum called r/BoomersBeingFools milestogo Dec 15 #27

Don't trust anyone over 30.... reACTIONary Dec 15 #35

I'm with you, milestogo ReRe Dec 16 #87

Lol there is a subreddit for just about everything. Voltaire2 Dec 16 #92

I take it you weren't one of the Boomers who were out there protesting Mariana Dec 16 #98

Its one thing to protest policies milestogo Dec 16 #106

It makes me very sad that there's so little respect for all kinds of people nowadays. snot Dec 16 #147

The next generation has been going to doom us all for centuries. Gore1FL Dec 15 #32

Right? "The younger generation sucks," said every generation ever. Orrex Dec 15 #37

I work as a substitute and I demand every student finish at least one assignment kimbutgar Dec 15 #39

we've been getting new hires at work. I can firmly say that most of them lack proper grammar, punctuation... Javaman Dec 15 #46

I was hired by a bank manager to teach cbabe Dec 15 #48

Next Year, They'll Just Buy... ProfessorGAC Dec 16 #122

A lot of the "correction" software I've experienced snot Dec 16 #148

Good One! ProfessorGAC Dec 16 #154

Wait.... After Trump and his ilk get rid of the DOE, our kids won't be able to do any jobs that requires any.... William Gustafson Dec 15 #51

I think this is an excuse a generation of humans growing up in our Bluethroughu Dec 15 #56

Going to disagree in part rpannier Dec 15 #65

The world, most countries, have began the industrialization Bluethroughu Dec 16 #76

When parents pour so much time and energy into over-parenting, snot Dec 16 #150

See post 17 SheltieLover Dec 16 #103

Some I know think they can do their whole job with their phone nini Dec 15 #61

I've seen this article angrychair Dec 15 #66

I have reason to believe it's accurate Renew Deal Dec 15 #71

It's completely anecdotal angrychair Dec 16 #79

Not any more than your story Renew Deal Dec 16 #91

Well no problem. There will be no Department of Education flamingdem Dec 15 #74

The Dept of Education wasn't formed until 1980 MichMan Dec 16 #83

Nothing new Cirsium Dec 15 #75

Socialized different. Probably technology related Sympthsical Dec 16 #77

In my experience with medical students, I've seen much of the same Docreed2003 Dec 17 #163

I've worked in an administrator position for 18 years now, where I hire professional and support staff. lees1975 Dec 16 #78

Do they improve over time at the job ? JI7 Dec 16 #89

All deez yutes need to git off my lawn. Voltaire2 Dec 16 #93

A couple of things: no_hypocrisy Dec 16 #94

Writing is BIG in law. Son was always a good writer but said in law school he really learned how to write. LizBeth Dec 16 #117

Why wouldn't parents go to job interviews with their parents tinymontgomery Dec 16 #97

Odd...my two older Gen Z kids Bettie Dec 16 #100

My youngest son is in so called, "Generation Z" NNadir Dec 16 #101

My experience with my neices and nephew, as well as my interns at work too Johnny2X2X Dec 16 #111

Thank you. I fully agree. NNadir Dec 16 #114

I agree. My sons are 29 and 27. I love their perspective/attitude and peers. Well educated. LizBeth Dec 16 #120

I was a professor at a good university for years róisín_dubh Dec 16 #104

Now I'm curious snot Dec 16 #151

It's a work in progress! róisín_dubh Dec 17 #158

How much did home schooling contribute to their social incompetence? nt in2herbs Dec 16 #107

Spend 20 minutes on tik tok... getagrip_already Dec 16 #109

Tik tok is a filter which draws a certain subset of people. NNadir Dec 16 #113

I dont have an account either, but it bleeds to other services getagrip_already Dec 16 #125

My point is not about whether you or I have an account. NNadir Dec 16 #136

I think another factor snot Dec 16 #152

So the problematic age range that we've seen ecstatic Dec 16 #110

We wind up firing about 25% of the new hires, and another 50% quit. thatdemguy Dec 16 #115

The phone addiction's as bad as snot Dec 16 #153

The phone addiction - headphones and ear buds - are a huge problem. LisaM Dec 17 #175

Yes! snot Dec 18 #178

It's not just parenting that's the problem LogDog75 Dec 16 #137

Horace said The Revolution Dec 16 #140

I can't believe snot Dec 16 #141

I could care less Renew Deal Dec 16 #143

You know, Elessar Zappa Dec 28 #180

There are the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas mass shooting survivors & others that speak well to the generation... hlthe2b Dec 28 #181

I'm a Boomer... rasputin1952 Dec 28 #182

Wasn't this the "bubble boy" generation that had kids being brought up in a cocoon where everyone gets a trophy even Vinca Dec 28 #183

Sometimes the parents are to blame lanlady Dec 28 #184