Raising a generation of nincompoops and wussies....

[zinfamous]

The Internet really has left young people completely helpless in life. If they can't look it up on the intarweb they can't figure out how to do it. It's part of the pussification of America problem as well. There is a severe lack of basic life skills in 20 somethings and younger, a total lack of knowledge necessary to function. Take away their internet and they freak out.

I stand firmly beside spidey on this issue.

 

[mrCide]

The Internet really has left young people completely helpless in life. If they can't look it up on the intarweb they can't figure out how to do it. It's part of the pussification of America problem as well. There is a severe lack of basic life skills in 20 somethings and younger, a total lack of knowledge necessary to function. Take away their internet and they freak out.

I'm 28 and I'm level headed and knowledgeable in a ton of subjects because of the internet. What you should refer to is social networking sites that people waste their life on, not the internet. The internet is a powerful powerful tool that's something everyone who 'doesn't know something' should take advantage of to learn.

 

[Saint Nick]

One of my room mates was bitching because his XBOX Live was lagging. It was lagging because another room mate was torrenting like mad. I was trying to figure out what the hell was the problem prior, and shut the traffic off to different IPs...and eventually everyone started freaking the hell out.

WOW. Love that everyone is so dependant on technology. I guess even I am somewhat

 

[zinfamous]

Velcro shoes? What kids are wearing velcro fucking shoes? I know they were all the rage (along with Kangaroo shoes) in the 80's when I was a kid, but I didn't know anyone besides old people with arthritis still wore them.

shit man, I have a pair of velcro shoes!

I got them b/c well, I fucking can't be bothered to tie my shoes anymore!
I prefer these or slip-ons as a general rule these days.
:\

 

[zinfamous]

I'm 28 and I'm level headed and knowledgeable in a ton of subjects because of the internet. What you should refer to is social networking sites that people waste their life on, not the internet. The internet is a powerful powerful tool that's something everyone who 'doesn't know something' should take advantage of to learn.

yeah, and it's also powerfully intoxicating. TV was purported to be, and still can be an amazingly powerful tool. But, much like the internet, it is often relegated to a cheap entertainment delivery service.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

When I fed school kids, I use to put cartons of juice on a sheet pan and place the sheet pan at the end of the counter so kids could help themselves. Kids of course took the closest one and sat down to eat their meal. Eventually the distance from the edge of the counter to the next carton was difficult to reach due to being short. Now the whole line would come to a screeching halt because the kids couldn't figure out that they could either pull the tray towards them or turn the tray around. Problem solving is nonexistent with today's 'youts.'

 

[Phoenix86]

The Internet really has left young people completely helpless in life. If they can't look it up on the intarweb they can't figure out how to do it. It's part of the pussification of America problem as well. There is a severe lack of basic life skills in 20 somethings and younger, a total lack of knowledge necessary to function. Take away their internet and they freak out.

I'd kinda be ok with this because at least that demonstrates problem solving and self teaching.

Sitting there with a blank face staring at an ice cube tray or putting something back because you can't open it is pathetic.

 

[spidey07]

I'm 28 and I'm level headed and knowledgeable in a ton of subjects because of the internet. What you should refer to is social networking sites that people waste their life on, not the internet. The internet is a powerful powerful tool that's something everyone who 'doesn't know something' should take advantage of to learn.

I was speaking about how they don't really have life skill knowledge because they always believe "I can always just look it up on the internet". I see it a lot in the new hires, they don't really know anything and if you ask them something related to their field they run straight to google without actually understanding to subject. There's a huge difference between learning something using the internet for information and having a total and complete reliance on it to function in day to day life.

How many young'uns can cook their own meals? How about basic car care, handyman stuff? I'm not saying all are completely inept, but a large majority are. The problem goes far beyond just the intarweb and at it's root is a complete lack of self reliance because of the way they were raised and because of technology to an extent.

 

[zinfamous]

When I fed school kids, I use to put cartons of juice on a sheet pan and place the sheet pan at the end of the counter so kids could help themselves. Kids of course took the closest one and sat down to eat their meal. Eventually the distance from the edge of the counter to the next carton was difficult to reach due to being short. Now the whole line would come to a screeching halt because the kids couldn't figure out that they could either pull the tray towards them or turn the tray around. Problem solving is nonexistent with today's 'youts.'

A conscientious admin with a clipboard would have parked themselves at that spot during lunch and started a list for the kids that solved the problem and sent them straight on to the gifted tract.

 

[Phoenix86]

shit man, I have a pair of velcro shoes!

OH GOD! You're one of them.

 

[sandorski]

I'd kinda be ok with this because at least that demonstrates problem solving and self teaching.

Sitting there with a blank face staring at an ice cube tray or putting something back because you can't open it is pathetic.

Fucking Ice Cube Trays, how do they work?

 

[zinfamous]

Besides, what kids really need the internet when I hear that the local park has a lot of fun and interesting things going on in the evenings?
:hmm:

 

[Pocatello]

It's sad to see that we getting close to world of Wall-E, where people don't need to do anything anymore besides slurping up pizza in a cup.

 

[KDOG]

Someone posted a link to the movie "Idiocracy" in another thread. I really feel we are almost there.

 

[polarmystery]

marked

 

[Turin39789]

Susan Maushart, a mother of three, says her teenage daughter "literally does not know how to use a can opener. Most cans come with pull-tops these days. I see her reaching for a can that requires a can opener, and her shoulders slump and she goes for something else."

Teenagers are so accustomed to either throwing their clothes on the floor or hanging them on hooks that Maushart says her "kids actually struggle with the mechanics of a clothes hanger."

Many kids never learn to do ordinary household tasks. They have no chores. Take-out and drive-through meals have replaced home cooking. And busy families who can afford it often outsource house-cleaning and lawn care.

"It's so all laid out for them," said Maushart, author of the forthcoming book "The Winter of Our Disconnect," about her efforts to wean her family from its dependence on technology. "Having so much comfort and ease is what has led to this situation -- the Velcro sneakers, the Pull-Ups generation. You can pee in your pants and we'll take care of it for you!"

The Internet really has left young people completely helpless in life. If they can't look it up on the intarweb they can't figure out how to do it. It's part of the pussification of America problem as well. There is a severe lack of basic life skills in 20 somethings and younger, a total lack of knowledge necessary to function. Take away their internet and they freak out.

I stand firmly beside spidey on this issue.

Yea well look at their parents. Seriously if I saw my teenage daughter look at a can that needed a can opener and suspected she wasn't going to eat it because it didn't have a pull top, I'd hand her a damn can opener and show her how to use it. I wouldn't write a book about my failure to raise my kid.

Obligatory "Get off my lawn", there are always a certain number of momos, people 10-15 years older than you said the same thing about your generation, etc.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Ehhh ... I have younger cousins who are kids and they know how to use ice cube trays, can openers, tie their shoes, laundry, wash dishes, vacuum, etc. They have chores.

Only SPOILED kids don't have chores, and the fact that technology makes life easier isn't to blame. The blame is very squarely on the parents. Parents don't take the time to raise their kids = kids wind up broken.

 

[RearAdmiral]

Thank gosh my parents don't blow and taught me stuff. Blaming your failure at parenting on society's woes is fail.

 

[rivan]

It's sad to see that we getting close to world of Wall-E, where people don't need to do anything anymore besides slurping up pizza in a cup.

I don't know about you, but that sounds delectable.

My 6-year-old daughter knows how to change the oil in my cushy SUV. And knows why the oil's there in the first place. She might not (ever) be quite up to this guy's idea of tough, but she won't ever be on the totally helpless end of the spectrum, either.

 

[HumblePie]

LOL, as a kid though I hated to tie my shoes. Not that I couldn't, I just didn't like wasting the time. So I typically tied them once loosely in a double knot. After that I just slipped them on and slipped them off. The only shoes I regularly tied was cleats for sports. Because I needed a tighter fit for sports to not roll my ankles.

Beyond that, I don't see how kids using velcro shoes, or in some cases I've seen a lot of crocs, make kids crappy at life skills. It's the fault of the parents for not teaching the kids and not the fault of the kids.

 

[trmiv]

Yea I think Susan Maushart's problem is her failure as a parent. How about you show your kid how to use a fucking can opener? When I was a kid I didn't know how to use the washing machine........until my mom showed me. Funny how that works. These problems are just as much or more to do with the parents rather than the kids.

 

[Nik]

I don't see how the use of archaic mechanical devices somehow measures the intelligence capacity of an individual.

Who the hell uses ice cube trays anymore? Ain't that shit all automated?

Besides, what does that say about all the dumbass middle aged and elderly people who can't figure out what to do with a mouse?

Precisely. Nothing.

 

[spidey07]

LOL, as a kid though I hated to tie my shoes. Not that I couldn't, I just didn't like wasting the time. So I typically tied them once loosely in a double knot. After that I just slipped them on and slipped them off. The only shoes I regularly tied was cleats for sports. Because I needed a tighter fit for sports to not roll my ankles.

Beyond that, I don't see how kids using velcro shoes, or in some cases I've seen a lot of crocs, make kids crappy at life skills. It's the fault of the parents for not teaching the kids and not the fault of the kids.

The problem is we've gotten to the point where their parents have lost that knowledge and are unable to teach it to their children.

 

[HumblePie]

The problem is we've gotten to the point where their parents have lost that knowledge and are unable to teach it to their children.

And if it is not needed to function in modern society?

I don't know how to spin yarn off the top of my head or the proper composition to make my own gunpowder or how to build a log cabin either. I'm sure if I needed to I could figure it out or... look it up on the evil internet to figure it out.

Different times call for different skill sets.

 

[Kirby]

I don't see how the use of archaic mechanical devices somehow measures the intelligence capacity of an individual.

Who the hell uses ice cube trays anymore? Ain't that shit all automated?

Besides, what does that say about all the dumbass middle aged and elderly people who can't figure out what to do with a mouse?

Precisely. Nothing.

I use ice cube trays.