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Is the world trending in the right direction?

I hear a lot of complaints about laziness and entitlement, but let's be honest with ourselves, are these really new problems? Sure, technology has caused a new breed of laziness with plenty of folks content to sit on their growing asses and play video games, but I think it's a perception thing more than anything. With every generation roll, it seems like the older generation thinks the younger generation is lazy and entitled, and not working as hard for their keep. And I think a lot of this perception comes because the nature of work is ever changing - as technology improves, manual tasks become less labor intensive, and more and more jobs involve increasing amounts of desk and computer time.

So sure, there are entitled people out there, but I fail to see the evidence that it's solely a generational phenomenon, and quite frankly the generalization to millenials like myself is a touch insulting to me.

I'd like to epilogue this by saying that I'm not trying to start anything hostile, I would like to have a civilized discussion on it, and I'm willing to be proven wrong if someone can provide good evidence.
 
I think there is always evidence to indicate the world is going in both directions.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
I hear a lot of complaints about laziness and entitlement, but let's be honest with ourselves, are these really new problems? Sure, technology has caused a new breed of laziness with plenty of folks content to sit on their growing asses and play video games, but I think it's a perception thing more than anything. With every generation roll, it seems like the older generation thinks the younger generation is lazy and entitled, and not working as hard for their keep. And I think a lot of this perception comes because the nature of work is ever changing - as technology improves, manual tasks become less labor intensive, and more and more jobs involve increasing amounts of desk and computer time.

So sure, there are entitled people out there, but I fail to see the evidence that it's solely a generational phenomenon, and quite frankly the generalization to millenials like myself is a touch insulting to me.

I'd like to epilogue this by saying that I'm not trying to start anything hostile, I would like to have a civilized discussion on it, and I'm willing to be proven wrong if someone can provide good evidence.
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I do think a big part of it is perception. 5-10 years ago, I was constantly being told my generation is lazy. Most of my friends were slacking. Now most of them are hardworking, have good jobs, some with kids. And they talk about how those 5-10 years behind us are lazy and entitled.
 
Wake said:
I do think a big part of it is perception. 5-10 years ago, I was constantly being told my generation is lazy. Most of my friends were slacking. Now most of them are hardworking, have good jobs, some with kids. And they talk about how those 5-10 years behind us are lazy and entitled.
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I think it honestly comes with age too - human beings in their late teens/early 20's are very different in their priorities vs. late 20's/early 30's and so on (and yes, I'll admit that, being in my mid 20's lol)

The other thing is it's honestly a tough job market right now. Yes there are certain jobs where there is a lot of need, but overall I hear a ton of angst from high school and college friends about finding good jobs - I was definitely lucky to find a good job quickly right out of school.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
I think it honestly comes with age too - human beings in their late teens/early 20's are very different in their priorities vs. late 20's/early 30's and so on (and yes, I'll admit that, being in my mid 20's lol)

The other thing is it's honestly a tough job market right now. Yes there are certain jobs where there is a lot of need, but overall I hear a ton of angst from high school and college friends about finding good jobs - I was definitely lucky to find a good job quickly right out of school.
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One thing to note is that the age has gotten progressively higher. What started out as man those teenagers are lazy. Then turned into those 20 somethings. Now its the early 30 somethings. Then add the growing use of entitlement programs to a degree that is astronomical (no this is not a political thread), and one can very much come to the conclusion that in some ways humanity has become a certain way.
 
I on the cyclical side of things. We all just have this feeling and then it all straightens out. Most of my generations parents had kids or were married between 18-24, now it feels like most people get married 28-32 so I find it easy to say it has turned from lazy teenagers to lazy 20 somethings. The other side of it that I find funny is the folks that I come across that are late 40s and older who say 'these kids today', guess what they didn't raise themselves your generation and prior raised then and created exactly what they are venting about.


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JB said:
One thing to note is that the age has gotten progressively higher. What started out as man those teenagers are lazy. Then turned into those 20 somethings. Now its the early 30 somethings. Then add the growing use of entitlement programs to a degree that is astronomical (no this is not a political thread), and one can very much come to the conclusion that in some ways humanity has become a certain way.
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When you say "entitlement programs", what are you referring to? Honest question.

I do agree that there are lazy folks out there in my generation, and in the one previous and forthcoming as well, but I think it's a fallacy to pretend that this is a generational thing and that there aren't folks in their 40's and 50's doing the same things. Hell, there was a large group of people in the 1960's who weren't doing a whole lot of working in their 20's and early 30's...

1960s-Hippies-Fashion-300x261.jpg
 
Wake said:
I see people make statements all the time to the effect of they fear for the next generation. Whether it's because of a belief moral decay in civilized countries like the US, the ongoing threat of global warming, the threats of violence from the Middle East. People always insinuate that the world is headed to hell in a hand basket.

Others, such as myself, see a world that is getting better in so many ways. Medical advancements have come so far in the past 10, 20 , 50 and 100 years. Modern technology puts so much knowledge right at our finger tips. Despite recent set backs in race relations, I think people of different backgrounds have a better chance at a happy life in the US than ever before. I love the life I live, and I don't think I would go back to any other time given the opportunity.

So what do you say, is the world getting better or worse?
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media advertises the bad like it's a movie. It disgusts me. Almost as much as this culture, who believes the kardashians are an actual conversation worthy topic worth millions. How many reality tv 27 kids and counting shows are we going to get before 'entertainment' becomes a black hole and sucks the world into it?

As whole I think it's remarkable the kind of advances we are making, however sick minded people have a clear understanding that the more psychotic their 'grande finale' is, the more media attention it will achieve. Same goes for terrorism, same goes for a lot of things, really.

Corporations as a whole do not value the individual, but rather the profit margin - which i find understandable yet completely disgusting.

Government is a mess and it won't be changing any time soon with how much money is going into the pockets of all these morons 'leading' our country. Anyone with a genuine opinion and a clear conscience will never get enough funding to factor and we'll never improve as a nation due to governmental efforts. Pork bills are not a thing of a past. Give me limited government like your constitution states. Give me elected officials who are unpaid.

That 'star' athletes can get away with near murder disgusts me, almost as much as the amount of money they make per season in some sports. It confirms, if entertainment didn't already, that the Nation's values are terribly out of whack, while those who define our youth and save our lives make a fraction of the money.

And don't even get me started on race. It disgusts me. I hate that people use it as a crutch to be different. I hate that people use it as a source of hate. I hate that I am FORCED to perceive myself differently from someone purely on skin pigment. I hate it all.
 
Right direction? Hardly. Can it be ultimately fixed? Probably not. It just seems there is an endless push to get away from the values that founded this country and what made it great. I think the rest of the world benefits when we do things correctly also.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
The other thing is it's honestly a tough job market right now. Yes there are certain jobs where there is a lot of need, but overall I hear a ton of angst from high school and college friends about finding good jobs - I was definitely lucky to find a good job quickly right out of school.
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Side tangent here: What is always interesting to me is how much of a hard time my company has hiring qualified people. I am talking good, high paying jobs but we can't find anyone with the necessary skills.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
When you say "entitlement programs", what are you referring to? Honest question.

I do agree that there are lazy folks out there in my generation, and in the one previous and forthcoming as well, but I think it's a fallacy to pretend that this is a generational thing and that there aren't folks in their 40's and 50's doing the same things. Hell, there was a large group of people in the 1960's who weren't doing a whole lot of working in their 20's and early 30's...

1960s-Hippies-Fashion-300x261.jpg
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I dont want to make this political, so I will just say government programs designed to help those that are in need. It was never intended to be payroll and paychecks for life. Doesnt make it right or wrong, just that with that growth, its hard for me personally to argue the other side of it.
 
Technically speaking yes
Medically speaking sure
Socially not a snowballs chance in hell!

That's my short answer
 
JB said:
I dont want to make this political, so I will just say government programs designed to help those that are in need. It was never intended to be payroll and paychecks for life. Doesnt make it right or wrong, just that with that growth, its hard for me personally to argue the other side of it.
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I can agree with this. I am with you that such programs should be used as a way to hold yourself up while you find another line of gainful employment. The ultimate question is, for the people who fall through the cracks and do end up in these systems for a long period of time - whose fault is it? Is it theirs? Is it a tough job market? Is it the system itself? Or a mix? I think there are probably several cases for each blamed party, and it's sorting out whose fault it really is that's the difficulty. The current system allows freeloaders to profit, but a tougher system might squash people who are circumstantially handicapped. The question is, which way are you content to err?
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
I can agree with this. I am with you that such programs should be used as a way to hold yourself up while you find another line of gainful employment. The ultimate question is, for the people who fall through the cracks and do end up in these systems for a long period of time - whose fault is it? Is it theirs? Is it a tough job market? Is it the system itself? Or a mix? I think there are probably several cases for each blamed party, and it's sorting out whose fault it really is that's the difficulty. The current system allows freeloaders to profit, but a tougher system might squash people who are circumstantially handicapped. The question is, which way are you content to err?
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Its getting to the point where most of people who are living off these programs are second generation now. We cant have the miracle kid that gets out every now and then and be happy with that.
 
GolfFest said:
Side tangent here: What is always interesting to me is how much of a hard time my company has hiring qualified people. I am talking good, high paying jobs but we can't find anyone with the necessary skills.
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Out of curiosity, what kind of jobs are we talking?
 
I still think the world ended in 1989 :D
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
I can agree with this. I am with you that such programs should be used as a way to hold yourself up while you find another line of gainful employment. The ultimate question is, for the people who fall through the cracks and do end up in these systems for a long period of time - whose fault is it? Is it theirs? Is it a tough job market? Is it the system itself? Or a mix? I think there are probably several cases for each blamed party, and it's sorting out whose fault it really is that's the difficulty. The current system allows freeloaders to profit, but a tougher system might squash people who are circumstantially handicapped. The question is, which way are you content to err?
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Desperation is the ultimate form of motivation.
 
Awkward silence said:
Its getting to the point where most of people who are living off these programs are second generation now. We cant have the miracle kid that gets out every now and then and be happy with that.
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You have numbers to support this? Not questioning your validity, just would honestly like to know.
 
JB said:
Desperation is the ultimate form of motivation.
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So you're saying we should just leave people who lose their job to their own devices?
 
I agree with this. Anyone that knows me, knows I will help anyone out when it is really needed. But what has gotten lost is there is a difference between a helping hand and a hand out.


JB said:
I dont want to make this political, so I will just say government programs designed to help those that are in need. It was never intended to be payroll and paychecks for life. Doesnt make it right or wrong, just that with that growth, its hard for me personally to argue the other side of it.
Click to expand...
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
You have numbers to support this? Not questioning your validity, just would honestly like to know.
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We are getting pretty off track, but I have no numbers to support it. But I have seen quite alot of it with my own eyes. To many brought up in poor neighborhood with families that are on government programs, it is just their way of life.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
So you're saying we should just leave people who lose their job to their own devices?
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No sir.
There are a lot of changes I would make to motivate people.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
Out of curiosity, what kind of jobs are we talking?
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any type of Programming jobs. They are in big demand but as a country we are way behind in these type of skills.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
You have numbers to support this? Not questioning your validity, just would honestly like to know.
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I get most of my information from the show "The first 48 Hours"
 
Thanks to everyone for answering and providing your reasoning. I'll back off now as I know I'm derailing this a bit, but I'll just say that things are rarely as simple as they seem and I personally would rather help more people who really do need it rather than causing harm to innocents caught in the crossfire of trying to eliminate handouts.
 
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