Observation of those born after 1980

[SEEGERMANY]

I took my lady friend to dinner the other night and we invited one of her friends who is an 8th grade teacher. Listening to the two of them ( 27 & 30) converse, I thought I was going to pull my fucking hair out! It was as if I was trying to break the Japanese codes during WWII. I finally gave up trying to follow the conversation and just sat there enjoying the meal. I'd nod or smile occasionally to let them know I was still alive.

But the real kicker was when they both spotted a mutual friend with some studly dude. They started exclaiming OMG, OMG, OMG! Not oh my god, but OMG! I felt as if I had two junior high schoolers at the table with me. About that time, the waiter came to the table and asked if we wanted desserts. The teacher, knowing I was paying for the meal, ordered probably the most expensive dessert on the menu. She looked at me and asked if it was OK. I used self control, but I wanted to say "EABD!"

[Endrik]

reminds me of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGz6NdLBF2Y

[Spivonious]

I'd narrow that demographic to kids born after 1990. They're the ones who grew up with cell phones, widespread internet access, and advanced video games.

I was born in '82 and it was only because my Dad is a gearhead that we had a computer. Most of the country didn't get Internet access until the late '90s; we had it in '91. I didn't have a cell phone until I was 22.

My nephew had an old cell phone to play with when he was 6 months-old (he's now 6 years-old). All of his toys are computerized in some way. He takes care of a dog on the Webkinz website.

People my age are very well-spoken, informed about the world, and can hold adult conversations face-to-face. It's the kids who are entering college and younger that have zero communication skills.

[joelayres]

The new reality:

[Endrik]

what are the school teachers doing? how can morons pass the classes while being illiterate? maybe it's a conspiracy and everyone will be like the fat asses in Wall-E

[Ben...]

I'd narrow that demographic to kids born after 1990. They're the ones who grew up with cell phones, widespread internet access, and advanced video games.

Essentially, yes...

WAIT A SECOND! I'm (unfortunately) in this demographic (16).

I agree with every single thing you dudes and dudettes are saying. I seem to be the precise opposite of what most people are these days. I have an unmatched hate for cell phones, I've actually punched people who type in that short form garbage if I'm working with them, I'm old school when it comes to girls (I would never ask over the phone/chat stuff and I think people move way too fast), people are lazier than Hell (People use Wikipedia for research assignments and use Cliff Notes instead of actually reading the books), and yes, I know several people who are essentially illiterate. It's a joke.

What's even worse is this thing they're doing in my area called "Collegiate Renewal" which is very similar to that "No Child Left Behind" initiative you Americans have. Basically, they're planning on remove percentage marks and instead having symbols to tell you how you did. For example: one idea was to have a seed symbolize a 50-60% mark, a sprout to symbolize a 60-70% mark, a young tree to symbolize 70-80% and a fully grown tree for 90+. It's the most stupid thing I've ever heard. Another suggestion was to get rid of marks other than "A". A failing mark would get an "A" which stands for "Almost", a mediocre mark would get an "A" for "Average" and a high mark would get an "A" for "Amazing". Another idea that's already put into use is to not show failing marks but instead show "incomplete" on report cards because failing marks supposedly demotivate people and make them not try.

In all honesty, if these people are failing, it's not because they're demotivated. I've noticed a lot of the "failures" are people who spend their whole day trying to look "cool". They do horrible in school and dress a certain just so they can feel accepted. To me, there is no such thing as "cool". If a person has to change their image just to fit in I believe they are living a lie and that once they realize that, they will be much happier. Never since I've been in high school have I had to change my image. I went in not knowing a single person and now I have a great group of friends who I can always count on. I don't give two craps about what they wear or how they act and I don't think they do about me either.

The moral of the story is that people like me and you are going to have some amazing service when we go to McDonald's in 5 years once all these morons "graduate".

[Rsmacker]

"you and I", dolt. Write it out 1000 times, with a pen, on a piece of paper.

I like the cut of your jib, Ben, young fella-me-lad. I think you have spunk. Hurrah. It's good to see that not all of the youth of today are complete fuckwits, good on you. Like Endrik says, women go all gooey when you appear to be eloquent and erudite. (It helps if you tell them you have a 10" cock). Soon enough you will be drooling like Stephen Hawking as you unload your mess inside a plethora of awestruck young women all eager to be given a good hard grammar lesson.

One little tip for you - try not to get confused by the messing about with grading letters etc. When you go to the newsagents and see a card in the window scrawled in green biro, advertising "French Lessons", from a young lady purporting to have "Good A and O levels", please don't think of it as a remarkable education opportunity. It means you can go and give her an A2M. (AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! I'm using fucking TXT SPK. All is lost, we're doomed!!)

[Chad]

Agree with this thread. It seems as if most of them can run a computer in their sleep, but can't tie their shoes.

[Endrik]

This is reflected pretty strongly in american culture.
America has had some of the greatest writers ever, most of my favorites are from US. America has produced a lot of great movies. American movies are very plot and dialog oriented compared to European stuff where the vibe and emotion is more important.

Now that Hollywood is producing tons of crap... what will be in the next few decades? Can't expect a new breed of Fitzgeralds who write great stories when things are going like this.
What kinds of movies we will have if the screenwriters' vocabulary consists of "lol" and "lmao" and "omg"???

[toejam]

Idiocracy is already hear.

You're right, considering you just used "hear" instead of here. :ROTF:

[triplehold]

Crazy how times change, but change is good. This is about all I can do with a computer, that's why I haven't tried to post pictures yet. I have 6 year old granddaughter who knows more than me, she grew up with a Mac along with all her other toys. She even says "OMG ". They are called "indigo kids" because they are so smart. My son in law is a lifer in the U.S. Airforce, he says "kids these days" have been praised and pampered all their lives and when he gets them in his ranks he says they can't handle failure and inability. Shoot- you can meet girls to boogie with online and buy a guitar that tunes itself. O yeah- and I thought my Dad was nuts when back in the early 50s he told me that someday you would have a phone in your car! Oh yeah- and when my son bought two turntables and a mixer and asked me "what's up with these record things". Too funny.

[markD]

what are the school teachers doing? how can morons pass the classes while being illiterate? maybe it's a conspiracy and everyone will be like the fat asses in Wall-E

E - it's a mess at the public school level. trust me on this one, the teachers are NOT a contributing factor. they are in a complete and total state of discontent and lack of ability to REALLY do anything about it.

NCLB, parents, school districts and the local media sources uusually have teachers labeled as incompetent twits that want more money and more vacation time. yet, when a teacher fails a student on the basis that the said student has learned NOTHING, the parents bitch to the districts and the child is socially promoted. it is not uncommon to have a classroom of 6th graders that can't read 2 words - and THAT is an "average" class.

being a teacher is one of the ONLY jobs where EVERYONE is against you...parents, students, administrators, communities, districts, legislators, etc....it is really fun!!!!

the problem has become a larger SOCIETAL issue that can't be fixed at the school level. a lot of these problems stem from home and the lack of parenting.

before anybody wants to jump and attack me on this, i will acknowledge that not ALL families are bad, but the peer role model in today's education model has gone from the "successful student" to the "dumb piece of shit" - and their behavior is allowed AND tolerated....

the school system's approach to "fixing" it is through "building relationships" and helping elevate their "self esteem." at my school (i teach 6th grade english and 2 graduate classes at the university) we have a student that NEVER goes to class - he is 15 in the 8th grade, has fathered a child, and has a mother in jail for violating the truancy court's order that she attend class with her son....we were DIRECTED to "tell the student hello, and address the student by name when we see him wandering the hallways - but DO NOT tell him to get to class."

how fucking WEAK is that?!?!?!?!

THAT is what teachers are TOLD to do....don't even get me started on how we are TOLD to teach the classes and the other stuff....

OH, and if your "failure rate" is too high, then you have an adminstrative meeting where you have to justify your grades by explaining EACH failure, show documentation of the strategies that you put in place to help the student, show student work, prepare your lesson plans for "inspection" and then have somebody tell you HOW to appraoch your lessons for the next grading period....after you have been put on probation for "failing too many kids." nevermind that a bunch of them never even lift a pencil...well, don't even bring a pencil to class....

i could keep going, but i am getting tired. my drugs are kicking in.....

[bibz]

+1 to the above post, my sis is a teacher and its fucked how much effort she has to put in, and she has kindy(4/5yos) this year! It's all about development and shit, mostly the parents job imo. And the parents that don't do shit at home are the ones complaining. Unfortunately teachers can't tell parents their flesh and blood is stupid and not upto par with its peers. Nor can they suggest homelife may be the contributing issue.

It all comes down to the parents, period.

As for the op, I'm a late 1981 model. I think ~83 the generations shifted, I can totally see it. I was into pc stuff very early and learnt it all before it hit mainstream, a perfect legup into the it industry, in which if I could have persued I'd be doing VERY well. However the dumbing down of everything technology in the name of accessibility, i.e. sales, is crippling it. Like how every new windows is harder to get under the bonnet in. Also how new cars are engineered to be easily serviced on a hoist, makes it even more of a bitch to drop the oil on the driveway!

The thing with sms, and in some ways email, is it's informal. It's quicker and easier to ring someone up, but its direct contact. Sms's are detached. That leads to less importance on grammar and spelling. Which is a null issue down here because of the slang culture of australian english. Theres a killer comic strip 'fred gassit' that is the ultimate in aussie-onomatopoeia. i.e. 'Fahn cahns' = fucking cunts

[joelayres]

being a teacher is one of the ONLY jobs where EVERYONE is against you...parents, students, administrators, communities, districts, legislators, etc....it is really fun!!!!

the problem has become a larger SOCIETAL issue that can't be fixed at the school level. a lot of these problems stem from home and the lack of parenting.

So sad but so true. The era of personal responsibility has ended.
In my day, if I got in trouble at school I also got my ass kicked at home.
Now, parents accuse the teachers of picking on their poor little angel.

I really don't envy teachers at all.

[Razor]

E - it's a mess at the public school level. trust me on this one, the teachers are NOT a contributing factor. they are in a complete and total state of discontent and lack of ability to REALLY do anything about it.

NCLB, parents, school districts and the local media sources uusually have teachers labeled as incompetent twits that want more money and more vacation time. yet, when a teacher fails a student on the basis that the said student has learned NOTHING, the parents bitch to the districts and the child is socially promoted. it is not uncommon to have a classroom of 6th graders that can't read 2 words - and THAT is an "average" class.

being a teacher is one of the ONLY jobs where EVERYONE is against you...parents, students, administrators, communities, districts, legislators, etc....it is really fun!!!!

the problem has become a larger SOCIETAL issue that can't be fixed at the school level. a lot of these problems stem from home and the lack of parenting.

before anybody wants to jump and attack me on this, i will acknowledge that not ALL families are bad, but the peer role model in today's education model has gone from the "successful student" to the "dumb piece of shit" - and their behavior is allowed AND tolerated....

the school system's approach to "fixing" it is through "building relationships" and helping elevate their "self esteem." at my school (i teach 6th grade english and 2 graduate classes at the university) we have a student that NEVER goes to class - he is 15 in the 8th grade, has fathered a child, and has a mother in jail for violating the truancy court's order that she attend class with her son....we were DIRECTED to "tell the student hello, and address the student by name when we see him wandering the hallways - but DO NOT tell him to get to class."

how fucking WEAK is that?!?!?!?!

THAT is what teachers are TOLD to do....don't even get me started on how we are TOLD to teach the classes and the other stuff....

OH, and if your "failure rate" is too high, then you have an adminstrative meeting where you have to justify your grades by explaining EACH failure, show documentation of the strategies that you put in place to help the student, show student work, prepare your lesson plans for "inspection" and then have somebody tell you HOW to appraoch your lessons for the next grading period....after you have been put on probation for "failing too many kids." nevermind that a bunch of them never even lift a pencil...well, don't even bring a pencil to class....

i could keep going, but i am getting tired. my drugs are kicking in.....

My wife teaches middle school, and all the above are true. Teachers hands are tied behind their backs. There is no accountability anymore for the great majority of kids today. They lack the accountability where it's needed most, at home. The "oh poor me" and "we're all equal" society of today sucks.

Teachers are actually teaching by state/federal mandated rules that all children are to be taught as equals. Not that some people are just inherently smarter than others. It seems that has leveled the playing field for not only the ones that ass off, but the ones who are just plain lazy and don't get the kick in the ass they deserve at home.