I've worked with juveniles for the past 7 years in group homes, detention centers, intake facilities, and as a therapist. There's without a doubt a difference in the level of respect this younger generation generally shows toward their elders (and their peers) than previous generations.
The pendulum has swung too far in the wrong direction. Kids used to get it pretty hard. Maybe, some could argue, too hard if you go back in history far enough. Now we are all about protecting our children, which is great, but that can even be taken too far. It's hard for parents to raise their children how they were raised because it's not the same world, not even close. This generation has been tossed into a global society (largely because of the internet) which has to have some major implications, but I don't know what just yet. Everything they've been raised around is instant gratification. Instant messages, programmable tv, microwave dinners, porn, etc., they're constantly in a stop-watch world where things are moving so fast. I'm sure they're more stressed in some ways because of the knowledge they have of the world that many of us probably never did. I grew up playing army/guns in the back yard. Playing kickball. Riding dirt bikes. Doing kid shit. These kids grow up watching people get beheaded online. We can't comprehend what it's like to be them, and they can't understand where we came from either. We're growing rapidly right now. We are living in a special technological era. Times are changing fast and I don't think kids are ready for it. They're back-lashing because they're scared and confused.
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