Do we have a 3 generation problem?

[ManOnFire]

In the U.S., Generation #1, who struggled mightily in life, wanted to give their kids a “better” life. Whether planned or accidental, the interpretation of some parents in generation #1 to give their kids (generation #2) a “better” life was to create a fun and comfortable childhood where struggle and disappointment were avoided as much as possible, or maybe it was just plain easier for gen #1 to give gen #2 whatever they wanted and not to parent gen #2, or maybe both parents weren’t home to teach values. This generation #2 then gets married and has kids (generation #3), is ill prepared for the struggle and sacrifice of the self’s desires, and one or both gen #2 parents bail out on marriage and kids, claiming it’s too difficult. So, is it the lack of struggle, of the lack of teaching the values to the kids of gen #2, pop culture media’s luring astray, or some combination? And how do we avoid it in the future?

 

[challam2010]

Or - if one’s cup is half full instead of half empty…

Generation #0 lived through the depression and WW2 and became the seeds of the great consumerist society through manufacturing, polluting, marketing and purchasing. Because of their own hardships and deprivation, one of their great driving desires was to give their kids more, more, more than they had, in every respect.

They begat Generation #1, war babies and baby boomers, who were reared with less harsh discipline than before under the influence of child psychologists. This generation first became the hippies then the technological innovators, the warriors on the women’s rights battlefield, the first to desire and expect a college education as their right.

They begat Generation #2, (Gen X-ers), many of whom were reared with both parents working and/or divorced parents. They were indulged in their every want (not need), consider education, money and success as their main priorities and greed as their Gospel…however… their parents were also exposed to more information on parenting than has ever been known. Because of their affluence and opportunities, as they matured this group changed their order of priorities and are so involved in their kids’ successes they have become helicopter parents. In my experience, they are rearing very self-indulged kids, Generation #3, who nevertheless are bright, aware, technologically sophisticated, eager for the best education possible and capable of handling it.

You can’t ignore the influence of all forms of media on Generations 1, 2 and 3 – the pervasive intrusion of pop culture into nearly every family, particularly today. Parenting, of course, is the major influence in this generation’s lives – but the media has way too much influence. Neither can you ignore the influence of drugs on Generations 1 & 2 and, regretfully, now also 3.

By the way… what was your point?

 

[Todd520]

By the way… what was your point?

And what generation of parents throughout history
has not desired, and strived for,
a better life for their children?

 

[tapiocapudding]

I’m 25 and I think that makes me among the earliest of the Gen Y. And I’m so tired of hearing everyone put down my generation! Check out the young mommies in the pregnant mommies forum or the youth on this board. They are good and holy people! Every generation thinks the following one is out to ruin the world. It’s cliche. Everyone thinks we’ve been coddled and we don’t know the value of hard work. I disagree. I think the main problem with my generation is we’re young and idealistic. Don’t worry, we’ll grow up!

 

[Charlotte1776]

As a member of generation 3, I think many people my age have learned from the mistakes of generation 2 and are determined not to make them. For instance, I know plenty of people who suffered terribly from the divorces of their parents and vowed never to get divorced and put their children through the same horror.
I think there is a lot of hope for my generation. Pro-choice groups are complaining that pro-life groups are overflowing with young members my age and they are terrified that we are going to be making all the public policy decisions when the old '60s feminists die out in a few years. Polls are starting to show that my generation is more conservative than ones before it on many issues, and we are a very educated and politically aware age group.
Every generation worries that the one after it is too ignorant/immature/disrespectful/lazy etc. to make a positive impact on the world, but I don’t think that’s true.

 

[purplesunshine]

I work at a community college and I have to say stupid comes in all ages. I have people from age 15 to 80 taking classes. And it’s few and far between that anyone has common sense. I don’t think it’s any one generation, political or religious power…it’s that humans are humans and becuase we meet hundereds of people a day (when someone 100 years ago would see maybe a dozen) that we’re more aware of the blatent stupidity.

I’m not darwinistic by any means but in general. it is also much harder for the stupid people to be killed off, which I’m sure is part of the problem.

 

[jmcrae]

I’m not darwinistic by any means but in general. it is also much harder for the stupid people to be killed off, which I’m sure is part of the problem.

So, having saved the idiots from themselves, we now have to figure out how to save society from the idiots?

 

[gmarie21]

As a member of generation 3, I think many people my age have learned from the mistakes of generation 2 and are determined not to make them. For instance, I know plenty of people who suffered terribly from the divorces of their parents and vowed never to get divorced and put their children through the same horror.
I think there is a lot of hope for my generation. Pro-choice groups are complaining that pro-life groups are overflowing with young members my age and they are terrified that we are going to be making all the public policy decisions when the old '60s feminists die out in a few years. Polls are starting to show that my generation is more conservative than ones before it on many issues, and we are a very educated and politically aware age group.
Every generation worries that the one after it is too ignorant/immature/disrespectful/lazy etc. to make a positive impact on the world, but I don’t think that’s true.

Check out a lot of the young priests coming out of seminaries, they are more conservative and loyal to the magisterium than many of their peers who have been priests for decades.

 

[purplesunshine]

So, having saved the idiots from themselves, we now have to figure out how to save society from the idiots?

A few more years of texting while driving will probably solve things

 

[ManOnFire]

Or - if one’s cup is half full instead of half empty…

Generation #0 lived through the depression and WW2 and became the seeds of the great consumerist society through manufacturing, polluting, marketing and purchasing. Because of their own hardships and deprivation, one of their great driving desires was to give their kids more, more, more than they had, in every respect.

They begat Generation #1, war babies and baby boomers, who were reared with less harsh discipline than before under the influence of child psychologists. This generation first became the hippies then the technological innovators, the warriors on the women’s rights battlefield, the first to desire and expect a college education as their right.

They begat Generation #2, (Gen X-ers), many of whom were reared with both parents working and/or divorced parents. They were indulged in their every want (not need), consider education, money and success as their main priorities and greed as their Gospel…however… their parents were also exposed to more information on parenting than has ever been known. Because of their affluence and opportunities, as they matured this group changed their order of priorities and are so involved in their kids’ successes they have become helicopter parents. In my experience, they are rearing very self-indulged kids, Generation #3, who nevertheless are bright, aware, technologically sophisticated, eager for the best education possible and capable of handling it.

You can’t ignore the influence of all forms of media on Generations 1, 2 and 3 – the pervasive intrusion of pop culture into nearly every family, particularly today. Parenting, of course, is the major influence in this generation’s lives – but the media has way too much influence. Neither can you ignore the influence of drugs on Generations 1 & 2 and, regretfully, now also 3.

By the way… what was your point?

Addictions to internet porn, drugs, and shallow amusements, unwed motherhood has surpassed wedded motherhood for the very first time in recorded history, declines in U.S. productivity compared to the rest of the world. You mentioned the arrivals of the media and drugs as being common throughout the weakening period. Maybe that’s a clue.

It seems to me that, for the first time in history, over the last several decades, parents went from dreaming of giving their kids a better life to actually achieving it. But along with the “good” life comes less struggle and lots of personal entertainment, which weakens people. The notions of struggle and sacrifice are relative. Definitions of struggle and sacrifice from the days when people were barely surviving would be defined very differently from the kids who grow up with helicopter parents who believe they’re helping their kids by protecting them from struggle. Now, some parents are intentionally sending their kids on mission trips to show them how to struggle. Does society need to create artificial struggle in order to increase some kids’ tolerance to endure future struggles? I’m just throwing it out there for consideration. Now that the suburbs finally have the means and the free will to avoid serious life or death struggle, should we have some type of barometer for knowing when our kids will have life so easy that they will become intolerant of struggle? Or maybe the media’s temptations will just reduce the white kids too, eventually.

It seems ironic that the poor, who know struggle and have less material possessions, are being held down by all the temptations in the media, but white Americans and Europeans from the suburbs, who have less struggle, more material possessions, and are more likely to have more family support to save them from trouble, are going soft due to less struggle. The paradox fascinates me. It seems we need to save the poor (and everyone else, for that matter) from the media’s temptations and teach the white kids to struggle. Maybe I’m way, way off, but it’s food for thought.

 

[ManOnFire]

I’m 25 and I think that makes me among the earliest of the Gen Y. And I’m so tired of hearing everyone put down my generation! Check out the young mommies in the pregnant mommies forum or the youth on this board. They are good and holy people! Every generation thinks the following one is out to ruin the world. It’s cliche. Everyone thinks we’ve been coddled and we don’t know the value of hard work. I disagree. I think the main problem with my generation is we’re young and idealistic. Don’t worry, we’ll grow up!

Great post.

 

[ManOnFire]

As a member of generation 3, I think many people my age have learned from the mistakes of generation 2 and are determined not to make them. For instance, I know plenty of people who suffered terribly from the divorces of their parents and vowed never to get divorced and put their children through the same horror.
I think there is a lot of hope for my generation. Pro-choice groups are complaining that pro-life groups are overflowing with young members my age and they are terrified that we are going to be making all the public policy decisions when the old '60s feminists die out in a few years. Polls are starting to show that my generation is more conservative than ones before it on many issues, and we are a very educated and politically aware age group.
Every generation worries that the one after it is too ignorant/immature/disrespectful/lazy etc. to make a positive impact on the world, but I don’t think that’s true.

Another great post. 2 things that jump out at me from your post. 1. I don’t think that some of the 60s activists fully realized that they were actually rebelling against growing up.
2. Media entertainment is more portable and present than ever, so it concerns me that people who have the free will and the means might choose entertainment over work. Research has also shown that the media is more biased than ever, and young peole are naturally impressionable, so unless people learn not to be influenced by the unelected media’s propaganda that coerces people to think with their emotions rather than truth, then there’s hope.