Are Teenagers Over Privileged?

[Lucio]

I think it's a product of an increasingly disillusioned society, where people are told that they're special and unique butterflies because it makes them buy products, and that they can have it all if they just get that one lucky break (and if they don't get it, then it's not their fault, but the snotty elitist idiots)

Faced with messages like that, it's no wonder kids are coming over as being aggressive and obnoxious.

I don't so much blame the parents, as blame society as a whole for passively accepting the crap that we see on TV and not taking steps to get the other side of the message across about teamwork, and earning what you want

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

It depends if they have been on the pies or not.

[doyll49]

I don't think they are over privileged, just in some cases a warped sense of entitlement. Which, in my opinion is a societal problem as a whole, and very media related.

Same / same. Being over privileged results in sense of entitlement. Over privileged = being given too much while doing nothing. Entitlement = expecting everything to be handed to them for nothing.

For too many years we have allowed society to change from people thinking they are responsible for their actions and must support themselves to people thinking they are victims and entitled to a free ride.

Too many excuses and not enough accountability. All the way from our top politicians and executives on down.

[melon]

I think it's a product of an increasingly disillusioned society, where people are told that they're special and unique butterflies because it makes them buy products, and that they can have it all if they just get that one lucky break (and if they don't get it, then it's not their fault, but the snotty elitist idiots)

Faced with messages like that, it's no wonder kids are coming over as being aggressive and obnoxious.

I don't so much blame the parents, as blame society as a whole for passively accepting the crap that we see on TV and not taking steps to get the other side of the message across about teamwork, and earning what you want

I think its combination of things.. for one thing ( esp in sports ) UK has always been seen as having," the good loser syndrome "( just look at WorldCup ,Wimbledon etc ) and generally been seen as pretty
negative and and less vocal because their not as confident as their cousins in the US, so I think this perception has taken us from one extreme to another ( basically emulating the US ) and giving us a false confidence and obsession with fame ( which has existed in the US a long time )

The other is technology ( internet ) has made us less dependent on our " natural environments " so we can be selectiveand isolated in our own worlds / groups - like this - that further enhance our illusion of however we want / think the world to be.

I know how hard that is firsthand to seperate because I know no one but people on this ( extreme thanks to circumstances ) but it pratically means I no longer living anywhere but wherever my interests lie - there is no time or sense of being anywhere other than how i see myself on this because I have identified with the image from my online interactions to extent I no longer exist.

Even my suffering is online if you where to look.

Advertising has always been there - true its far worse but its only relative to everything else.

Heres some good reading on what little girls want.

Can u guess ?

Heres good old Randis take on it no mention of celebrities being supernatural even though everyone seems to think they have special powers.



m

[melon]

It depends if they have been on the pies or not.

That prob narrows it down to 0.01 %

drink plus carryout is staple diet of those that run their mouths.

m

[Saracen]

This is a quick reaction, without having read the whole thread.

Amend your theme to "Are people over-privileged", and I'd agree with you. Teenagers may exhibit that characteristic, but I don't think it's limited to them.

....

One the first occasion, it was because I denied them access to our wireless network, and on the second because I denied a group of house-hunters access to a locked bedroom. To be clear, on both occasions I was well within my rights to do so .....?

On the first example, I entirely agree with you. I might ask, but if access was denied, well, fair enough.

On the second, it somewhat depends by the definition on "house-hunter". As a prospective buyer of a property, I expect to be able to inspect what I wish, including lofts, cellars, gardens, and so forth. If that access was decline, I would politely lose any interest at all in the property, and depart.

But, if you mean room-hunting, or house-share hunting, then I'd expect no right of access to parts of the house my rental agreement would give me access to. So, my bedroom, and common areas like bathroom, kitchen and maybe gardens, I'd expect to inspect. But other people's private rooms are just that - private. And no business of mine .... unless they're running a marijuana farm, or a brothel, or something, out of them.



I'd also say that rather than over-privileged, a better way to express my opinion of this type is that they have a sense of over-entitlement, and that, I'd say, is very widespread. The examples you gave are just illustrations of it's more obnoxious manifestations. But it's a common thing, often manifesting as an overblown sense of rights in society, and an under-developed sense of duties and responsibilities.

[Fraz]

Yes, I do think a lot of people are too prideful, over-entitled, and lack maturity these days. Full of huffiness over all the bourgeois, first-world problems they're having. It annoys me greatly.

And it's interesting, isn't it, the politeness, and then the rudeness.

A lot of people don't really understand the reasoning behind being polite. You say please and thank-you not because it's a rote-learnt thing that people do, but because you're asking for someone to do you a favour. "Can you show me around your house, please?". Clearly, it's a favour. If they don't understand that from the get go, then they aren't really being polite.

[Saracen]

.... but because you're asking for someone to do you a favour. "Can you show me around your house, please?". Clearly, it's a favour. If they don't understand that from the get go, then they aren't really being polite.

Well, in the house-buying example, it's more of a mutually beneficial arrangement, in that they want to sell and you're thinking of buying. In the rental example it's more of a favour, if a renter is showing a potential renter around. But again, it's mutually beneficial, as both current and prospective renter may end up living together, so a chance to size each other up is useful to both. Whether the current renter has any influence with the landlord over who gets the room is, of course, another issue. Some will, I guess, and some won't. I'm not sure "favour" is quite the right word when the person looking around is seeking to either rent, or buy. They do, after all, have the option to rent or buy somewhere else.

But, like a shop, mutual courtesy costs nothing, and makes everyone's day more pleasant. But who is doing who a favour? The person offering to buy and therefore get a product they want, or the person offering to sell and therefore make a living, or get their wages paid? I'd say, a bit of both.

[jon bda]

Depends on the teenagers i suppose...i do my utmost to provide everything i can for our two, because they both work hard and do well...my choice...

[melon]

Yes, I do think a lot of people are too prideful, over-entitled, and lack maturity these days. Full of huffiness over all the bourgeois, first-world problems they're having. It annoys me greatly.

And it's interesting, isn't it, the politeness, and then the rudeness.

A lot of people don't really understand the reasoning behind being polite. You say please and thank-you not because it's a rote-learnt thing that people do, but because you're asking for someone to do you a favour. "Can you show me around your house, please?". Clearly, it's a favour. If they don't understand that from the get go, then they aren't really being polite.

The rule here is "self respect " - not ego or false confidence because someone told you ,but because you " care " about yourself and therefore in turn reflect that attitude with the world and others too .

Why ?

Because self respect is selfless it requires only you not someones approval other than what some would call god.

In that sense being nice just for the sake of it is just as damaging as the being rude because you dont care - both really boil down to ego and fear or complete lack of awareness ,and what you will gain or lose - you might even argue pretending to be nice to someone you couldnt care less for is worse because ultimately it comes down to your ability to act otherwise in all situations and not just because you are " reacting " in an emotional or tribal based way , that reflects someone who is intelligent.

Of course the catch is , that to know this you actually have to recognize how we are all essentially the same, instead of finding reasons for the opposite.

The young folk actually have it half right in a way, as their more emotionally connected to the sort of feelings all us old folk suppressed within ourselves, but at the same time ( because they have no guidance ) they have no idea how to deal with it .

Its not unlike any the old subculture movements in some ways like punks , goths - but un like them they dont use it creatively to make statements really other than to peruse their screen idols like everyone else.

m

[fuddam]

I blame Loreal adverts

[melon]

Yes, I do think a lot of people are too prideful, over-entitled, and lack maturity these days. Full of huffiness over all the bourgeois, first-world problems they're having. It annoys me greatly.

And it's interesting, isn't it, the politeness, and then the rudeness.

A lot of people don't really understand the reasoning behind being polite. You say please and thank-you not because it's a rote-learnt thing that people do, but because you're asking for someone to do you a favour. "Can you show me around your house, please?". Clearly, it's a favour. If they don't understand that from the get go, then they aren't really being polite.

Its not whats said but the way its said or implied that comes over , so the words themselves are usually meaningless because no one really means what they say , if they believed what they said half the time wouldnt have to say it because you would sense it ( if you were being honest ) too

Perfect example of this social dilemma is when someone u dont know tells u someone they loved died .
99% of people would prob feel great pressure not saying they were sorry ( esp if something was at stake for them ) not because they want to but because they are dishonest with themselves , as a result People are impermanent and constantly changing their personalities , because they are trying to avoid being honest.

Its like a game of hide and seek , though in truth everyone hiding.

We talk round each other but rarely at each other unless emotionally provoked beyond the same reason we assume governs ourselves.

m

[aidanjt]

Really when you boil it right down, people don't give a crap about others because others don't give a crap about them. Apathy reigns supreme in virtually all walks of life. And it's contagious.

[melon]

Really when you boil it right down, people don't give a crap about others because others don't give a crap about them. Apathy reigns supreme in virtually all walks of life. And it's contagious.

Oh thats not true , Business , Politicians care a lot about you ( esp if you dont give a crap about them )

There is nothing apathetic about suffering or death , it just depends on how fully aware of it you are ,before it leaves you regrets.

m

[aidanjt]

Oh thats not true , Business , Politicians care a lot about you ( esp if you dont give a crap about them )

There is nothing apathetic about suffering or death , it just depends on how fully you are aware of it before it leaves you regrets.

m

People feign sympathy and perhaps even outrage for the suffering and death of strangers. But really, they make a comment/platitude, put down the news paper and carry on, business as usual. Nobody *really* cares.

[melon]

People feign sympathy and perhaps even outrage for the suffering and death of strangers. But really, they make a comment/platitude, put down the news paper and carry on, business as usual. Nobody *really* cares.

Nobody owes anyone anything - its just self pity if you think otherwise unless youve been wronged .

What I mean is that death and suffering leave no room for that sort of facade , because you start too " remember yourself " from moment to moment instead of forgetting yourself all the time.

Its that forgetting that creates apathy because your not relevant, so you end up being an actor who doesnt even realise hes acting on his own show.

If you realise your the actor and you can change the show - if you dont you end becoming part of show - or rather the audience who have been watching it till their own deaths

Its mans folly to think he has all the time to change that , like some special destiny ,when the truth is you get very few chances to REALLY change , maybe once or twice ,you will get those moments ( that will pit you against everything you've become ) and if you dont take it , you will always be left wondering and spend your life in regret.

Its not easy to change , and even harder to keep it that way.

Im not endorsing this as some religion or path , just relaying on my own minor experiences as an example of what I meant by death - esp in relation to time , and what there is of it left.

The Truman show is a good film to watch when it comes to illustrating that.


melon