Nation of whiners?

[starseeker]

I'd point out a slightly different mindset here: getting hurt is actually a monetary concern as well as an emotional one. My sister lost her front adult tooth falling off some monkey bars. She hasn't been able to play contact sports since she was eight or so because of it (which is sad, because my sister is a tomboy), and they recently found out that the tooth didn't set. So my sister has had two root canals and some more extensive surgery, and she's going to need more surgery and have her other tooth filed for the rest of her life so that they match, because the broken tooth is dead. So even ignoring all that, shit like that costs thousands and thousands of dollars. Even if you don't give two shits about your kid, from a practical perspective, who wants to spend thousands of dollars on health fees? Health care used to be a lot more affordable, but now, not so much.

I had something similar happen to my front tooth when I was 14 or so, though in my case it was the spin and run game and I lost control ran off course and tripped hitting a concrete curb and a chair, had to have the nerve taken out of the tooth, but then it was just bleached and capped with white filling, it's neighbour tooth is also minorly chipped but not badly, why would you need to make the other one match? Or am just being very British with my attitude to teeth?

[Osama bin Bambi]

I think it is totally predictable for the adult generation to see the younger generation as deficient or rebellious in some way. I'm one of those kids who would be labelled part of the "whiner generation" by the OP's video simply because of the year I was born. The problem is not the kids - they can't really do a lot of shit, being under 18 and all. The problems are the helicopter parents and the sue-happy people who will prosecute at a moment's notice for the lulz. I know of some schools where candy and nuts have been completely banned because some people started hand-wringing over health "for the good of the children." (By the way, said school also has a thriving underground black market in candy and nuts.) So yes, in many respects I think that the term "nation of whiners" is an accurate one. However, there are still some people who use this kind of term to defend bullying, intolerance, and social injustice. While I don't disagree with the notion that people are oversensitive, I still believe that at least 50% of the people who call the current generation whiny are actually assholes.

[Witchyjoshy]

Not to mention, I'm fairly certain helicopter parents make up a very loud minority of parents, and like most loud minorities, they tend to ruin things for the rest of us.

[Smurfette Principle]

I'd point out a slightly different mindset here: getting hurt is actually a monetary concern as well as an emotional one. My sister lost her front adult tooth falling off some monkey bars. She hasn't been able to play contact sports since she was eight or so because of it (which is sad, because my sister is a tomboy), and they recently found out that the tooth didn't set. So my sister has had two root canals and some more extensive surgery, and she's going to need more surgery and have her other tooth filed for the rest of her life so that they match, because the broken tooth is dead. So even ignoring all that, shit like that costs thousands and thousands of dollars. Even if you don't give two shits about your kid, from a practical perspective, who wants to spend thousands of dollars on health fees? Health care used to be a lot more affordable, but now, not so much.

I had something similar happen to my front tooth when I was 14 or so, though in my case it was the spin and run game and I lost control ran off course and tripped hitting a concrete curb and a chair, had to have the nerve taken out of the tooth, but then it was just bleached and capped with white filling, it's neighbour tooth is also minorly chipped but not badly, why would you need to make the other one match? Or am just being very British with my attitude to teeth?

Americans tend to take dental care very seriously, and it's a very obvious symbol of wealth. Hence things like braces.

[Dantes Virgil]

There is a really excellent and very well researched book called Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before that covers pretty much exactly what you've all been pointing out and then some. 

One of the best parts of that book to me was the discussion over dreams and the "you can be anything you want to be" mantra but not really teaching kids how to make a plan to get from here to there.  She has some really dramatic examples, like the few who think they're going to be rappers who don't write any rhymes or practice, but I see this a lot at the college level with less dramatic goals.  It seems to be getting worse with each new crop of students.  Some think they're going to go to college and walk out with a lot of money and a really prestigious job pretty much right upon graduation.  But they don't seem to be willing to do the research, the study and the work it's going to take to make a decent job right of college happen (much less prestigious or well paid).  For some of them, it's laziness plain and simple.  But for a lot of them, they've just never really been taught how to make a plan from here to there -- someone was always there with the right forms, or looked it up for them, etc.  They're not lazy.  They have just never been taught how to do those things for themselves.  Nor will they go to career services, who would happily walk them through that process, or take any of the extra one hour or so classes that might help prep them towards that end.

The author also goes on to mention (and it's been pointed out here) that there is just so damn much working against this generation in general, what with the economy, crushing student loan debt and the cost of basic things (like housing) rising at crazy rates.  So add that to the bubble some kids are put in where helicopter parents smooth all wrinkles and tell them they can be anything they want to be if they just "want it" bad enough, and reality comes crashing hard when parents can't fix it anymore.  She has some really depressing statistics in that book about how this particular generation suffers far more from depression than any generation previously. 

It's a really great book.  She also has a website: http://www.generationme.org/

[SpaceProg]

I think pretty much the recent angst and turmoil is cyclical.  It happens when each generation finds out the American Dream... well... isnt anymore.

[Smurfette Principle]

One of the best parts of that book to me was the discussion over dreams and the "you can be anything you want to be" mantra but not really teaching kids how to make a plan to get from here to there.  She has some really dramatic examples, like the few who think they're going to be rappers who don't write any rhymes or practice, but I see this a lot at the college level with less dramatic goals.  It seems to be getting worse with each new crop of students.  Some think they're going to go to college and walk out with a lot of money and a really prestigious job pretty much right upon graduation.  But they don't seem to be willing to do the research, the study and the work it's going to take to make a decent job right of college happen (much less prestigious or well paid).  For some of them, it's laziness plain and simple.  But for a lot of them, they've just never really been taught how to make a plan from here to there -- someone was always there with the right forms, or looked it up for them, etc.  They're not lazy.  They have just never been taught how to do those things for themselves.  Nor will they go to career services, who would happily walk them through that process, or take any of the extra one hour or so classes that might help prep them towards that end.

I'd like to point out that the ability to actually go to college and walk out with a prestigious job used to be much, much easier. At the moment, the only majors with actual jobs attached are STEM majors (incredibly competitive fields with high rates of stress), some business majors, and... that's it. Everything else, you better pray that you can be a professor (which is incredibly competitive because of the low growth rate) or be able to turn your major into something profitable (I'm trying to turn a history major into a law degree, which, even if it works, will leave me in massive debt). Very, very few majors have guaranteed tracks, and it comes down to choosing what you're good at (thus guaranteeing good grades and getting into grad school or a specialty school) or choosing something you're not as good at, knowing that your chances of getting a job and paying off your debt goes way, way down.

I'm gambling by trying to turn something I'm good at into something profitable. It's not my first choice and it's not what I'm best at. If I were richer, I could afford to be an English major. But I'm not.

I guess my point is that career services and whatever do exactly jack shit, so I don't go to them for the simple reason that I know they can't help.

[rookie]

I could be wrong, but it was always my understanding that career services wasn't supposed to get you a job. They were supposed to show you how to write a resume, go on interviews, things of that nature. Maybe show you fields you can apply your degree in. But finding and landing that job I always thought was supposed to be up to you.

[Dantes Virgil]

I could be wrong, but it was always my understanding that career services wasn't supposed to get you a job. They were supposed to show you how to write a resume, go on interviews, things of that nature. Maybe show you fields you can apply your degree in. But finding and landing that job I always thought was supposed to be up to you.

Yes.  Now, granted my school is a state school with around 25 - 28,000 students counting graduate students in any given year.  It's also a party school, and not top of the line, though not a piece of crap either.  Still, career services here put together databases so you can post your resume and try to search for companies that would be good fits.  Companies can also search for you.  But otherwise, they do interview prep including taped sessions to help you get better feedback, things like databases and career coaches to help you figure out what sort of field to search in, etc.  They do a series of workshops on how to deal with a shitty job market in your senior year of college, the various stages you should go through, etc.  They look over and advise you on your resume.  They do career fairs several times a year to bring companies onto campus so you can go to them and apply for internships and jobs.  They try to partner with businesses where they can.  My school has a connection with the FBI because we have a center nearby.  They always come to campus to recruit.  We're not special -- we're on par with our peer institutions in this regard.  At the college level, there are even more things built in for career prep -- if students sign up for them, go to the job talks or go actually meet the person brought to campus.  But ultimately, students have to at least go fill out the application or even more basic, they  have to show up.  And at my school at least (granted, it's a big party school, but it still has research honors, notable alumni and various other rankings), that's  still not happening nearly like it should. 

And Smurfette is right -- it's definitely more difficult nowadays to walk into that job after college, though I would posit that was originally mostly a myth anyway.  If you had prior connections, college was just a stepping stone.  If you didn't, you looked, applied and competed for one like everyone else, it's just that more people were hiring and not being stingy with salary.  Everyone seems to agree it's harder now.  Which makes it all the more perplexing that more students aren't looking for that edge, wherever it might be.  I know I didn't when I was a senior in college.   

[starseeker]

It's hard even with a STEM degree (physics in the case of me and my mates), because we all got thirds (lowest class of honour degree) none of the graduate recruiters will touch us with a 10-foot pole (they all want firsts or upper seconds), it took me a year to get a job and that was my degree combined with my Japanese A-level and my hobbies, my mates are still looking. And all this time the government claims there's a shortage of science grads.....when a third of them have no job 6 months after graduating. It just drives me up the wall no end. 

[Sleepy]

Dantes Virgil makes a good point with the "you can be anything you want to be" mantra. I'm all for encouraging our children to be creative and aspire to their future dream job, but there comes a point where you must assess the reality of that dream and determine whether you have the wealth, talent, and ability to take a big risk to attain it. Even those factors are no guarantee. Some kids enter college and put forth little effort, receiving little in return when it's time to find a degree-related job, but others go through tremendous lengths to reach the top of their class with something like an English degree and also receive little in return because of the much higher demand for STEM majors. It's heart-breaking, really, but I'm not sure how to begin solving the problem nationwide.

I used to dream of being an English major, but as I grew older and started to research potential careers, I forced myself to scrap that dream because I couldn't afford to take such a risk. I'm thankful as hell that I discovered computer science and enjoy it so thoroughly, because with most other majors, I'd be absolutely terrified of graduating with my student loan debt on the horizon.

[Fpqxz]

My brother was a STEM major (chemical engineering, to be specific) and he hasn't had an easy time of things either.  He's been bounced around between 4 jobs in the past five years, and has had to take at least one pay cut.

[Dantes Virgil]

I'm hoping the new class I've been asked to develop is going to help our students realize that being an English major is not necessarily the risk they might think it is.  I sure looked at it that way when I was an undergrad.  The goal is to help them develop tools to see how they can fit into most any sort of field, not just the traditional answers of law school, med school, grad school, teacher.  It's a tall order, but honestly, it's what needs to happen for a load of majors.  They have so many skills they can bring to the table, such an awesome perspective.  They just need to make a road map to get there.  So much easier said than done, though.

May I just add that hearing the STEMs are having job problems scared the shit out of me?  Ugh!

[TheL]

But for a lot of them, they've just never really been taught how to make a plan from here to there -- someone was always there with the right forms, or looked it up for them, etc.  They're not lazy.  They have just never been taught how to do those things for themselves.  Nor will they go to career services, who would happily walk them through that process, or take any of the extra one hour or so classes that might help prep them towards that end.

So much this.  My dad sheltered me so damn much, it's a wonder I'm capable of surviving at all.

[rookie]

...  My dad sheltered me so damn much, it's a wonder I'm capable of surviving at all.

Of course you are. Just know it's going to take getting your ass metaphorically kicked a few times. But as long as you can learn from mistakes (which I have no doubt) you'll come out none the worse for wear.