What's The Problem With America's Youth? I have the questions, I want your answers...

[tricky77puzzle 0]

Parenting is a lost art, by and large. It's been replaced by pharmaceuticals and the internet/ wireless phones. And government mind-control brain-washing centers (public schools).

Huh... government mind-washing... it would only seem that way in the US. In Canada, they (seem to) promote free speech...

[Qittie deKay 0]

I think this is a huge question and though you're trying NOT to generalize, that's exactly what you're doing. I agree that America, the youth in particular, are miles behind other developed countries. However, it seems you're looking too globally for issues that are particularly local to you. What's wrong with the kids you go to school with? Obviously they're influenced by those around them as well as what they see, but with each particular area there comes with it a specific form of socialization (i.e. one kid sees it and mimics it; everyone else apes him/her). I agree with dre that consumerism and bad parenting are a big part of what's wrong with society, but I don't think that's the bottom line. And violence? As a general rule, humans are innately violent. You want proof? Look around you. Even when little kids aren't subjected to violent "gangster rap" and other pop culture icons who are setting bad examples, they still tend to hit or otherwise harm people. My stepmother didn't let my little brother watch television until he was almost eight years old and the only music she allowed in the house was Christian soft rock or Christmas hymns (blech). Even before preschool, where socialization begins with other kids who HAD been subjected to those violent elements, my brother still wanted to play cops and robbers...where he was the criminal, where he was shooting pretend guns. He bit, kicked, punched, etc. when he didn't get his way.In all, I'd say that there are million and one factors, but no one definitive answer.

Edited March 6, 2008 by Qittie deKay (see edit history)

[dre 0]

In all, I'd say that there are million and one factors, but no one definitive answer.

We're just trying to pick out the top ten, it's not that hard, really.

[Qittie deKay 0]

Sure it is. Anyone can just pick and choose ten things that most effectively influence America's youth. I mean...you might get three or four that are at the top of the pile, but what about the rest? It's all opinion no matter how you look at it, and no one person is going to agree with another on the answer, even if it is in the setting of a top ten listing. If you're going by the top ten according to each and every person this forum will never die...unless everyone loses interest, which is very likely. All I'm saying is that there ISN'T a definitive answer any way you look at it, and you can't argue that point. I'll agree that you pick ten out of a hat and argue for them...but I never saw anywhere in the original post that said they were looking for that format. *shrugs* Just saying...

[dre 0]

What's The Problem With America's Youth?, I have the questions, I want your answers...

Well if he wants my answers, he's gonna get them.

[Joshua 0]

What's The Problem With America's Youth?, I have the questions, I want your answers...

America.


I don't think it's that kids have changed, but that America itself is failing them.

We all recognize obesity is a growing problem, but then our country is choosing to eliminate P.E. from public schools. Sports like dodgeball are outlawed for being "too dangerous" thanks to the voices of vocal critics.

People wonder why kids increasingly prefer video games to playing outside. After all, we have all these sports leagues available for them. But that in itself may be the problem. Those fields are by and large only for league teams. Kids are shooed off the fields that are often chalked up and thus unusable save for teams during much of the summer. America is sending the message to kids that the only time it's alright to play sports is when it's organized league play, but in doing so is removing the element of fun that comes from unorganized sports.

Take a look at what your younger family members are bringing home for homework. Schools are increasingly giving more and more busy work as though their primary objective is to train young workers for a lifetime of drudgery, rather than to make them enjoy learning. Kids are coming home stressed out under workloads similar to what their parents have to deal with, and are expected to be active in sports, jobs, and other responsibilities as well.

Our public media constantly bombards kids with numerous agendas. Marketing from MTV (who owns Nickelodeon) and other sources sells kids on sex from an early age. Marketing of course focuses them on money and material objects. Rap music sells them on the idea that premarital sex, violence, and drugs are perfectly acceptable.

On top of this, parents rarely have time for their kids any more. Apart from the increase of single-parent homes, there is also the matter of parents working so much that they have little time for their kids even when there are 2 parents. It is much more common now for both parents to be active in the workplace trying to make ends meet, while kids are shuffled off to babysitters or groups.

What's more, our society has stopped seeing a distinction between "love" and "lust". Our society sells people, kids included, on the idea of "do what's right for you." Our society tells people to make it all about themselves, rather than other people. It's self-centered, which is what lust is. As a result, numerous marriages and relationships break up because "the energy isn't there anymore" or "the relationship lacks the excitement it once had."

You see, people are only in relationships now for the sex/status/energy/excitement/passion the other person can give them. The idea of caring about others for who they are is foreign to them, and the concepts of commitment and sacrifice are seen as unusual and out of place. Our society has lost any semblance of morality or compassion and our kids of course suffer as a result.

Our media shows almost exclusively bad news instead of good. And indeed, there's very little good news anymore anyway. People get increasingly discouraged. We elect a bunch of dishonest politicians and don't keep them accountable for what they do in office. Our whole society is going down the tubes. The problem isn't with America's youth, but with America as a whole.

[dre 0]

Good call Joshua, I agree with all that you said.

You see, people are only in relationships now for the sex/status/energy/excitement/passion the other person can give them. The idea of caring about others for who they are is foreign to them, and the concepts of commitment and sacrifice are seen as unusual and out of place. Our society has lost any semblance of morality or compassion and our kids of course suffer as a result.

Exactly, the "all about me" phenomenon. It tends to end in a crash later on, which is the upside, ironically.

Our media shows almost exclusively bad news instead of good. And indeed, there's very little good news anymore anyway. People get increasingly discouraged. We elect a bunch of dishonest politicians and don't keep them accountable for what they do in office. Our whole society is going down the tubes. The problem isn't with America's youth, but with America as a whole.

"Good news is no news."

As a result, numerous marriages and relationships break up because "the energy isn't there anymore" or "the relationship lacks the excitement it once had."

"If it's not entertaining me, it's not worth my time."
Hey, look how nicely this is matching up with the things I mentioned before.

America is sending the message to kids that the only time it's alright to play sports is when it's organized league play, but in doing so is removing the element of fun that comes from unorganized sports.

*Glances at all the basketball courts which are rarely used* I agree 100% with this. Some people just don't want to commit 70% of their day to go play school sports, they just want to shoot some hoops and talk with friends without having some bald man yell over their shoulder every other moment. However, it's hard to do when no one is actually going outside and playing (shockingly). Edited March 11, 2008 by dre (see edit history)

[kasm 0]

1. About Education :

 

The system of Education in USA [as in Australia] is not good. You have nice schools with nice library, computers , laboratories and sports utilities but the schools is lacking the value of schooling. The students and their parents see the schools as place to spend the times and free the parents from their responsibilities and free them go to their works. Students see the school as place to play and socialize not a place to facilitate the knowledge and organize the sequencing of the knowledge [which first and which after] It is as building blocks. That mean a good restricted and unified curricula . The students have to feel that skip a class required lot of time and efforts to cover what they skipped.

 

When I was lecturing Mathematics in Egyptian Faculties, I saw how the students came early to reserve place to sit in the firsts rows. I was suffering seeing how many students has no place to sit in the auditory and standing hour and half, writing their notes on one hand and writing with the other hand while they listen to explanations. That because they know how they will spend hours to recover the missed hour and half.

 

Classes in developed countries as Egypt, India and Pakistan has windows broken their glass but they are studying two foreign languages plus the native language. They study the same Science and Mathematics mostly theoretically with limited scientific experiments nor computer in each class. They have to prove the scientific laws and remember on head the formulas While in your schools they allow to use sheet for all formulas and calculators to use even for each simple things.

 

Your students are not seriously study foreign language. Even the English language they are speaking English as mother language and they don't know gramme or id oms etc..What passive what active speech? what direct and indirect speech. Many people [even in high positions] they confused between "their" and "there" , "than" and "then " , "to" and "too". Many can't pronounced a word hasn't met before even it easy to do that.

 

The System of schools in republics of former Soviet Union are good too. Also the French and German School Systems are good.

 

The schools in India, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia produced students who are working doctors and famous surgeon in your hospital , Professors in your universities Engineers in space or telecommunications or programmers in your IBM, Microsoft, Yahoo, Silicon Vally.... It is 30-60% of the worker working in US in computer related industries, are people has received their education in developed countries or Eastern European countries

 

2. About Violence

It is your series programs and films that produce these violence. Plus the weaken influence of religion.

[Qittie deKay 0]

2. About Violence

It is your series programs and films that produce these violence. Plus the weaken influence of religion.[/b]

Why is everyone so quick to say religion will reduce violence? The Judeo/Christian faith produces some of the most violent people I've ever met! The very idea of an eye for an eye runs the Bible, and what about the Crusades? Ironic much.

 

And it's not just Christianity, either. Look at Muslims. They have jihads, another form of holy war, which have been used as late as THIS CENTURY.

 

You might want to take a look at this link and the articles it provides if you think religions promote peace:

 

Collisions of Religion and Violence: Redux

[dre 0]

Why is everyone so quick to say religion will reduce violence? The Judeo/Christian faith produces some of the most violent people I've ever met! The very idea of an eye for an eye runs the Bible, and what about the Crusades? Ironic much.

What's gonna happen? Are the kids going to be rallied up and set on a march to Palestine or strap on bomb vests and eradicate "the infidels"?

The very idea of an eye for an eye runs the Bible

I take it as if somebody ran up to my car and smashed out my window, they've made it fair game to have theirs smashed out also.

You might want to take a look at this link and the articles it provides if you think religions promote peace:

That shows what the people's actions promote. Sort of like saying if you wear a bikini to the beach, you promote sex.

The Judeo/Christian faith produces some of the most violent people I've ever met!

That's nice, I've met atheists whom I believe to be some of the most violent people I've met. Edited March 12, 2008 by dre (see edit history)

[Saint_Michael 3]

Well to answer topic's question technology plain and simple, back when I was in school about 10 years ago we didn't have all these social networking websites, ubertastic cell phones and all that other stuff. Of course school is no longer a safe haven for kids anymore because now teenagers have accepted the fact that killing students and teachers just because someone made you mad is normal trend now. So parents are to blame 70% of the problems for the public school system as most don't even care now, because when it comes to covering costs for the school system, every adult is quickly to say no on raising taxes for school sakes. Yet They say yes for improving roads and adding 200 gas stations with in a 5 block radius. Heck private school or home schooling seems even better options then before because being a teenager now is 10 times as difficult as it was 10 years ago, and you can blame society for that with all this glorification of being thin and having a -10 waist, doing drugs, drinking large amounts of alcohol, and making women believe the only job they can make descent money is by stripping and prostituting themselves.Of course this religion crap has to stop because quite frankly every single religion out there has no form of peace, if there was peace everyone would be one of the top religions which are catholic, protestant, Muslim, or Buddhist, violence begets violence that is what history has taught us. This whole fear of God complex is really old and until there is some sign of real "god" then religion is just another way to control people, it is simple as that. The only mistake that I see is the fact humans even existed, and I think the line in Matrix that Human's are a virus is true, all we do is destroy and don't put anything back. Heck I would think after the last human drops dead or we move off this planet, Earth will continue on it's path of destruction and that either being nuclear war, environmental disaster, an act of "God", or something from outer space blowing us up. I feel sorry for my niece and nephew that they have to live in a world like this, and I have the tough job of setting them straight once they are old enough to figure everything out.i wouldn't be upset if the last of the oil disappear in the next ten years because then people have to start thinking again, and find ways to survive without the use of oil to power their cars or heat their homes.

[Qittie deKay 0]

You're really quick to pick apart everything I say without actually addressing the points I've made. All I'm saying is that religion in and of itself does NOT promote peace.

SO...to address your comments:

What's gonna happen? Are the kids going to be rallied up and set on a march to Palestine or strap on bomb vests and eradicate "the infidels"?

No...and where did I say that, exactly? I never said children were going to march off to Palestine and declare a holy war. If you would just stop looking to denounce me you might realize that I'm making valid points. Kasm was generalizing by saying that having religion would make people more peaceful. I called him on that because it's not true. I was making the point that religions promote violence as much as they promote peace--not at all.
Quick side note here: Kids actually were rallied up and marched off to war during the Crusades...so it happens.

I take it as if somebody ran up to my car and smashed out my window, they've made it fair game to have theirs smashed out also.

Again, no...and, again, where did I say that? I get that you're trying to say just because it's in the Bible doesn't mean everyone practices it. Okay...but people are quick to pull it out when they need to feel justified about an opinion and/or action. And I speak from experience because Christians and some nondenominational practitioners quoted that line to me when I said the war in Iraq was idiotic. It's not that EVERYONE uses it; it's that some HAVE...and WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.

That shows what the people's actions promote. Sort of like saying if you wear a bikini to the beach, you promote sex.

As YOU said...which is the point I was trying to make...it's about the actions of individuals and what they're promoting by said actions. And by trying to prove me wrong you just further beat into the ground what I was trying to say. Let me reiterate this...religion in and of itself does not promote peace.
So, to clarify, let me explain what I was trying to say. How does it look when people are religious and they're using their religious texts to pull quotes that promote violence? Does that mean religion in and of itself promotes violence? NO. It means that specific person does. But on the same side of the coin people use that same text to pull quotes promoting peace. So does that mean the religion promotes peace? NO. It merely means religion is a tool in the hand of its practitioners.

I'm not sure if you were beign facetious with the example of the bikini, or not, but just for the record...I view that example in the same light as I do religion. It is a tool in the hand of a wielder; wearing one neither promotes sex nor discourages it.

That's nice, I've met atheists whom I believe to be some of the most violent people I've met.

And your point is? I think we've established three times over that religion or lack thereof promotes neither peace nor violence. It's merely the individuals. As such, I think I've thoroughly proven my point.
Edited March 13, 2008 by Qittie deKay (see edit history)

[dre 0]

All I'm saying is that religion in and of itself does NOT promote peace.

it's about the actions of individuals and what they're promoting by said actions.

religion in and of itself does not promote peace.

It is a tool in the hand of a wielder

religion or lack thereof promotes neither peace nor violence. It's merely the individuals.

I have some problems in following the position of your main idea. So does religion promote peace, does it not promote peace, or is it up to the individual to use it to promote peace (or perhaps do so without it)?

Quick side note here: Kids actually were rallied up and marched off to war during the Crusades...so it happens.

I know, and I've read many sources which argue whether the reason why they went were honestly pious or just an opportunity to get rich and to gain political/social status. Sadly, the fact is that many Christians are not Christians at all, and I've yet to come up with an explanation of why they even bother (Christianity is on a major decline, though, depending who on you trust). Edited March 14, 2008 by dre (see edit history)

[baphometslayer 0]

This strayed a bit off-topic, but I've got to agree with Qittie deKay on religion.In fact, I see it as virtually impossible for Religion to bring peace. It seems to me that it is up to the individual to promote peace, with or without Religion.I myself am a huge promoter of Peace, and I just happen to do so without Religion. Because honestly I think the only thing religion does for Peace is make it a cloudy concept.

[kasm 0]

Why is everyone so quick to say religion will reduce violence? The Judeo/Christian faith produces some of the most violent people I've ever met! The very idea of an eye for an eye runs the Bible, and what about the Crusades? Ironic much.

 

And it's not just Christianity, either. Look at Muslims. They have jihads, another form of holy war, which have been used as late as THIS CENTURY.

 

You might want to take a look at this link and the articles it provides if you think religions promote peace

1. It seems that there are people are very sensitive for word "religion" and by doing so prevent the society to investigate a problem thoroughly.

 

2. There is a problem is the status of American Youth. There is obvious problem in US school. that is the he American school is no longer a safe heave for kids and every year the news show an extreme shooting in school where one students kill many other students and teachers.

 

3. Then when people investigate using the scientific approach to diagnose the problem, the investigator has to study the factors, dimensions , corners and status in the past and comparing them with what is now. Then isolate the new factor and put finger on it.

 

4. But people who are sensitive of particular matter like religion, instead of making their input and diagnose, they crying and trying to stop others to investigate and diagnose.

 

5. Moreover they using a generic expression like "religion is not promote peace" which has no ground and contradict what religions are calling and promote. They also mixing the teaching and what sometimes happened. They forget what happened in the past of war before Christianity. They forget Geneva Conventions and War criminals. They forget how the loser countries were destroyed and their peoples were killed or bought as slaves. They forget how the Christianity called to love enemy and turn other check.

 

6. By that approach they kill the original issue. The issue is the American Youth Problems. Please contribute in that. Not only criticized the other diagnose and accusing others to quick judgement. I notice that Qittie deKay used that accusation in 2 responses in minimum[see the response to kasm and the response to saying "You're really quick to pick apart everything" . Then Qitte deKay derived us to Atheistic Site not related the issue we discuss. i didn't see his/her opinion about the matter These sites have their objectives and are not the decisive factors in any matter.

 

7. without religions, the sacred relation of sex is changing from the objective that Reproduction to entrainment as the media imagine and influence the youth.

 

9. The weakeners of religion, degenerate the respects of parent and obeying their instructions also reduced the respects to the elders.

 

10. The weakening of religion affect the early sex thought by the youth in this age and affected by the series and films that make pressure on the youth.

 

11. Weakening the religion allowd these unrealistic vilent series and extreme sexual relations and infidality.

 

12 Trouble in school is nothing to do with the jihad.

 

13. Even the principal of eye for eye not mean that the invidual do it by itself. It is exactly what the society in past and governement nowaday is doing on behalf of society.

 

14. Crusade is not match the christian teaching but it is reflection to the desire to protect the Jerausalem from the Moslems exactly as you the American went to Afganstan to fight the terrorism.