The Generation Gap

Wow Andeavor. You made my cry and then you made me laugh in that post, while still sounding convincing. Bravo, you are a speaker!

Andeavor wrote:The thread may be old but the topic is still ongoing.

There was no time to act out and you were thrown into life as an adult. Then came the 50's and teenagers started to find the time to hang out and be themselves and explore all the venues and ways to party. A great example it displayed in the movie Pleasantville were two siblings from the gritty 90's are thrown into the suburbs of a picture-perfect 50's TV show and slowly but surely teach the other teenagers (and adults) how to express themselves and bring some color into their world - literally!

I'll be sure to give that movie a look

Andeavor wrote:I think that we've reached a point in time where we can't go back to the innocence of the early 20th century and pretend the bad things don't exists, nor can we expect kids to behave like in a 50's TV show (even though back then they weren't that innocent) but I think we can teach them consequence. What goes around comes around, I always say, and parents have to toughen up and teach their kids that everything they do now can have good or bad consequences in the (near) future.

This is very true. I think kids need to be exposed to the dangers and malic of the world at a young age. Slowly at first, and maybe even a little candy coated. Consequences are some of the most important parts of a civilization. Think about it in algebraic term. X wants to Y, but Z is the result, as well as Y. Let's say Y is the stealing of a TV, and Z is the jailtime received in doing so. Ignoring the probablility of getting caught based on the crime, just for simplicity's sake, and because we're only using variables to make a general statement. Z needs to be of greater 'importance' for lack of a better word, than Y, in order for X to not have a desire for Y. If the reward outweighs the price you would pay if caught, (Z<Y), then people will be more inclined to do what's necessary to get Y. It's human nature to want what you can't have, and to do what it takes to get it. However, self-preservation is also human nature, ergo Z>Y. Tell me if this doesn't make sense; if it's too complicated, or if it's really just all nonsense. I have slept about 7 hours in the last 4 days.

Take for instance my school. My school is very good at trying to keep drugs out of the hallways, with an immediate expulsion for anyone caught. This is both good and bad. Good, because it's very demotivational for anyone wishing to carry drugs, and bad because it only goes to show how blatantly stupid and nearsighted some people can be. Because I still see narcotics. I have no real problem with them, I don't touch them with a 9 foot pole, but people can ruin their brains until it kills them for all I care. I'm more disappointed in their lack of a desire to keep their place in school. Just my generation, I suppose. I hope one day they'll outgrow that crap. I know the people who do this, they're nice people. They don't deserve to get kicked out of school, but it's becoming more and more necessary to up the consequences of their actions. As I said, one day they might grow up to be civilized ladies and gentlemen. Alternatively, they could turn to harder drugs: meth, heroine, lsd, etc. You get the picture. There are just some really stupid people in my generation. Maybe it's always been like this, maybe not. Anyway, this is delving into my mindless dribble, moving right along...

Andeavor wrote:One of the best examples is the personal display on sites such as Myspace, Facebook and Twitter. I've known people who'd reveal pretty much every gritty detail on there, forgetting that some if not all can acces that not-so-private information and use it against them.

I personally dislike all of those sites. Twitter I find to be silly, and I dislike the layout of Myspace. I also find social networking to be a little stupid, though, I do have a facebook. I keep as little information as possible on it, because I know, the information is fair game to the highest bidder. Too many of my friends post pictures of themselves smoking, drinking, etc. Especially when you're not legal, this is a terrible choice. If you ever want to get into a respectable university, you're going to need to provide them with your facebook, and really any other networking sites you belong to. Not to mention, your school can access your facebook at any time. They have administrative abilities. I digress, but just furthering the ignorance of my generation, and their concrete desire to ruin their own future. It's staggaring to me. As I mentioned earlier, it's my generation. They're too caught up in how cool they look, or how well they fit in. Rather than concentrating on their future. Disappointing.

Andeavor wrote:You wouldn't want your fiancée to find that salacious picture of you and the stripper from your bachelor party.

Shh

ProbablynotHax wrote:My school is very good at trying to keep drugs out of the hallways, with an immediate expulsion for anyone caught. This is both good and bad. Good, because it's very demotivational for anyone wishing to carry drugs, and bad because it only goes to show how blatantly stupid and nearsighted some people can be. Because I still see narcotics. I have no real problem with them, I don't touch them with a 9 foot pole, but people can ruin their brains until it kills them for all I care. I'm more disappointed in their lack of a desire to keep their place in school.

To take an example, a person that I stand very, very close too: He had caring and resourceful parents, he graduated from high school with good grades, but got in the wrong environment at college. He started to smoke, then smoking heavier things and ended up as a drug abuser. He quit college and became unemployed. One day, he tried to kill himself with an overdose. It's a wonder that he survived, but he got a serious brain damage from the suicide attempt. He completely lost all functions of the body, including the ability to speak.

It actually took him three years before he could leave the retraining center and partly function in a state-owned apartment. I wish I could say that everything is back to normal now, but it's not. It will never be. He still lives in his apartment, but will not ever be able to work and function normally, and he has lost most of his friends. It's sad but true: if you are out for a very serious accident that affects you physically for the rest of your life, most of your old friends will abandon you. When it comes to this person, he has several times after the suicide attempt been into mental hospitals because they was afraid of that he might tried to kill himself again. It's especially bad now, when it's holidays.

We must never stop counteracting drug abuse, it turns intelligent and caring people into lifeless wrecks. We must never walk away from those that really need other people. I too thought that it was their choice to take drugs, and that they should take the consequences. That was until I saw what drugs could do with people. We must never close our eyes, even if it was their choice to begin.

Has this turned into the Drugs Thread?

The thing about people who become addicts is that not all of them are stupid...
Did you know that Peter Doherty got 6 As and & A* at GCSE then followed by straight A grades at A-level? Now he is more famous for his drug charges than his music!
A few of my friends who do drugs are pretty smart but just get bored with the monotony of life and take drugs to add some excitement to life.
The shocking thing is when it's 8-13 year olds that take drugs....

bmpalmann wrote:
A few of my friends who do drugs are pretty smart but just get bored with the monotony of life and take drugs to add some excitement to life.

There are better, healthier, funnier ways to add excitement to life without putting your life, as well as the life of others, pointlessly at risk

Arkanay wrote:

bmpalmann wrote:
A few of my friends who do drugs are pretty smart but just get bored with the monotony of life and take drugs to add some excitement to life.

There are better, healthier, funnier ways to add excitement to life without putting your life, as well as the life of others, pointlessly at risk

I could spend hours listing some wacky ways to do so. Especially the ''funnier'' part.

doing drugs beccause your bored, is only an excuse for addiction

I guess the thread has taken a slightly drug related turn. Still, seems relevant enough to me. Considering this is our generation, and the choices we make.

Icedmask wrote:

ProbablynotHax wrote:My school is very good at trying to keep drugs out of the hallways, with an immediate expulsion for anyone caught. This is both good and bad. Good, because it's very demotivational for anyone wishing to carry drugs, and bad because it only goes to show how blatantly stupid and nearsighted some people can be. Because I still see narcotics. I have no real problem with them, I don't touch them with a 9 foot pole, but people can ruin their brains until it kills them for all I care. I'm more disappointed in their lack of a desire to keep their place in school.

To take an example, a person that I stand very, very close too: He had caring and resourceful parents, he graduated from high school with good grades, but got in the wrong environment at college. He started to smoke, then smoking heavier things and ended up as a drug abuser. He quit college and became unemployed. One day, he tried to kill himself with an overdose. It's a wonder that he survived, but he got a serious brain damage from the suicide attempt. He completely lost all functions of the body, including the ability to speak.

It actually took him three years before he could leave the retraining center and partly function in a state-owned apartment. I wish I could say that everything is back to normal now, but it's not. It will never be. He still lives in his apartment, but will not ever be able to work and function normally, and he has lost most of his friends. It's sad but true: if you are out for a very serious accident that affects you physically for the rest of your life, most of your old friends will abandon you. When it comes to this person, he has several times after the suicide attempt been into mental hospitals because they was afraid of that he might tried to kill himself again. It's especially bad now, when it's holidays.

We must never stop counteracting drug abuse, it turns intelligent and caring people into lifeless wrecks. We must never walk away from those that really need other people. I too thought that it was their choice to take drugs, and that they should take the consequences. That was until I saw what drugs could do with people. We must never close our eyes, even if it was their choice to begin.

As emotionally touching as that story may be to some, it does not convince me that we need to continue to conteract the drug addiction. Whether it's peer pressure, boredom, or just desperation; it doesn't matter. People will always do it, especially in this day and age. Alcohol has hurt lives too, taken them in some cases. The war on drugs is similar to prohibition. I digress.

Narcotics are clearly an issue, we just need to look at it in a realistic manner. Just like the "idiots" in the world, practicality is arguably on of the most important parts of maintaining a civilization. Getting a little off topic, but in a thread such as this, the topic can remain dynamic regularly. I don't wish to argue about the war on drugs, though. It's mostly relative to the person, and is subject to too much opinion.