Are We Raising a Generation of Helpless Kids?

[Mary Ann]

Great that you're letting your daughter make those decisions and express herself at such a young age.

 

[RoJoHen]

Don't we go through this with every generation?

Yes, and now it's my turn, dammit!

Frankly, if we think "kids today" are so crappy, we should be doing a better job raising them. It's our responsibility to make them awesome, not theirs.

 

[Timewalker]

Of course it's futile to continuously mock the younger generation for the way they dress and stuff like that. I might argue that it's also futile in reverse - to mock the older generation for being stodgy and stuffy (stuff like "Don't trust anyone over 30", "If it's too loud, you're too old").

If the former doesn't make sense, then neither does the latter. Both are equally silly.

And where is that occurring here that you felt the need to make that point? When we have frequent articles and threads mocking the older generations for their laziness, recklessness, bad taste, poor behavior, and stupidity, then your false equivalency might have relevance, but the criticism is traditionally predominantly in the other direction.

My wife told me the story of her mother taking our niece to work in the law office she worked at when the girl was about 6. The computer went down, so mom got out the electric typewriter. The girl ask what it was and mom explained it was what they used before computer. She watched the girl silently mouth "Before computers?"

Wow, what an idiot, growing up in a world where computers are ubiquitous. Your vast intellect is clearly superior to a six-year-old. Congratulations on that crowning achievement.

You just have to throw put-downs at everyone, don't you?

Haven't you ever been in a situation where you had trouble imagining a world without some technology you took for granted and your elders thought you were silly, stupid, or childish because of that?

Kids have to learn that there was a world that existed before they did, and that world was often very different. That doesn't mean the old way was necessarily better, just different.

I'm guessing the 6-year-old niece wouldn't understand the electric typewriter scene in the 1976 version of the Freaky Friday movie, but no doubt they've updated it for the remakes.

 

[Mary Ann]

Kids have to learn that there was a world that existed before they did, and that world was often very different. That doesn't mean the old way was necessarily better, just different.

And kids do learn this, slowly. This is an age where kids still struggle with the concept of time, including recent and distant past, so expecting them to fully comprehend a world without much of what they take for granted is unrealistic. It's very difficult for young children to put themselves in other people's shoes as they do not yet have the emotional and cognitive maturity to do so.

I'm guessing the 6-year-old niece wouldn't understand the electric typewriter scene in the 1976 version of the Freaky Friday movie, but no doubt they've updated it for the remakes.

I hope not, because watching an older movie together with young children is a great way for them to learn about life before their time. My husband is a huge Laurel and Hardy fan and at and early age our kids could identity old models of cars, telephones, clothes wringers and the like because they'd ask what those items are and we'd tell them.

 

[Squiggy]

There is no bad taste in fashions, there are just different tastes.

The 70s proved that false.

 

[MacLeod]

There is no bad taste in fashions, there are just different tastes.

The 70s proved that false.

Some would say the same of the 80's.

 

[Avon]

every generation has moaned about young people. its just with modern technology the moaning can be transmitted around the world.

 

[Timewalker]

Kids have to learn that there was a world that existed before they did, and that world was often very different. That doesn't mean the old way was necessarily better, just different.

And kids do learn this, slowly. This is an age where kids still struggle with the concept of time, including recent and distant past, so expecting them to fully comprehend a world without much of what they take for granted is unrealistic. It's very difficult for young children to put themselves in other people's shoes as they do not yet have the emotional and cognitive maturity to do so.

I'm guessing the 6-year-old niece wouldn't understand the electric typewriter scene in the 1976 version of the Freaky Friday movie, but no doubt they've updated it for the remakes.

I hope not, because watching an older movie together with young children is a great way for them to learn about life before their time. My husband is a huge Laurel and Hardy fan and at and early age our kids could identity old models of cars, telephones, clothes wringers and the like because they'd ask what those items are and we'd tell them.

The 1976 movie starred Jodie Foster, and the premise was that her character swapped bodies with her mother (played by Barbara Harris). So the typewriter scene was one where Annabel's mother (in Annabel's body) had to go to school and cope with a bunch of stuff the teenagers understood and she didn't - including electric typewriters. There were a couple of remakes over the years, most recently in 2003. By that time I would assume there would be some scene involving computers instead of typewriters. There are some things modern kids could relate to in the original movie, though - skateboards, for instance.

There is no bad taste in fashions, there are just different tastes.

The 70s proved that false.

Some would say the same of the 80's.

Sometimes I wonder if the costume designers for TNG looked at Sue Ellen Ewing's enormous shoulder pads in her dresses and jackets and thought that would be a great look for the Romulans.

It wasn't a great look on either TNG or Dallas.

 

[Mary Ann]

The 1976 movie starred Jodie Foster, and the premise was that her character swapped bodies with her mother (played by Barbara Harris). So the typewriter scene was one where Annabel's mother (in Annabel's body) had to go to school and cope with a bunch of stuff the teenagers understood and she didn't - including electric typewriters. There were a couple of remakes over the years, most recently in 2003. By that time I would assume there would be some scene involving computers instead of typewriters. There are some things modern kids could relate to in the original movie, though - skateboards, for instance.

Ah, I see. I'm not familiar with this movie, so thank you for providing the context.

The 70s proved that false.

Some would say the same of the 80's.

Sometimes I wonder if the costume designers for TNG looked at Sue Ellen Ewing's enormous shoulder pads in her dresses and jackets and thought that would be a great look for the Romulans.

It wasn't a great look on either TNG or Dallas.

Ain't that the truth!

 

[KimMH]

^Shoulder pads are out? Better donate them to goodwill along with my maual typewriter. I hear those are outdated too. No, I'm keeping that.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

There is no bad taste in fashions, there are just different tastes.

The 70s proved that false.

As did golf.

 

[Mary Ann]

^Shoulder pads are out? Better donate them to goodwill along with my maual typewriter. I hear those are outdated too. No, I'm keeping that.

I'd love to have a manual typewriter just for the fun of it.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

You just have to throw put-downs at everyone, don't you?

Nope, I generally reserve it for people who do things like make homophobic remarks and then immediately follow it up by smugly mocking the completely normal ignorance of anachronistic technology by six-year olds. But hey, if that's where you want to plant your flag and make a last stand defense, be my guest.

Haven't you ever been in a situation where you had trouble imagining a world without some technology you took for granted and your elders thought you were silly, stupid, or childish because of that?

At six-years old? No, can't say that I have.

Kids have to learn that there was a world that existed before they did, and that world was often very different. That doesn't mean the old way was necessarily better, just different.

I must have missed the part where I said it was wrong to educate children about the past. Probably because I never said or implied anything of the sort. I just opposed the idea of mocking very young children for things they couldn't possibly have any conception of because it happened entirely outside their extremely limited frame of reference.

I'm guessing the 6-year-old niece wouldn't understand the electric typewriter scene in the 1976 version of the Freaky Friday movie, but no doubt they've updated it for the remakes.

What a tragedy that would be. Children also might not get what a telegraph is while watching a Western and you might have to spend thirty seconds explaining it to them.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

(no hotlinking unless the image source allows it --like the wiki photo below--, please. Upload it to an image host like Photobucket or Imgur)

Sorry, Groot. I just googled a particularly terrible pic, chose the option "display image" and got no indication/notification at all that there was no hotlinking allowed. Didn't mean an infringement (correct word??).
Thanks for turning it into a link. *huggles Groot*

You understand that you are not the target audience, right?

I totally do. But as I said in my post the intended target audience didn't find it sexy either but rather ridiculous instead.
If a trap doesn't work as intended, what's the point of using it?

Thanks for explaining the historical background, LordMudd! That's very interesting indeed. Personally, I prefer a more subtle offer than that, but then a prison isn't exactly a place known for its refinement.

 

[Timewalker]

^Shoulder pads are out? Better donate them to goodwill along with my maual typewriter. I hear those are outdated too. No, I'm keeping that.

I'd love to have a manual typewriter just for the fun of it.

As long as you can get ribbons and ink for them, manual typewriters are very useful. I don't recommend using them if you have long fingernails, though.

One of the mail order catalogs I got last year offered a manual typewriter like it was some fancy new thing ("look, a cordless, battery-less keyboard that never needs charging!").

Kids have to learn that there was a world that existed before they did, and that world was often very different. That doesn't mean the old way was necessarily better, just different.

I must have missed the part where I said it was wrong to educate children about the past. Probably because I never said or implied anything of the sort.

That comment was not directed at you or what you said. I was addressing another poster and making a general comment.

 

[ElimGarak.93-99]

My mother, a high school teacher, is not allowed to use red pens when grading papers...because red is a harsh color that can be detrimental to a student's self-esteem.

So, yes, I think we are coddling our kids too much these days.

I know that primary schools, in the year when pupils start to read and write for the first time (here group 3, age 5/6 years old), they use green color pens instead of red color pens, because it's a harsh color. But from group 5 they use red pens.

But it's news to me that (in some countries) they even use it in high school/secondary schools.

 

[Rincewiend]

^Shoulder pads are out? Better donate them to goodwill along with my maual typewriter. I hear those are outdated too. No, I'm keeping that.

I'd love to have a manual typewriter just for the fun of it.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfxRfkZdiAQ[/yt]

 

[Mary Ann]

^Shoulder pads are out? Better donate them to goodwill along with my maual typewriter. I hear those are outdated too. No, I'm keeping that.

I'd love to have a manual typewriter just for the fun of it.

As long as you can get ribbons and ink for them, manual typewriters are very useful. I don't recommend using them if you have long fingernails, though.

I remember the fingernail thing well. I'm just old enough to have learned typing at school on manual typewriters during my first year of lessons (the school I transferred to the following year had electric ones). These were huge monsters you really didn't want to drop on your foot, and those of us with long fingernails soon broke them because pressing down the keys took quite a bit of force. Due to all the handcrafting I do I haven't had long nails for years, so that won't be an issue. Finding the ribbons and ink, as you say, would be the sticking point.

 

[Timewalker]

I'd love to have a manual typewriter just for the fun of it.

As long as you can get ribbons and ink for them, manual typewriters are very useful. I don't recommend using them if you have long fingernails, though.

I remember the fingernail thing well. I'm just old enough to have learned typing at school on manual typewriters during my first year of lessons (the school I transferred to the following year had electric ones). These were huge monsters you really didn't want to drop on your foot, and those of us with long fingernails soon broke them because pressing down the keys took quite a bit of force. Due to all the handcrafting I do I haven't had long nails for years, so that won't be an issue. Finding the ribbons and ink, as you say, would be the sticking point.

Yeah, it can be painful to get in the way of a typewriter. Even with the electric ones, I remember getting my fingers hit when I was trying to deal with a jam. I gave up on long fingernails in junior high, when I took typing in school and was also taking organ lessons. Long fingernails don't work well on keyboard instruments, either.

But since manual typewriters are being brought back either as novelty items or (I'm speculating) for the environmentally-conscious folks who prefer not to use any more electricity than they absolutely need to, there must be some company that makes ribbons and ink. Actually, I remember reading that manual typewriters are still very much in use in parts of India where they need to keep the bureaucracy going but the region can't afford computers.

I watched the video posted above, and have to admit that I do not miss white-out. I actually developed an allergy to that stuff.

 

[publiusr]

I like the sound of a typewriter in the background---for awhile at least.

As for being helpless...my Dad's way of teaching me how to do things was "get away from it!"

He tried to show me how to drive a straight shift on the column, and I'd do the same damn thing he did--and it would just go dead.

In my first years of working, one of my first rattletrap cars (an 80's Fairmont) kept getting mystery electrical problems, among other things.

My Dad drove all the way to Indiana and back (to visit his brother's family) and had no problems.

The next day--let me get in it and drive only a few miles, and it strands me.

"Boy, you're a jinx."

I seemed to get different results in lab even. Go figure that one out.