Children's entertainment... Yesterday and Today

[jwinges]

I agree with everything your saying agent one. The shows today are giving kids an overly optomistic view of the world. Personally, even though GI Joe was a crap cartoon that reaked of an unrealistic military it did teach a couple of very valid things to kids. First to be brave, stand up for yourself, and fight for your country against terrorism. I pretty sure that hippy college paper bastard calling Tillman an idiot that deserved what he got comming didn't watch too much GI Joe.

I do think there is one current kids cartoon though that surpasses GI Joe in most respects. You got to through realism out the window and catch the underlying meaning though. Dragonball and dragon ball Z are exceptional. Now before I get flamed to death hear me out. As a sport psychologist I teach kids to play sports with honer and integrity, sportspersonship, working hard and achieving one's goals and we try to premote high moral functioning (think golden rule in sports).

The Dragon ball Z franchise (with the exception of GT) does a better job of showing kids how do to this in a better manner than any cartoon I have ever seen. Just think of all the times you hear Goku, or gohan say they must work hard to gain another technique. Or how many times that they showed great sportspersonship in letting piccalo or friza or vegeta live even though they were bad. My personal favorite for kids is dragonball. Look at the tourniment episodes...they go in as friends, fight hard and leave as friends.

I have found other instances in this franchise that teach kids relaxation, imagery, goal setting, and positive task oriented goals. All in the context of learing to be strong and honorable.

Yeah the cartoon is too drawn out and over the top but when I work with kids and learn that they enjoy dragon ball Z I can teach them to get over their performance problems using that cartoon as a reference.

[one_klump]

Jwinges, I agree with that also. The show in general may have been crap, but I did have a pang of nostlagia over the show every time they had a little speech about working hard and following your dreams.

Bah, all this is pointless.

Just wait till the Gen X'ers get into the age to be politics, thenI think we will see some changes come around.

BTW, the Cowboy code of honer was what all kids should follow. Just do what is right.

[Sumdumgai]

I agree with everything your saying agent one. The shows today are giving kids an overly optomistic view of the world. Personally, even though GI Joe was a crap cartoon that reaked of an unrealistic military it did teach a couple of very valid things to kids. First to be brave, stand up for yourself, and fight for your country against terrorism. I pretty sure that hippy college paper bastard calling Tillman an idiot that deserved what he got comming didn't watch too much GI Joe.

I do think there is one current kids cartoon though that surpasses GI Joe in most respects. You got to through realism out the window and catch the underlying meaning though. Dragonball and dragon ball Z are exceptional. Now before I get flamed to death hear me out. As a sport psychologist I teach kids to play sports with honer and integrity, sportspersonship, working hard and achieving one's goals and we try to premote high moral functioning (think golden rule in sports).

The Dragon ball Z franchise (with the exception of GT) does a better job of showing kids how do to this in a better manner than any cartoon I have ever seen. Just think of all the times you hear Goku, or gohan say they must work hard to gain another technique. Or how many times that they showed great sportspersonship in letting piccalo or friza or vegeta live even though they were bad. My personal favorite for kids is dragonball. Look at the tourniment episodes...they go in as friends, fight hard and leave as friends.

I have found other instances in this franchise that teach kids relaxation, imagery, goal setting, and positive task oriented goals. All in the context of learing to be strong and honorable.

Yeah the cartoon is too drawn out and over the top but when I work with kids and learn that they enjoy dragon ball Z I can teach them to get over their performance problems using that cartoon as a reference.

If Saint Seiya had been ported over back at the end of the 80's you would have had a much better reference...

[GobotFool]

BTW, the Cowboy code of honer was what all kids should follow. Just do what is right.

I agree. While alot of people disagree on what is right and just, ones intended final goal ought to be justice. Also justice doesn't have to be achieved only through physical means (by physical I mean only though fists). The most important thing for a strong person is to stand up for what they beleive and then do something about it, methods in achieving this range from the ones used by the agressive fantasy hero's like Superman, Batman ect... to extrordinary men of peace like Gandi.

Edited May 1, 2004 by GobotFool

[jwinges]

Since I just watched the entire Nadesico series this has got me thinking. Maybe we should all follow the teachings of Gekiganger! just kidding

What was interesting is the series take on what is the rightous path.

The rightous path simply depends on the side your on. And the path that will best protect YOUR people.

For instance, In WW2 the Japanese thought they were following their own rightous path while we followed our own. Even though these path collided whose to really say who was in fact rightous?

As far as history goes generally the country or people who wins are the one's following the rightous path.

Don't get me wrong I'm usually not very political. And I do believe we have to straighten out the problems in the middle east. I'm not against our part in any war this country has been in but then again this is what I believe is the rightous path.

[Wes]

Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?"  For it is not wise to ask such questions.

Ecclesiastes 7:10

[ewilen]

Since I just watched the entire Nadesico series this has got me thinking.  Maybe we should all follow the teachings of Gekiganger! just kidding

What was interesting is the series take on what is the rightous path. 

The rightous path simply depends on the side your on.  And the path that will best protect YOUR people.

For instance, In WW2 the Japanese thought they were following their own rightous path while we followed our own.  Even though these path collided whose to really say who was in fact rightous? 

As far as history goes generally the country or people who wins are the one's following the rightous path.

Don't get me wrong I'm usually not very political.  And I do believe we have to straighten out the problems in the middle east.  I'm not against our part in any war this country has been in but then again this is what I believe is the rightous path.

It's difficult to respond to this without getting too political; however I would point out that over time, morality has tended to extend the concept of "goodness to others" to a wider and wider circle. In Homeric times, if any sense of goodness is to be found among the characters, it basically has to do with loyalty to your buddies (or family) and respect for the Olympian deities. However, one of the key themes of the Iliad is a critique of this outlook, as Achilles first takes an even more limited view of goodness--the egoistic view that, as the best fighter, he deserves all the glory--and winds up with an extended view as Achilles discovers sympathy for the enemy's suffering. Nevertheless, the norm in the ancient world was conquest of your enemy followed by looting, rape, and enslavement.

By the 20th century, the fate of conquered peoples had softened somewhat, at least between groups sharing a common ethnoreligious background in European culture. I can't speak to noneuropean groups as I am not as familiar with their evolution of ideals of conduct during conflict. So it is difficult to for me to say if the behavior of the Japanese political/military leadership in the 1930's-1940's was a case of not quite reaching the standards of contemporary Western civilization, backtracking from higher standards (as would arguably be the case with the Nazis), or simply taking a different view of whom it's okay to conquer and massacre...since Japanese treatment of the Chinese wasn't altogether different from the Americans in the Philippines, or the British and French in Africa and parts of the Middle East.

Nevertheless, the experience of World War I had been enough to awaken a widespread revulsion towards militarism and conquest, and although Western countries had been slow to give up the fruits of 19th century colonialism, Japan (along with the other Axis powers and for that matter the USSR) was certainly not up to fashion with its engagement in brutal wars of conquest. Along with Japan's alliance with two other truly brutal regimes, this provided a moral background to American policies opposing Japanese aggression in Asia, which led to the attack on Pearl Harbor. This isn't to say that there weren't also old-fashioned great power interests at play, but I think the Allies pretty clearly were the good guys in WW II (more so than WW I, certainly). Furthermore, I think the war spurred additional thinking that led to wider acceptance of broader concepts of fairness and justice. These in turn played a part in decolonization and a rejection of the notion of conquest justified by ethnic superiority. These liberal ideals have thus far been realized only imperfectly, but they are a powerful force; in fact, among the "developed nations" and much of the developing world, they are accepted even among those who disagree quite strongly about how to achieve them.

Edited May 2, 2004 by ewilen

[Graham]

I mean WE (Most MW’ers) probably wanted to grow up to be someone with a personality and presence like Major Focker, or Optimus Prime, or Lieutenant Falcon, or General Flag, or Wolverine… You get the idea.

Unlike most of those role models you mention, I actually hit what I'm shooting at (well most of the time anyway).

Once my kid is old enough, he's definitely getting some practical martial art training to toughen him up and I plan to teach him to shoot as well.

And definitely no namby pampy toons either. Barny, Teletubbies etc will be banned from my house

Graham

[ewilen]

BTW, JsArclight, I agree with you. I wonder, though, if your critique of the tendency to blame TV violence for bad behavior might also be directed at the notion that Pokemon is turning us into a nation of pansies...or did you intend to imply that from the start?

[JsARCLIGHT]

I did not necessarily intend to imply that, because for those parents who fluff their kids into a haze of hugs and puppies there are always the parents like Graham and my father who bring their kids up to be tough, to "take what comes" and "take it like a man/woman" and confront issues and problems. I however drew up short of that because I found myself getting very emotionally charged on this issue and very political in my attempts to post my thoughts. My father being a disabled vet was one of the best teachers for what I saw on TV. I learned a lot about war, hate, anger, aggression, violence and "bad" from a young age, I knew that people that got shot on TV and the movies did not just get back up like they do when you play "guns" or "cops and robbers" with your friends. A lot of kids who saw those violent shows without propper context given by their parents could not properly process the information they were getting. Include in this all the negative enforcement you see in modern popular culture and you start to see what I'm talking about. A child growing up in a vaccuum of parental supervision in today's world turns to the rappers, the TV and movie stars and mass media for their influence. If you ask me Agent is right that the modern media is giving off "wussification" waves to young children that pacify them into a state of calm, manipulateable trance... but then when they grow older that same mass media is projecting the image of the lazy opinionated rock star or the "street cred" rapper to them as icons to live their life by. And more importantly for them to BUY that life for themselves.

So in the long run the wussification of children's television is directly related to the lack of parental supervision in that the makers of wussbox TV for kids are weening them into good little consumers who have no rage, bile or other sense of personal pride or individuality they can fall back on. By taking down the positive influences on a child in the form of strong role models and tough, resilient and rebellious characters they are enforcing the child's own dependence on outside help to conquer problems. How do they conquer a problem if they themselves are too scared or ill-prepared to handle it? They BUY. They buy that pokemon game, they buy that yugiho card and they buy that barney tape because that is what gets them the popularity and the attention that they don't find from their parents. Then when they get older they buy those Gap jeans, they buy that Old Navy sweater and they buy that Sport Utility vehicle to get the same popularity from the people who they try to impress. All of that can be curbed by the propper parental influence at the right ages of their lives and development... but most parents of this generation are like me... the "MTV" generation who are the second line in the media control project that began with my parents the "Mickey Mouse Club" generation.

And guess what... I own a company that lays out pet food ads and packaging so I am sort of part of that whole shebang... just for your pets not your kids. Ever wonder what makes certain cat foods so special?... yo.

So to wrap up yet another rambling annoying speach to the big group of people that walked out of this thread a half hour ago... spend time with your kids, do what they like. Don't force them away from things they are interested in just because they are "bad". Teach your kids the reasons why and how things happen. Don't shelter them from the bad of the world and most of all DON'T BUY THEM THOSE DARN GAP JEANS!

[Agent ONE]

Wow, great feedback guys. I am glad I am not the only one who feels this way. I just wonder if anything is going to change... I mean if I see this tragedy, and others see it, then WE can't be the only ones who see it as a problem.

A few weeks ago I was walking through a park with my Girlfriend, I overheard 2 kids arguing over which one got to play "Tinky Winky," which is a character from one of these sissy shows... It was sad. I am thinking if I ever procreate I am not going to even have a TV for the kids to watch. Just movies probably.

[Red Comet]

I'm all for fruiter kids for a more fruiter world...

Peace, man, peace...

[GobotFool]

I'm all for fruiter kids for a more fruiter world...

Peace, man, peace...    

peace is good, but to cite one of the toon examples here, look at Prime. He was a dude who prefered peace over war, but he wasn't about to stand by and let injustice take place.

The only really muddy problem with that attitude is 'who dictates what is just and what is not' as from person to person, religion to religion, political system to political system and culture to culture the definition of justice can vary greatly. Some powerful dictators thought they were on the side of right and justic and look what they did to the world.

Edited May 2, 2004 by GobotFool

[Druna Skass]

I'll wait till someone with a psychology major tells me that kids are turning into wussies (and puts up a good argument too) before I crap a brick over the idea that kids are growing up to be pansies...

[pfunk]

My kids will be raised stricter then most, catholic school (90% go on to college, not for relegious beliefs (thats for them to decide)) and like me, nothing will be given for free, earning is the best policy, that breeds success. One thing I will to is teach them how to spell better then me and be young even when your old. as for TV and such, thats a luxury most time will be spent outside and with friends and dinner is for family. I will encourage, but not push to be in sports and the things that helped me out socially, we'll see how things turn out in our youths future, personally i think they will get tougher and only the strong will survive Darwinism will play a part with the weak youth of today, both fiancially and phisically (even though i really dont believe in darwinism) thier are trying times coming for all, in our goverment, schools, religion, and so on

[yellowlightman]

I'll wait till someone with a psychology major tells me that kids are turning into wussies (and puts up a good argument too) before I crap a brick over the idea that kids are growing up to be pansies...

What!?

Posting on an internet forum doesn't make you a good authority on child upringing? Surely you jest. People on the internet know EVERYTHING.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Darwinism will play a part with the weak youth of today, both fiancially and phisically (even though i really dont believe in darwinism) thier are trying times coming for all, in our goverment, schools, religion, and so on

It is already playing a part. Look at all the retards out there mimicking TV shows and getting themselves killed or hurt. Is it just me or when I was a kid and saw crazy junk like that on TV even I at my young age with little worldy experience said "those people are nuts".

The other massive drawback of the coming generations of spoon fed kids and spoiled brats is this: look at my generation. We grew up in a age of comfort and riches. No wars, no massive disasters, no social uphevals. And when we all got old enough we were frankly spoiled by the life we had led up to that point. We all went away to college and got our degrees and got our jobs and for some reason we thought we deserved all those nice things our parents had right out of school. Things like nice houses, cars, clothes and furniture that took our parents decades to afford we somehow demanded right away. College grads were upset they could not get that $40K a year job right out of the door, they were upset they could not buy that $50K SUV as soon as they graduated and they were dissapointed that they could only get a $1K limit on their credit cards. Most of my friends in college did not quite subscribe to all that but then again I went to art school, a place full of disillusioned melloncholly youth who want nothing more than to be "understood" rather than own that ten room house on the coast.

Today's kids are even worse than our generation. They have their fancy clothes, cell phones with text messaging, fast computers and fast cars that mummie and daddums buy for them and pay their insurance. When I was in high school I had to work two jobs and save all the money I made just to drive a car. All this technology, all this easy living is spoiling the kids even more. Add to that their seeming misunderstanding of how the real finiancial world works and their stubborn belief that everything will be handed to them when they grow up because they are the "chosen ones" and that spells disaster. Our generation and the one before us are the credit card generation, most americans are in debt right now and a lot are in deep. We somehow got the notion that we could live beyond our means with these magic cards only to find ourselves up to our eyeballs in debt. The coming generation will be WORSE. Being raised on such riches and spoiled to no end they will perpetuate the cycle of borrow and spend which will take the whole country down a notch.

Now to end yet another rampage: Parents, take the cell phone and pants away from your kids. If they want it, THEY pay for it not you. Teaching kids some financial responsibility will weed out some of them from the unending trap of credit cards and prevent even more from becoming a burden to the rest of us when they get older. Social darwinism has two victims, the idiot that gets weeded out and the masses of other people who have to pay in some way for the crimes of that idiot.

[Red Comet]

Will today's cartoon make boys play with barbies?

Stay tune...

[Agent ONE]

My kids will be raised stricter then most, catholic school ...

AWESOME!!!

Just to prove the great kids that Catholic schools produce: I went to Catholic school!!!!

Your children will be destined for greatness.

[Agent ONE]

I'll wait till someone with a psychology major tells me that kids are turning into wussies (and puts up a good argument too) before I crap a brick over the idea that kids are growing up to be pansies...

What!?

Posting on an internet forum doesn't make you a good authority on child upringing? Surely you jest. People on the internet know EVERYTHING.

All kidding asside, there are some extreemly inteligent people who are members of MW... People who have opinions that I value greater than many so-called professionals.

[Nightbat]

All kidding asside, there are some extreemly inteligent people who are members of MW... People who have opinions that I value greater than many so-called professionals.

actually that's one of the problems right now

"parents" are reading Mr Spock's Childcare, listening to childpsychologists

instead of relying on their own ability to learn

with children there is no "by the book", children grow and change

Listening to "standards" disables parents from improvising, disables them from

"learning their children"

Not only that, it also finds itself that the parents aren't raising their children

but research is

[bandit29]

.

A few weeks ago I was walking through a park with my Girlfriend, I overheard 2 kids arguing over which one got to play "Tinky Winky," which is a character from one of these sissy shows... It was sad.

And back in the 1980's there were probably guys our age seeing kids playing with Transformers etc and thinking "why are those kids playing with those gay looking robots" lol

But I do agree with most of what you have to say about this matter. I see it with my nephew sometimes. For example, my nephew's little league, they didn't keep score for the first few years so that all the kids wouldn't feel bad if they lost..... My nephew wasn't very excited about baseball until they started keeping score.

[Metal_Massacre_79]

At least my son is on the right path. He watches Macross with me, and even likes to watch a few OLD Transformers videos. He won't be a wuss like I was when I was young. My parents always told me to tell on everyone that picked on me. One day I woke up and realized that didn't work. That's when I started whooping peoples asses. Never been picked on since. I'm going to avoid that with my kid. He's three now, and as soon as he turns five he's coming to the firing range with me, and I'm going to teach him how to snipe.

[Max Jenius]

Meh, I watch the old shows that I used to back in the day and they really are stupid.

You're just gettin older.

[MSW]

the more things change the more they stay the same...congradulations folks, you are getting old...not wise...but just getting old.

Every generation whines, bitches, and complains about the generations following it...none of it has any merit, but we bitch, moan and complain all the same...it's a part of the right of passage into adulthood...you get drunk, get your cherry poped, and begin a conversation with "The problem with kids these days...." We have grown up, have gotten old, now we just gotta work on that wisdom stuff...such is the cycle of life

[Agent ONE]

Meh, I watch the old shows that I used to back in the day and they really are stupid.

You're just gettin older.

No man, it aint that way... When I was 6 I was watching Transformers, Macross, and GI JOE... Now 6 year olds watch Pokemon, U-G-oh, and the Winkies. Super sissy.

[Jolly Rogers]

At least my son is on the right path. He watches Macross with me, and even likes to watch a few OLD Transformers videos. He won't be a wuss like I was when I was young. My parents always told me to tell on everyone that picked on me. One day I woke up and realized that didn't work. That's when I started whooping peoples asses. Never been picked on since. I'm going to avoid that with my kid. He's three now, and as soon as he turns five he's coming to the firing range with me, and I'm going to teach him how to snipe.

Sniping is for cowards.

Teach your kid how to kick asses like you did back in the days. Better for him to take other kid's candy and money than to have him go to jail for a felony.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Every generation whines, bitches, and complains about the generations following it...none of it has any merit, but we bitch, moan and complain all the same...

I beg to differ.

Since 1960 the U.S. population has increased 41%, the gross domestic product has nearly tripled and total social spending by all levels of government has risen from $143.73 billion to $787 billion--more than a fivefold increase. Inflation-adjusted spending on welfare has increased by 630%, spending on education by 225%. But during the same 40-year period there has been a 560% increase in violent crime, a 419% increase in illegitimate births, a quadrupling in divorce rates, a tripling of the percentage of children living in single-parent homes, more than a 200% increase in the teenage suicide rate and a drop of almost 80 points in SAT scores.

Technically (and sadly) previous generations complaints about the next one have been mostly right. America is in a slow decline and no one seems to be able to stop it. Kids today are statistically dumber, lazier and more problematic than the kids that came before them. Now you can argue that society and those in it that would turn a dime from such things are to blame... and they mostly are... for this decline. Why so much useless medicine and prescriptions? Because the pharmacutical companies want your money. Why so many new phobias, mental issues and syndromes? Because people prefer having an excuse as to why they are lazy, stupid, weak willed or fat. Why is little Jimmy flunking out of school with his knocked up jail bait teenage bride? You got me but it sure as hell has nothing to do with cartoons.

The only way to stem the avalanche is to... well... I have no idea as we are in too deep at this point. Oh well, best live it up while we can before these current kids grow up and take over. And if you are one of those kids then dammit get off the freaking internet, do your homework, keep your rocket in your pocket, go to college like I did, get a good job and try to raise your kids in the best way you can. This is one of those problems that takes everyone's help to fix.

How does all this relate back to panzie ass cartoons I have no clue as I'm lost in my own fillibuster right now.

Parts of the above are sarcasm, others are not. It is up to the reader to determine which is which.

Edited May 3, 2004 by JsARCLIGHT

[MSW]

Just wait till the Gen X'ers get into the age to be politics, thenI think we will see some changes come around.

We (Gen Xers...born 1965 to 1975) have been in politics for years now, hell, the vast majority of us will be elegable to run for president in 2008...

No man, it aint that way... When I was 6 I was watching Transformers, Macross, and GI JOE... Now 6 year olds watch Pokemon, U-G-oh, and the Winkies. Super sissy.

Naw it is that way, always has been...TV sucks just as bad now as it did when we were kids...It's mighty sweet of you to be so concerned about the future well being of 6 year old sissys...but you are overlooking the obvious...6 year olds grow to become 7 year olds, then 8,9,10, and they keep growing into puberty and all the harmonal influenced changes, insecurities, confusion, incertainy, and behaviour that entales...Thier own bodies will give them that "rude awakening" long, LONG before thier entry into the "real world".

Little 6 year old Billy, Jimmy, and Sally are the best of friends now, they watch the Teletubbies and are all "sissyfied"...but in a few years time...when Sally has developing boobs and gets that "not so freash feeling" every month...in a few years time when Billy and Jimmy find they have developed an extra bone each morning, and discover the "magical" properties of rubbing it...well, lets just say nature has a way of reprograming over all that "sissyfied" stuff they enjoyed when younger...

[ewilen]

a drop of almost 80 points in SAT scores.

If I'm not mistaken, the percentage of the population that takes the SAT has expanded greatly along with college education. So I'd take that stat with a grain of salt. Nice rant, though.

And if you are one of those kids then dammit get off the freaking internet, do your homework, keep your rocket in your pocket, go to college like I did, get a good job and try to raise your kids in the best way you can.

Hear, hear. If I'm going to get anything out of Social Security, I'll need those brats to pay into it. So, nose to the grindstone!

[Angel's Fury]

Aren't Gen Xers born from 1979 to 1990? Those born from 1965 to 1975, aren't they considered "hippies"?

[GobotFool]

And if you are one of those kids then dammit get off the freaking internet, do your homework, keep your rocket in your pocket, go to college like I did, get a good job and try to raise your kids in the best way you can. This is one of those problems that takes everyone's help to fix.

Ahhh yes, the internet. You'd think that such a powerful information tool would actually make the next generation smarter. Nah, not blaming the internet, just my weak willed addiction to it.

Anyway that aside, this little article was sent to my mother through the E-mail. I thought the old farts here might appreciate it.

Good Old Days

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 30's, 40's, 50's, or even maybe the early 60's probably shouldn't have survived. Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinetes, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.) As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors!

We ate cupcakes, bread, and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We shared one soft drink with four friends. from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the breaks. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable! We did not have playstations, nintendo 64, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or internet chat rooms. We had friends! We went outside and found them. We played dodge ball, and sometimes the ball would really hurt. We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember the accidents?

We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside of us forever. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them. Little league had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors! Tests were not adjusted to any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovative and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

I have no idea who wrote that. All I know is I wish I had.

Edited May 3, 2004 by GobotFool

[bandit29]

Aren't Gen Xers born from 1979 to 1990? Those born from 1965 to 1975, aren't they considered "hippies"?

Uh no lol. most hippies are from the baby boomer generation. 1943- 1965 I think.

[ewilen]

I'd say The Hippies were mostly Baby Boomers, but I'll bet that present-day hippies are mainly in their teens and twenties.

Here's a good overview of the various generations, focused on Baby Boomers but with links to others: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boomer

[Angel's Fury]

Thanks for the link ewilen. It clarified some things for me.