The Wussification of America

[Balta1701]

again, what argument are you HAVING here?

That maybe the problem with the economy isn't that we're not mean enough to kids, or that our society is somehow becoming a bunch of "Wussies". That maybe...that isn't even happening at all, but people just feel good about calling everyone else wussies.

 

That maybe the economic problem, for example, which you cited, comes from a much more systematic exploitation of the political system.

[Reddy]

That maybe the problem with the economy isn't that we're not mean enough to kids, or that our society is somehow becoming a bunch of "Wussies". That maybe...that isn't even happening at all, but people just feel good about calling everyone else wussies.

 

That maybe the economic problem, for example, which you cited, comes from a much more systematic exploitation of the political system.

 

i honestly didn't know we were having a discussion about the economy. i brought it up because that's an easy-to-cite excuse for why 20-somethings don't have jobs.

[Balta1701]

i honestly didn't know we were having a discussion about the economy. i brought it up because that's an easy-to-cite excuse for why 20-somethings don't have jobs.

20 somethings don't have jobs because the economy imploded.

 

Not because they were turned into wussies because they weren't bullied enough by someone or because their parents didn't criticize them enough.

 

And we're having this conversation on "the economy" because people are saying how "oh my American Idol guests look silly" and pretending it's somehow a symptom of a larger, unidentified problem. I asked "what problem" and got the economy as an answer.

[Y2HH]

20 somethings don't have jobs because the economy imploded.

 

Not because they were turned into wussies because they weren't bullied enough by someone or because their parents didn't criticize them enough.

 

They also don't have jobs because they have a useless skill set.

 

A skill set most of them actually chose.

[Balta1701]

They also don't have jobs because they have a useless skill set.

 

A skill set most of them actually chose.

Again, nonsense. The number of people with skills appropriate for the available jobs is huge...because the number of available jobs collapsed when people lost all their money.

[Reddy]

Again, nonsense. The number of people with skills appropriate for the available jobs is huge...because the number of available jobs collapsed when people lost all their money.

 

craigslist is full of jobs every day that i'm not qualified for. it's full of jobs i'm overqualified for.

 

point is, it's full of jobs.

[Y2HH]

Again, nonsense. The number of people with skills appropriate for the available jobs is huge...because the number of available jobs collapsed when people lost all their money.

 

I bet I could find a job if I lost mine. And I wouldn't need you to make such excuses for me, because I have a useful skillset.

[Quin]

I bet I could find a job if I lost mine. And I wouldn't need you to make such excuses for me, because I have a useful skillset.

 

What is this useful skillset? As an unemployed 20 year old looking for a job, I'd like to know.

 

I also want to to know what this useless skillset I apparently chose to have is?

 

Please. Tell me.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Quinarvy

[Reddy]

What is this useful skillset? As an unemployed 20 year old looking for a job, I'd like to know.

 

I also want to to know what this useless skillset I apparently chose to have is?

 

Please. Tell me.

are you in school right now?

[caulfield12]

This is the exact kind of excuse making I'm taking about. And it's complete and utter bulls***. I don't care how much money McDonald's spends trying to "force me" to eat their food. I still have the choice to not, regardless of what subsidy. The fact is most people are fat because they want to be, because they're lazy. Because people such as yourself convince them it's not their fault...when it f***ing is.

 

There are actual people with medical conditions that prevent them from losing weight, and bulls*** like you just spewed diminishes their reality, because you give otherwise normal people who could be healthy if they choose the excuse to blame McDonalds, or the government. An excuse they dont deserve. Allow me the honor to cut through the bulls***. If they want to know why they're actually fat, all they have to do is look in the mirror.

 

 

That's why this whole home mortgage debate is interesting.

 

Nobody (well, almost nobody) takes the side of either the government or the bank.

 

However, you're also not going to get any type of agreement on the "greedy" individuals involved having the right to be bailed out the situations they got themselves into...because some are legitimately preyed upon by predatory lenders, and a large majority knew what they were getting into and just got too greedy.

 

In that sense, it's "wussification" that government operates in such a way that those responsible got golden parachutes and almost no repercussions for their criminal acts....whereas all those homeowners are still stuck well underwater. That there's no accountability or responsibility on the side of either the government or the private lending institutions or the ratings agencies....that all three were able to conspire together and the main result is that they're even further encouraged that they will be bailed out in the future, the whole "too big to fail" argument.

[Quin]

are you in school right now?

 

Yes, but apparently I'm supposed to have a magical skillset to get a job.

[Reddy]

Yes, but apparently I'm supposed to have a magical skillset to get a job.

what are you studying?

[Quin]

what are you studying?

 

Journalism.

[Reddy]

Journalism.

writing, critical thinking, research skills. I'm sure you can add more to the list.

 

if you'd said Communications, that'd be a whole 'nother story.

[mr_genius]

In that sense, it's "wussification" that government operates in such a way that those responsible got golden parachutes and almost no repercussions for their criminal acts....whereas all those homeowners are still stuck well underwater. That there's no accountability or responsibility on the side of either the government or the private lending institutions or the ratings agencies....that all three were able to conspire together and the main result is that they're even further encouraged that they will be bailed out in the future, the whole "too big to fail" argument.

 

excellent example.

 

they were "entitled" to the bailout. without it, their yearly bonus would have been sub-par on Wall Street. no consequences for reckless action. everyone gets a trophy or in this case a bailout bonus.

Edited January 21, 2013 by mr_genius

[mr_genius]

Journalism.

 

good luck and i mean that with all sincerity. you may be in a situation where there is a lot more supply of that skill set than demand.

Edited January 21, 2013 by mr_genius

[Quin]

good luck and i mean that with all sincerity. you may be in a situation where there is a lot more supply of that skill set than demand.

 

There is, which is why I've been looking at double majoring.

[Jake]

I'd say that there are probably more parents that over-coddle, under-critique, whatever you want to call it than ever before. But it's not as if being critical of everything your kid does is necessarily the best way to do it, either. Most people respond best when they are given a mixture of criticism and praise. Let them know what they're doing wrong and let them know what they're not. It's pretty simple, it's about moderation.

 

BTW, I came from the "everyone gets trophies" generation, and everyone knew that didn't mean s***. We'd keep the trophies because shiny things are cool, but we wanted to win. When I was 6 or 7 years old and we played in a basketball league that didn't keep score. While there are some benefits in trying to keep things from getting over-competitive (is this for the parents or the kids, by the way?) I know that all we'd do after the game is argue about who would have won if the score was kept and compare our self-kept statistics, etc. You can't make people noncompetitive even if you try -- though I'd say making them feel like losers too much rather than winners too much is more likely to have a negative effect.

[mr_genius]

There is, which is why I've been looking at double majoring.

 

news/journalism is going strong online. a Computer Science minor seems like it would be useful.

Edited January 21, 2013 by mr_genius

[Reddy]

I'd say that there are probably more parents that over-coddle, under-critique, whatever you want to call it than ever before. But it's not as if being critical of everything your kid does is necessarily the best way to do it, either. Most people respond best when they are given a mixture of criticism and praise. Let them know what they're doing wrong and let them know what they're not. It's pretty simple, it's about moderation.

 

BTW, I came from the "everyone gets trophies" generation, and everyone knew that didn't mean s***. We'd keep the trophies because shiny things are cool, but we wanted to win. When I was 6 or 7 years old and we played in a basketball league that didn't keep score. While there are some benefits in trying to keep things from getting over-competitive (is this for the parents or the kids, by the way?) I know that all we'd do after the game is argue about who would have won if the score was kept and compare our self-kept statistics, etc. You can't make people noncompetitive even if you try -- though I'd say making them feel like losers too much rather than winners too much is more likely to have a negative effect.

 

absolutely, but there's a statistic that says 75% of parents of obese kids don't REALIZE their child is overweight.

 

how crazy is that?

 

parents these days have rose colored glasses like you wouldn't believe, and this whole "protect our kids at all cost" mentality really doesn't prepare them for the real world. I dunno. Just my opinion.

 

I agree that a balance is optimal

[Quin]

I'd say that there are probably more parents that over-coddle, under-critique, whatever you want to call it than ever before. But it's not as if being critical of everything your kid does is necessarily the best way to do it, either. Most people respond best when they are given a mixture of criticism and praise. Let them know what they're doing wrong and let them know what they're not. It's pretty simple, it's about moderation.

 

BTW, I came from the "everyone gets trophies" generation, and everyone knew that didn't mean s***. We'd keep the trophies because shiny things are cool, but we wanted to win. When I was 6 or 7 years old and we played in a basketball league that didn't keep score. While there are some benefits in trying to keep things from getting over-competitive (is this for the parents or the kids, by the way?) I know that all we'd do after the game is argue about who would have won if the score was kept and compare our self-kept statistics, etc. You can't make people noncompetitive even if you try -- though I'd say making them feel like losers too much rather than winners too much is more likely to have a negative effect.

 

All this.

 

I'm from everyone gets a trophy and I'm a hyper competitive motherf***er when playing sports.

[mr_genius]

parents these days have rose colored glasses like you wouldn't believe, and this whole "protect our kids at all cost" mentality really doesn't prepare them for the real world. I dunno. Just my opinion.

 

Definitely. A friend of mine is a teacher and she deals with it all the time. Back in my old-tyme days, if the school sent a letter home or whatever about something i did my parents first reaction was always like "we know you did it". haha.

Edited January 21, 2013 by mr_genius

[southsideirish71]

Definitely. A friend of mine is a teacher and she deals with it all the time. Back in my old-tyme days, if the school sent a letter home or whatever about something i did my parents first reaction was always like "we know you did it". haha.

 

The other side of that is the over reaction. I remember getting a call from the school because my son a few years back in kindergarden was hauled into the principals office because he was playing cowboys and indians with his best friend at recess. They heard the pow pow and he was hauled in. Then they explained to me that if he did it again he would be suspended.

[DukeNukeEm]

I'm 23. I'm a college dropout. I dont have a tradeskill other than general handiness and a good knowledge of preventive automobile maintenance from working for Jiffy Lube in HS.

 

I'm going to make $60k in 2013, up from $40k in 2012. It was as simple as me thinking to myself "Hey, I really dont like being poor", and just taking whatever extra jobs I could get. It was that f***ing simple. I really dont care how many W-2's I get. I barely even care what the wage is. I just know that if I work 60+ hours a week (summers are much busier, winters are a bit slower) and DIY everything I reasonably can I will not only support myself but also be putting lots of money away. Now I'm not poor anymore, this year I'm going to be writing a check to the government (not receiving one), I'm starting to think about buying some dirt cheap foreclosure acreage out West (I'm a little intimidated now but I actually can make good faith research and move towards that goal), I get a little out of hand at the bar once a while and I dont wake up the next morning wondering how I'll make it another month.

 

I created that for myself. If other people cant then they are losers. It is that simple, I dont need data or some apologist academic agreeing with me to prove it.

Edited January 21, 2013 by DukeNukeEm

[Y2HH]

What is this useful skillset? As an unemployed 20 year old looking for a job, I'd like to know.

 

I also want to to know what this useless skillset I apparently chose to have is?

 

Please. Tell me.

 

First of all, your 20. Unless your into a trade skill, I have some news for you...you don't have a useful skillset yet. When I say useful, it means something the world currently needs, not wants. From simple things to complex things that require great amounts of education and/or training/experience, for example, barbers, auto mechanics, electricians, nurses, dental hygenists, and information technology personal are a few examples of currently useful skillsets. The world, in it's current state, *requires* them.

 

You are young and in school, something you willingly chose to do, so now you have to accept that station in life, at least, temporarily. Your current skillset isn't in the workforce, it's in the classroom. You are studying journalism, and as someone else mentioned, consider information technology as minor or double major, and why? Because IT skills will be very useful to journalists in the future (they already are), and just having them can give you a great -- and useful -- fallback set of skills. Right now your "job" is to study and be the best journalist student you can be. The path you chose, on the short term, does not equate to having a very good job at the moment. At your age, I worked at Osco during the week (at night, after school), and at Dunkin' Donuts on weekends. Why? Because I was in school studying IT, I didn't have a skillset the world needed...yet. I couldn't fix cars, I couldn't install pipes or do plumbing work, etc...I accepted my station in life at that time was working those part time jobs to get me through school, at least far enough so that I could get a low paying job in that profession, which I eventually did. They weren't great jobs...hell, they weren't even good jobs...but it was all I could actually do at the time...so I accepted that and did it.

 

In my actual career path, first job I accepted was a non-paying IT internship at city hall, downtown Chicago. Note I said NON paying. Shortly after, I accepted a low paying tech support job at a local ISP...which barely paid me more than I was making at Dunkin' Donuts or Osco at the time. The choice I made to be a student forced me to have to accept things like this on the short term...all the while my buddies who went into trades were making bank. It sucked at times, but I accepted being the lowly paid student. In the end, it paid off. Have patience. But do yourself a favor, and stop pretending like you have a skillset to offer the world. You don't. Yet.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Y2HH