You crazy kids ruining my generation!

[Diocletian]

Is it me or is this future generation rubbish? Even I as a 15 year old can tell that my generation is going nowhere. And I don't just mean the people, I mean the entertainment. I know each generation thinks the current generation is crap, but maybe this time it's for real.

Music - Same repetitive rhythm with the chorus also being the lyrics to the songs. No actual depth to the lyrics and can be deciphered automatically as double entendres for getting a woman to sleep with you.

Movies - Terrible time for movies. It's pure animated movies with bad CGI and terrible plots and endings that go nowhere. Either that or a man shoots people in the face...TWICE!

The Youth - In a world where machines do everything for you, our kids are useless. Their fingers are worn out due to Gears of Wars marathons instead of mowing lawns or washing cars, ya' know stuff that actually helps you in the future. A world where your social value is dictated by how many women you slept with.

Pardon the tl;dr. Please refrain from calling me a wannabe noncomformist.

[SigmaSD]

I agree with you on the music. I hate the fact that it either involves anything related to sex or shooting someone and doing drugs (as is the case with hip hop/ rap)

I can't really make an argument about movies since I seldom watch them anymore. None have really grasped my attention these days.

As for the youth: it's not just them, it's also the adults in industrial societies. People want to have fun and spend as much of their free time on something they enjoy. These tend to lead to overwatching TV, overusing the internet, and addiction to video games. All of them manage to veer people's attention from their monotone, uneventful lives. But there are always exceptions to the rule of course.

[Ramona Flowers]

I used to feel the same way as far as music goes, but I've been finding more and more mind blowing new artists, you just cant rely on the mainstream media to help you.

As far as movies go; at least one or two really good movies come out every year, lately I've been pleasently surprised with the amount of movies that I'm excited to see. Examples: Dark Knight. Iron Man. The Watchmen. StarTrek. Where the Wild Things Are. etc.

[Reonic Flux]

Music of today? Hmmm... Don't care much for it. I rarely watch movies these days. Whole bunch of crap. Except Star Trek. As for the youth, I dunno what to say.

[Ryuuzaki HD]

I hate most of the music now especially rap, hip-hop, pop etc. I like the bands from the 80s and early 90s but still some newer bands are good.

Ive never been that into movies but I still don't have any complaints every now and then I find a good movie.

As for the youth im a prime example of how lazy people are now but mabe its just me because i don't care about anything in particular.

[Miss Moonlight]

Isn't the current generation destroying the current generation?

Tv is mostly one big advertisement, movies are rarely any good, the music mostly sucks (in my opinion), and it's hard to find any quality entertainment that isn't vapid.

[Cobra Commander]

I think it started with my generation. I was born in 1984. I had Nintendo and all that when I was a kid. I did play outside, but I was glued to the game console whenever possible. I have fond memories of Road Rash on the Genesis, and Doom marathons. When I was young, I was in Boy Scouts and took karate. I quit both - Scouts just wasn't fun to me, and I moved later - I was unwilling to start over with a different karate place, though I regret that now.

I played World of Warcraft in college, and after - I worked nights, and there was never anything to do when I was off - but I see how much of my life I've wasted doing that. I don't even play games anymore. Once in a while I'll play GTA4 or something, but it's not frequent.

Kids are permanently jacked in. I always had a cd player for car rides, because my family and I have different tastes. I see kids that can't walk through a grocery store, or even the halls at school without those blasted ipod earbuds in.

I agree that music today sucks. But then, I listen to black metal and I'm usually entertained by new releases. I don't understand the rise of rap and I wax nostalgic for Layne Staley's haunting voice in "Would?" or some classic Soundgarden.

I think people are getting stupider and more useless as time drags on and life becomes more and more about convenience, and more about "me". Instant gratification and all that crap.

[Scarred DNA]

A world where your social value is dictated by how many women you slept with.

Aside from the fake "Pleasantville" years people like to cite, when has this not been the case?

Stop relying on mainstream media. That's the problem.

I haven't listened to the radio since 2000-2001, and I don't miss it at all.

Don't rely on word of mouth or reviews or gross intake for movies. Go foreign if you can. Look at what others on the net are acquiring - that's sometimes a good group to follow.

As for the people, I only see change. Change and progress. Society has never been able to keep up with technology, so of course we'll hit bumps. But I do think things will smooth out and be much, much better than in the past.

[Darklord]

WIKI 1969......

Or Vietnam War...

Take a good look......

[ladysesshomaru]

Being young myself...
I HATE the fact that this generation is so illiterate.
Whatever happened to the classics?
Now all the books for teens now day revolve around sex and drugs.
And boyfriends and girlfriends are more of an accessory now, then an intimate partner.
What happened to morals?

[Reonic Flux]

Being young myself...
I HATE the fact that this generation is so illiterate.
Whatever happened to the classics?
Now all the books for teens now day revolve around sex and drugs.
And boyfriends and girlfriends are more of an accessory now, then an intimate partner.
What happened to morals?

In our school alone, around half the student body play online games, yet only a part of them can get good grades. The rest of 'em pass or fail.

[Seta Souji]

I hate most of the music now especially rap, hip-hop, pop etc. I like the bands from the 80s and early 90s but still some newer bands are good.

Ive never been that into movies but I still don't have any complaints every now and then I find a good movie.

As for the youth im a prime example of how lazy people are now but mabe its just me because i don't care about anything in particular.

Rap died with tupac and biggy. I miss old stuff with Snoop, Nate, Bone Thugs, etc. Go 90's and Go Louis CK.

+

[Mr. Panda]

I also agree with the music, a bit. I once checked out my cousin's Ipod (he's 14) and I saw a lot of mainstream music. I asked him: "You into this?", in which he answered: "everyone listens to it, it has to be good."

I remember when I was 14, I listened to anime music, Chinese music and most of all, hip-hop music and it was horrible. The time, I mean, not the music. I was kind of 'emberrased' to let anyone know what I listened to, and whenever I showed my personal music taste to the 'supah populah' kids, they'd go: "Wtf, I never heard of that artist! U R SO WIIRD!"

[i_say_sabotage]

It's not really getting ruined per se... I just think the line between CRAP and GREAT are finally getting more distinct. The space between them is increasing. Smart people are getting smarter and the dumb people are getting dumber.

The mainstream music is definitely garbage if you ask me (when is a man who calls himself "Flo Rida" considered a pop star -- or even sane?), most movies are the same plot twice over (gawd I miss the classics), and the youth have their faces glued to either their PSP, the internet or the MMORPG's. There's not much to say for a generation that brought forth EMO.

And I'm being optimistic.

On the other hand, people are being more critical of the things around them, more people are getting out of the 'mainstream', the 'popular', and the 'trends'. Nowadays, those who are different aren't considered weird anymore, but 'deep'. I agree with the other posters that people are expecting instant gratification in everything. Patience have lost its virtue... But this might actually mean that the ones who strive to be different are ultimately, more distinct, more unique.

I certainly hope so.

[International 4-8818]

It's all relative. Back in the day rock was looked at as an evil cursed thing that led to nothing but a destroyed youth but rock brought on so many great things. I can go on and on and on but our future is looking great. Don't limit your perspective to what is seen on MTV or other crap on TV or stupid movies/music. If our perspective of our future was only fixed on that, then yes. OUr future is bleak.

[TheAsterisk!]

Is it me or is this future generation rubbish? Even I as a 15 year old can tell that my generation is going nowhere. And I don't just mean the people, I mean the entertainment. I know each generation thinks the current generation is crap, but maybe this time it's for real.

And those whippersnappers from the following generation, too. Don't forget them.
And those squares from before us! Oppressive, dogmatic losers, every one of 'em!

Music - Same repetitive rhythm with the chorus also being the lyrics to the songs. No actual depth to the lyrics and can be deciphered automatically as double entendres for getting a woman to sleep with you.

Popular music has always been composed mainly of crap, with a few good things here and there. The reason you might hear more good old music is because of an almost Darwinian process in which nobody bothers to listen to the old garbage anymore.
Of course, your argument against simplicity that would appall lobotomy patients/victims with its stupidity has merit, but still hardly anyone will join me in giving the likes of Yes concept albums a good listen. Instead, they're mocked as stupid or plainly insane while that diseased vermin, Lady Gaga, gains popularity amongst the foolish, easily-distracted-with-shiny-objects masses.
And finally, what good rock group doesn't have at least a few songs about getting laid?

Oh, well. I still have my Tales from Topographic Oceans to keep me company, hidden from the demagogues of the music industry.

Movies - Terrible time for movies. It's pure animated movies with bad CGI and terrible plots and endings that go nowhere. Either that or a man shoots people in the face...TWICE!

Hey! Mindless action/war movies have their place, and they are nothing new. Watch The Longest Day to see just how bad acting could be well received in days gone by, and then try some Clint Eastwood 'films.' Everyone who was a big name at the time seems to be in The Longest Day, and they all can't act.
The computer animated movies are incredibly cheap compared to conventional cartoons, so Disney and similar studios have become enamored with them. It won't stop until people stop paying for them. The poor CGI has a great deal to do with people wanting to do it on the cheap, foregoing the well known, competent visual effects studios in favor of some warehouse-based operation in the middle of nowhere. The other half of the trouble comes from a lack of physical stand-ins on set, so the actors know where to look, but most of the cheap CGI shops don't bother, so it ends up with crappy interaction between CG and live-action.
If you need hope, though, look at all the corny anti-hero movies of the mid-seventies, and then recall that Star Wars altered the trends in movies after it was released. There will eventually be another great movie that will spawn new trends, so just wait patiently.

And anyway, aren't Hollywood studios controlled by an older generation? Shouldn't you pin this on them?

The Youth - In a world where machines do everything for you, our kids are useless.

Then don't buy all those machines. The kids can do it, and they've already been payed for. Just don't buy the gadgets.
'Sides, they might yet gain sentience and rebel against their masters. Better to never take the chance.

Their fingers are worn out due to Gears of Wars marathons instead of mowing lawns or washing cars...

Gears of War sucks, anyway. The environment tries way too hard to look scary, so it just looks like a really, really bad zombie movie. I will never understand the attraction.

...ya' know stuff that actually helps you in the future. A world where your social value is dictated by how many women you slept with.

Or how easily you can enslave the masses with your diabolical genius. You know?

Pardon the tl;dr. Please refrain from calling me a wannabe noncomformist.

A wannabe non-conformist is a guy wearing an anarchy shirt (with that stupid altered "A," or whatever it is) who recommends the store from which he legally purchased it. You're fine, at least on that worry.

It looks like you've realized that most people suck. That's nothing new. In a any given population, there are a lot of losers, and a very few winners who strive to either better life in general, make themselves comfortable or put the losers to work as their lackeys.
This is true of any generation, of any selection. People fail.

[JIMBO.]

the kids are not all to blame but they are part of it.

a lot of the have wecked there adult lives before they have even started it (drugs, crime, having kids too young)

this is the sort of thing that gets under my skin so I wont say no more, before I upset someone.

[Haoie]

Every generation sucks but mine: The end.

[TheAsterisk!]

the kids are not all to blame but they are part of it.

a lot of the have wecked there adult lives before they have even started it (drugs, crime, having kids too young)

this is the sort of thing that gets under my skin so I wont say no more, before I upset someone.

Drugs aren't really the issue, nor is crime nor being stupid and having children before you can afford them.

WARNING: BASELESS SPECULATION. I'm gonna make a few guesses, 'kay? So don't look for links and such.

The most likely way to ruin life is through massive interconnection and live reporting of events that aren't urgent in the slightest.
Isolated populations evolve most quickly, and it holds true for humans. We just tend to adapt our behavior instead of any our base anatomy, since it's easier and far, far quicker.
Since modern communications have networked all but the entire world, we're likely to see fewer and fewer innovators. To be sure, there will still be some, but most people will opt to Google up a solution rather tan come up with a novel fix from scratch, and that's how many ideas form up.
The tendency of media outlets to report everything and anything immediately, live, with urgent tones, means that where there might have been time to carefully analyze ans solve issues, everyone feels a pressing need to act, and to act now. It leads to shoddy plans and actions without thought, just for the sake of action.
Combine these with constant, uninterrupted exposure to varied media and communications, and you have a recipe for disorganization through overwhelming confusion. You end up with constant unrest, with people who can't just daydream for a few hours, or who can't, upon seeing something unusual, attempt to reach a decent conclusion about it. The actual conclusion doesn't matter, the exercise does. These people are content to have facts spewed at them through a search engine, and their reasoning skills suffer for it.
And as Blaise Pascal so sagely once said, "All human evil comes from man's inability to sit still in a room." Right now, we have and are actively creating antsy people who cannot think well.

There are still a few winners, as there have always been, but the freedom and ease of modern communications (and a lack of high standards, I might add) has significantly quieted the winners' voices, and instead hordes and hordes of idiots are referenced as if PhD's. Think back to how often blogs are mentioned in the news, or, heck, watch them take calls or e-mails.
Nothing is done by merit in media anymore. Instead, this absolutely quaint and patently absurd notion that everyone is special (along with their opinions) reigns supreme.



All that, and how the art of a good bull session seems to be lost, but I digress.

 

How many people will actually get my post, do you suppose? I bet upwards of 90% of the readers will completely miss it, even given my 'hint.'

[Sakura Holic]

The music sounds like you're targeting hip hop. I agree... It is tiring to hear anything similar about... Sex and money.

Movies... I can't really say. I like it... XD Korean Dramas man... And Harry Potter.... Never mind twilight. Don't like the trailer anyways. I stick with the book.

As for the youth.... Oh my gosh...
I can honestly say.... We're all doom on this part. Unless something magical happens. I don't think most people now a days.... know how to make proper and calm decisions. I got yelled at the other day by someone's sister because my best friend likes a guy... And it was just... BAM out of no where. Telling her calmly to talk things out with out having to yell and she just shoves me. I almost fell backwards into the river near by because I was standing on the bridge... But its okay.... x_x

I just fear for the kids. I mean... I see/hear most... FTF stories in school and it was just scary. Probably 1/3 of the school has an FTF.

[Friends to Flirt or Friends With Benefits]

If I tell them whats hurting the world around them... they wont listen and tell me to get lost. If I leave them be and wait for them to realize whats wrong, by the time they all do that, the world will end because its too late.

[TheAsterisk!]

The music sounds like you're targeting hip hop. I agree... It is tiring to hear anything similar about... Sex and money.

That's never exclusive to any one genre of popular music, though. I hate the absolute lack of musicianship, talent and creativity, and that is something techno/rap/hip-hop display with great frequency.

Movies... I can't really say. I like it... XD Korean Dramas man... And Harry Potter.... Never mind twilight. Don't like the trailer anyways. I stick with the book.

Really?
Honest to God, really?
I don't think there's much I can or need to say to point out how silly your response was.

As for the youth.... Oh my gosh...
I can honestly say.... We're all doom on this part. Unless something magical happens. I don't think most people now a days.... know how to make proper and calm decisions. I got yelled at the other day by someone's sister because my best friend likes a guy... And it was just... BAM out of no where. Telling her calmly to talk things out with out having to yell and she just shoves me. I almost fell backwards into the river near by because I was standing on the bridge... But its okay.... x_x

There have always been people who act like impulsive cavemen. Why do you suppose "caveman" is an insult for brutish, stupid people in the first place? It's nothing new.

I just fear for the kids.

Unlike all those sage sixteen year old wizards, right? "cause they're just so darned smart!
You're still a kid; deal with it. Heck, there are many good arguments that people twenty-three years of age are still kids.

I mean... I see/hear most... FTF stories in school and it was just scary. Probably 1/3 of the school has an FTF.

[Friends to Flirt or Friends With Benefits]

Okay? They like to pleasure themselves. Again, that's not new in any way whatsoever. The only thing that's changed is that it's now socially acceptable to admit to, making the old phrase, "Get a room!" somewhat arcane.

If I tell them whats hurting the world around them... they wont listen and tell me to get lost.

What fools they must be to ignore your wisdom, to brush you aside as they would any other!
They'll all pay for it eventually...

If I leave them be and wait for them to realize whats wrong, by the
time they all do that, the world will end because its too late.

My hyperbole detector is whirring noisily! I'll have to stop being a wise guy and act decisively lest fools take this rubbish for reason!
The world will not end. They will ruin their own lives and a few others' lives, at the very worst.

[3pleT]

Music - Same repetitive rhythm with the chorus also being the lyrics to the songs. No actual depth to the lyrics and can be deciphered automatically as double entendres for getting a woman to sleep with you.

Most of that music is not even about lyrics. I listen to drum & bass, big beat, breakbeat... usually with a little IDM added to the equation. Well, I rarely listen to those club variations, but other than that, this music has a lot of qualities. All you gotta do to understand them is give it a chance.

Movies - Terrible time for movies. It's pure animated movies with bad CGI and terrible plots and endings that go nowhere. Either that or a man shoots people in the face...TWICE!

The only thing that ever changed between movies of today and those of the past is that back then 95% of them sucked and today it's more like 99%. But the thing is - they also release more movies per year then they used to, so basically, there's equal amount of what's worth your attention. You just have to do a bit more digging. My advice: rely on the review aggregators.

The Youth - In a world where machines do everything for you, our kids are useless. Their fingers are worn out due to Gears of Wars marathons instead of mowing lawns or washing cars, ya' know stuff that actually helps you in the future.

This one I have to agree with. When we were kids, helping the adults went without saying. Also, we actually went out to play, organized sport tournaments and whatnot. I seriously don't understand how a kid can just sit in the house whole day.

I agree with you on the music. I hate the fact that it either involves anything related to sex or shooting someone and doing drugs (as is the case with hip hop/ rap)

I also like rap. No bling rap, but both of the two extremes: abstract/emo and hardcore rap, their purpose being the only contemporary poetry that doesn't suck and causing adrenaline rush, respectively. One more thing: when referring to music, hip-hop and rap are synonyms.

I used to feel the same way as far as music goes, but I've been finding more and more mind blowing new artists, you just cant rely on the mainstream media to help you.

Aaah, the hipster theory. Not necessarily true. Lily Allen, for instance, is mainstream, sounds mainstream, and yet Alright, Still is one of the best albums of the past decade.

Rap died with tupac and biggy.

Yeah, I used to say the same thing when I was in the rap-kid-trying-to-act-smart phase six years ago. Please step your game up:

+

[TheAsterisk!]

Most of that music is not even about lyrics. I listen to drum & bass, big beat, breakbeat... usually with a little IDM added to the equation. Well, I rarely listen to those club variations, but other than that, this music has a lot of qualities. All you gotta do to understand them is give it a chance.

No, that music is made with the intent of allowing dance. Therefor, it is not worthy of mention when no one is dancing.
Good music can stand on its own, and it can do it for a few decades at a time.
Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity will kick your hip-hop down the block.
The other thing I hate how so much of the current music sells itself like KISS: all glitter, no gold. At least KISS makes heavy use of pyrotechnics, but so much of this crap is just bad music, stupid fashion, and reused concepts, all set to videos that would make children with severe ADHD cringe.

It's time for awesome album art, too. That's always been lacking.

This is good! It can even stand on it's own. Of course, Roger Dean is setting ht bar a little high, but, still, a giant, deformed smiley face complimented by a loose collage of screaming children is not acceptable. Better off just ditching the album art.

The only thing that ever changed between movies of today and those of the past is that back then 95% of them sucked and today it's more like 99%. But the thing is - they also release more movies per year then they used to, so basically, there's equal amount of what's worth your attention. You just have to do a bit more digging. My advice: rely on the review aggregators.

Yep.

This one I have to agree with. When we were kids, helping the adults went without saying. Also, we actually went out to play, organized sport tournaments and whatnot. I seriously don't understand how a kid can just sit in the house whole day.

It takes little effort, and given incentive, I can think of no organism that will work for no reward. Parents are supposed to provide that incentive, somehow, though it doesn't have to be positive reinforcement.

I also like rap. No bling rap, but both of the two extremes: abstract/emo and hardcore rap, their purpose being the only contemporary poetry that doesn't suck and causing adrenaline rush, respectively. One more thing: when referring to music, hip-hop and rap are synonyms.

Firstly, if you get a rush from listening to rap, something's up. No music is that exciting. Secondly, if poetry is your goal, why not try reading poetry? Thirdly, there's plenty of good poetry in music, just not in today's top-40 refuse. Finally, hip-hop and rap may be synonymous now, but they haven't always been. It's like saying rock & roll is the same as rock. Rock & roll might be Elvis (he's a little rockabilly, too, though), but rock might be Pink Floyd. The two terms are used interchangeably, but that doesn't mean it's right.
Rap isn't hip-hop, and jazz isn't blues either (just as a note).

I used to feel the same way as far as music goes, but I've been finding more and more mind blowing new artists, you just cant rely on the mainstream media to help you.

Then again, "We Are the Champions" is quite a good song, but has been beaten to death by radio because of its popularity, to the point where a lot of people don't even like it anymore. They've manage to ruin a good song.
And that's just one of many.
Group's reputations have been ruined by radio obstinately refusing to play anything but one song. I'm ridiculed for listening to Asia because "Heat of the Moment" is kind of a bland, simple single, but it's probably their worst song. Having been force fed through the radio, though, that's all anyone knows.


Music today is mass produced. It is written specifically to sell, so there's very little experimentation, very little risk taken. That ruins it. Concept albums wouldn't do today because none of the twits buying albums are willing to sample and branch out, try new music, so the record companies rarely support the idea of new ideas.
Well, then, what's the point? I may as well just listen to Mussorgsky, for all the new, exciting music being produced.

[estrago1]

I completely agree. Music today is horrible. And since the "singers" today have no creativty and never learned it in school, they take other musicians' music and make it their own (with new lyrics, a faster beat, etc.)

Movies also suck nowadays. Especially movies based on games that are nothing like the actual game.

As for the technology, its not only the kids; its also the parents that are buying in to this mindless technological craze. One of these days, I just wish the power would go out and never come back on. I just wanna see what would happen.

[Forgotten Show]

Is it me or is this future generation rubbish?

It's just you. Your generation is too young to have done anything, much less take responsibility for that. If anything, any current failings in your generation ought to be pinned on the generations preceding you, particularly the one that gave birth to you and the one before that who gave rise to a culture of entitlement. I know plenty of youth who will grow up just fine, who aren't glued to their computers and video games, and I know many who'll grow up just fine who are. You'll have to be a lot more specific if you want your argument to hold any water.

I also completely disagree with you about entertainment. Newer movies have become more and more in-depth and sophisticated with technology, but movies have also been around for what, 50 years? Movies aren't all that different from books in that there's not a whole lot of originality left to be had. For every crappy modern movie you can find, I guarantee you I can match with a crappy movie predating this "modern" era. Movies might have lost their magic, to a large degree, because of how common they've become, but they aren't becoming crappier. Have you seen any older movies to compare?

For music, I've yet to find a "generation" that wholly appeals to someone (including myself). I like some 60s, some 70s, some 80s... seeing a pattern? More likely folks who like "generations" of music like the memories associated with them. I grew up listening to my parent's music, and it's a 20/80 hit/miss ratio for me. That ratio doesn't seem to change much between genres and time periods. I suspect you'll find the same for most people nearer the middle of the bell curve (ignoring the ends where the more dedicated, or diehard, music listeners would be).

Methinks your frustrations are misguided, young sir.


Bad Memory