The Younger Generation Isn’t What It Used To Be
It seems like everywhere you go, some old person is talking about how much better it was in the old days. The specific philosophy regarding procreation and child rearing seems to be, “They ain’t making young people the way they used to.” Let me explain. Yes they are.
Actually, the procedure hasn’t changed… ever. It is recorded in Genesis that the only difference between making young people today, and making young people in the Garden of Eden is that afterwards Eve had an apple… instead of a cigarette.
As The Younger Generation Gets Older
It is a given that the whole thing changes when they get older and you can no longer bribe them with a quarter. Now they want a college “education” and a wedding just like the royals had. Why? Maybe it’s because they have been called, and treated like the “princess” and “the little prince,” all their lives. The only way to get the last laugh is to put it in your will that you want them to be your pallbearers, just to have them carry you for a change.
There are several specific complaints that we hear, and have been hearing ever since Socrates said, “What’s this younger generation coming to?” Of course, he said it in Greek, and then, as all parents have been tempted to do, he took poison and died.
It’s mostly to have something to talk about when geezers like me spout off about things like government, education or the lack of parenting skills displayed by the current crop of parents. Regarding the latter, one might want to ask where the current parents picked up their lack of skills… but don’t look too hard. You might not like the answer.
Don’t Get Me Started On Gov’t.
As for government, don’t remind them that we are a representative democracy. It is a form of government where a citizen is guaranteed the government that he or she deserves. (We will cover political advertising and other forms of fertilizer in a future diatribe.) Complainers absolutely will not accept that they may be part of the problem. It’s always” them,” whoever “them” might be.
Speaking of the “them” reference, we need to accept that social media is ridiculous, shallow and often wrong. When you hear the words “they say” … interrupt to ask who “they” are. You will enjoy the silence.
The Woes Of Social Media
To explain, let’s take Facebook as an example. To be a part of it you have to sign an agreement which even their lawyers have never completely read. It says, essentially that, in return for the honor of being on their site, and having a lot of “friends,” many of whom you wouldn’t know if they wore a name tag, you give up all rights and privileges of citizenship. If the powers-that-be are offended or sense that someone else might be offended and not invite them to a cocktail party in Simi Valley, you are a goner.
Now many people call this censorship but they are wrong. Only the government can be guilty of censorship, in the legal sense. Let’s be fair to social media and call it what it is… bullying. It could also be referred to as “cover your butt,” on their part, but that would be cynical and mean-spirited on our part. You know… true.
Try to remember that there are some immutable truths in the world… politicians are exempt from truth in advertising laws, the news ain’t gonna check for truth and the great equalizer is that our kids will have kids and we will have the last laugh.
Coming soon, the all new, all old, Grandpaclub.com. Just for fun. Stay tuned here for details.
