"One of the consequences of the State's malign involvement in education has been the failure of its schools to educate children. As a result, children are leaving school knowing less about the world. Politicians then appear who can appeal to this dumbed-down audience and play on their ignorant concerns. Television also dumbs itself down to ensure viewers and news programs become news-lite, celeb-focused or get shifted to unsocial hours. This in turn produces an even more ignorant generation. This positive feedback loop can reduce educational standards in our schools incredibly quickly."
I think you've summarized this rather succinctly and neatly.
Another thing I would point out is that Generation Y is possibly more sheltered than generations before it; I don't mean in terms of things like violence in video games or sex, I mean in terms of real-world responsibilities like paying your way through college or saving money. A generation that has never had to think in these terms goes into adulthood totally financially unprepared and irresponsible.
I was reading the other day that personal savings in the United States are at an all-time low. My generation doesn't save money, they just buy credit cards. Then blame someone else when they go into debt.
I was lucky to have parents who prodded me to save money, work hard, read newspapers and play outside rather than watch TV. Some of my friends and classmates weren't that lucky, much to their detriment and loss.
"open immigration"?
Where did you get the impression that the East Europeans are here (UK)to better themselves through hard work?
Let me see now, I was mugged by a couple of Kurds for my iPod last year in broad daylight in a city park (the police was upset with me for ringing 999 as the crime was not in progress!!, they obviously have stats to look out for)
and up the road from me a 44 year old guy father of 3 was kicked to death by a gang of Kosovars.
Now its certainly true that quite a few come here for good reasons and to better themselves and their adopted country, but as for as I can see more than 50% dont.
SO i would say Immigration Yes, Open Borders/immigration NO afterall we have a few million sitting on their arses who could work if they did not have other alternatives.
Sean
I don't mean unlimited immigration by open immigration.
Also, those who break the law have to be returned home. This seems fairly common sensical to me but doesnt appear to be happening.
I disagree completely with you when you say that most aren't here for the work.
Pommy- a major problem our generation has is the failure of the one that went before.
Our parents spent the sixties and seventies demanding social change and rejecting old values.
They then changed from hippies to yuppies. We were brought up without the strong values system they received (and rejected), but weren't offered anything new- except eighties consumerism.
It was hard to see our parents or teachers as role models, by the very way they had sold their own principles.
Early nineties rave culture was kind of our generations rebellion against that, for many like me, it was the ethics of the sixties updated. Unfortunately, it lacked the clear ideological direction of the sixties movements. It was kind of a rejection of materialistic sentiment and the failure of our parents generation, but it never really led anywhere. We were a bit more cynical, less inclined to believe we could do anything to improve things.
We actually have the values our parents thought they had, and this makes it harder for us to do a complete U turn and become happy cogs in the machine.
Well I missed the Gen Y by a year in your definition.
As a cynical Gen Xer I think this is great. When youa re 18 and at uni or in college, many are dependent on the state.
Only as you acquire a job and a pupose do many acquire some sense.
e.g. all kids think saving the world ecologically is all that matters; few belive this so ferverently when they own the car!
To the point, I am glad they don't vote as they would be disproportionately socialists, greens and other misguided loons.
I am happy people start voting at 25 when they have a bit more stake in society.
Are you kidding me? You're summing up an entire generation as work shy, pampered dullards just because they didn't feel like voting for any of the Statist morons on offer in the last general election?
If any generation is the entitlement generation it's the boomers. Their parents knew real work while all the boomers did was get free education, and free love. The former we aren't allowed anymore (but we're paying for it)and the latter we can't have (because we'll end up with STDs).
Yet they love to tell us how work shy we are. Well I work hard, pay a lot more tax than they had to when they were my age and I can't afford a house because they've inflated the property market to hell.
Boomers are the laziest, most self centered generation we've seen in living memory. Just because someone has no faith in their political leaders and sees no recourse through politics to resolve the problem does not make them dumbed down and lazy. It makes them a pragmatist in my book.
More vitriol about the boomers here: http://www.viceland.com/issues/v...cs/
the_vice.php
And I'd also like to point out that it's the boomers in power that are running the UK into the ground now yet you point the finger at Gen Y.
I don't see Gen Y (what a stupid boomeresque term) complaining about a kid flying a jolly roger on his birthday nor do I see a Gen Y'er acting like a mini hitler in banning the flag: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
pages...in_page_id=1770
What a sad statistic.
Ben's got a valid point Pommy.
You can't blame the new generation for being apathetic and disenfranchised, look at the world we and the previous generation have made for them? Global warming, debt bubble, sea of crime. Need I go on? If they lack values its because the hippy parents gave them up for pleasure.
The way I see it, the post-war generation made this mess. Or even, as my Father used to say (WW2 veteran), most of the best of this country died in two world wars.
I can't believe that many people would bother to watch the drivel called Big Brother.
At 55c a call, of which they get about 30 cents, how much money do they make?
FYI: The English equivalent is 'from clogs to clogs in three generations' - derived from Yorks / Lancs region.
look at the world we and the previous generation have made for them?
prosperity, freedom, democracy, choice, education.
bastards, the lot of them.
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