I don't care, I'm going to say it!
I have to.
For all the parents out there that are bringing kids into the world or have small children/pre-teens coming up now, I apologize for whatever fucked up thing my generation did to make the world of violence/smut/entitlement so normal to them.
And I'm sure EVERYTHING played a part:
Our movies.
Our video and computer games.
Our tv shows.
Our clear lack of any kind of moral compass.
Our greed.
Our self-centeredness.
Our fashion.
Our music.
The internet.
Our insistence on pushing the envelope.
Our lack of responsibility/integrity/loyalty/devotion/ethics.
All things we created.
I am of a cut throat generation and this is the backlash.
We're called the "me" generation for a reason.
Not everything was bad, but I'm sorry it was taken to such an extreme that resulted in news we're witnessing today.
We played a HUGE part in that.
Our parents didn't.
WE did.
I see the light at the end of the tunnel over here. My kids are 19 and 17 this month. I feel both lucky and sick to my stomach because what we managed to pass on, wittingly or unwillingly - you're stuck with. And someone, really everyone, has to answer for the mess.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
For you AND your kids. You're job just became a million times harder, as if it wasn't hard enough. I just said the other day on the phone that the biggest obstacle in my world as far as my kids have been concerned, has been outside influence.
You have it harder than I did, by far.
The sheer nightmare of what could happen is nearly too much for even me and I'm acutely aware of my surroundings - painfully so. I even contemplated things that had never happened in history.
Now, those things are starting to happen.
We do a lot of talking about how it's all the parent's responsibility. That's true, to a point. You can NOT be with your kids every second of every day though and no matter how hard you try - you will never be able to keep everything from touching and effecting them.
That's a pipe dream. It's easy to cast the blame on parents, so we do. It's an impossibility however, unless you live in a cave in some remote third world country and I bet even then there's a whole slew of other problems just as bad associated with it.
We are at fault - and accountability HAS to come back into style.
Oh my God.
I'm so sorry!
I'm sure that it's hardly a consolation, but I want you to know that I recognize our part in starting it and I am deeply, deeply sorry - utterly horrified and for the first time in as long as I can remember, ashamed.
I don't feel one bit bad, but I bet you're not surprised lol.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your sense of responsiblity, but you're the best parent I know. If anything, you're an example of sacrificing your own pleasures and goals to raise great children. If everyone WAS LIKE YOU the world wouldn't HAVE a problem.
On a personal note, I kept my kids home with me for the first ten years to develope their personalities. I raised 2 anarcists who question everything and 'fight the man' on a daily basis. I cancelled tv in my house becuase I thought it would make them idiots. I don't give my kids bullshit-stock answers based on ridiculous moralities, and I know you don't either. Anything stupid mine do will be on thier shoulder's, not society's as far as I'm concerned. I cut everyone else's kids a lot of slack, but mine, none, because I lecture and point out daily things one should and never should do.
But we both feel the same that way too! lol
I rather like the world now. As a society our violence rates and levels are at an all-time low and our civility and expecations of ourselves are at an all-time high.
Will you write more about this? I'm not sure what you are saying exactly? Why are you so dissapointed with the world and how it behaves? I need examples!
And I love you. You always care. You're the best person I ever knew - and you're still the best person I know, hands-down.
If I'm the best person you know, you need to get out and make more friends!
ReplyDeletelaughs
I love you - and that was a very, very nice thing to say and I appreciate it.
This post was in response to the things I wrote about yesterday. The news was killing me. Once you read those, it will make a little more sense to you. Those are the examples that you're looking for.
My fault. I should have made the reference when I wrote this. I was just on one big long devastation fest yesterday.
Then I went for the trifecta and watched a series about human trafficking. You know, just to top off my night.
Harrowing.
okay a few things popped into my head when I read this.
ReplyDeleteBad things have always happened, we are now more aware of them because of the media sources becoming so intertwined with our lives. ( i-reporters, text msgs, twitter, Facebook) It is so easy to get the word out what ever it is..."The internet did not make us more stupid it just allows more fo us to see how stupid you are" not you , you. the hypothetical you that got blogged, shared , twitted about.
You may be sorry but what did YOU do??? You raised your kids right and proper. Are you to blame for the rest of our generation????
If you had such an impact on the generation imagine where we would be! or if in fact you did, where would WE be if you were a lemming like the rest of us?????
I think that the media is to blame, they glorify so much and de-sensitize us. Vidoe games take the reality of harsh actions and make them into bonuses and things to brag about. Were is the global responsibility in that when the youths of the world loose the ability to discern between what is acceptable behavior in the real world and what is mandated as necessary to suceed in the gamer world.
furthermore we are a nation that longs for others to suffer so we feel better about ourselves!
ReplyDeletewe rubberneck - not out of concern but some primal need to see them suffer and therby raise ourselves above them.
We watch "American Idol" and "So you think you can Dance" not so much to see who will win but who will fail. That is why they have the special episodes with all the rejects for Idol. We long to see the screwups.
Good News doesn't sell and that is why you don't see it on TV or in "print".... unless of course it comes after weeks of "sellable news" about someone missing or down a well or some other crap.
Wow...YOU are not responsible for these heinous crimes - you are a good parent, no matter what anyone else in our generation does...
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