Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

[superjames1992]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

High Schools and parent discipline are main problems IMO. I am in high school and it's pretty bad. You've got kids cursing out their teachers, kids beating up teachers, ect. Talk about sex, drugs, drinking all the time...

Parents don't discipline kids anymore either. I see it all the time. Luckily, my parents brought me up right. They've been strict, gave me the appropriate "beatings" when needed and it has worked. I haven't needed to be grounded in the past few years since I got a basis when I was younger.

The public school system sucks, parents don't "parent", the media glorifies sex, drugs, ect., among other things. That's the root of the problem IMO.

[pk500]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

I don't see a difference between the media and society. Society runs the media. The media isn't a machine, it's generated by what people (society) pays to see and human beings (society) realize this and thus give it to them. I hate when people say society is down because of media. Media is society. Society is media.

Good point, now more than ever. The rapid rise of blogs, YouTube and other user-generated content over the last two years is having the same effect on "traditional media" -- newspapers and TV -- that cable TV had on the "big three" networks about 20 years ago.

Much like cable gave people entertainment options, social and user-generated media are providing alternative -- and sometimes better -- sources of news for the public. User-generated media usually isn't subject to the whims of the corporate world, so sometimes it has more honesty, more purity.

But user-generated media also isn't subject to the same journalistic ethics and accuracy as mainstream media, so it must be considered with caution. Still, with American traditional media sinking into a totally profit-motivated era reeking of partisan yellow journalism, the gap of accuracy and quality between traditional media and user-generated media narrows by the day.

Take hockey, for example. I adore, worship and revere the sport, follow it religiously. But the mainstream American sports media has deemed that hockey isn't an important sport anymore, so its coverage has dwindled. Bloggers and podcasts have filled that void for me, and their information is more accurate, interpretive, analytical and entertaining than the coverage that I can get at almost any mainstream newspaper or sports network Web site, including the overrated ESPN.

This is a very interesting thread, fellas. Very well considered, clear posts.

Take care,
PK

[MachoMyers]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

I just finished my student teaching placement yesterday and while there are some differences btw the US and Canada I see where you guys are coming from.

The biggest obstacle teachers in Ontario have is failing students. It is very easy for students to appeal a failure - getting parents/admin to oversee every assignment the student handed in and recalculate whether the student really "failed" that assignment. That and the intense amount of paper work that goes with failing a student creates a rift with the school admin and discourages teachers from failing students, even if they don't deserve to pass.

Thus we end up sending unprepared students off to College where they are destined to fail - or go through the same process and get away with passing grades despite not having a clue of whats going on.

I remain encouraged to teach though, there are challenges and difficulties in dealing with youth, but then again I was in the same position only a few years ago and I had teachers that cared and helped make a difference in my life. If they can do it...

[jim416]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

for an underfunded K-12 education

I have to disagree here. Education gets enough money. They ought to disband the Dept. of Education in Washington and just go local, but that aside.

Have to agree with the personal responsiblity. There are a lot of other things that bug me, but we seem to becoming our own worst enemy in this country. And our kids loosing their innocence and "growing up" (yeah, right) WAY too fast.

And ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. That kind of thinking, not just about your country, but life in general, would certainly help.

[Skyboxer]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

The more we(the government and the country in general) force God out of every day life the worse things will get. That's my belief anyways.

[jim416]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

Skyboxer, gotta agree there.

[Scottdau]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

I think it is what it is. There are so many things to blame, but when it all comes down to it you have to take responsibility for your action. I tell my kids that all the time at J. Hall.

[Beantown]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

The more we(the government and the country in general) force God out of every day life the worse things will get. That's my belief anyways.

I know we can't really get into it to much but...

I personally don't pray or believe every day, and my life is perfectly fine...same with my family...so I have to completely disagree with this. There are much more pressing problems than forcing God out of every day life. Personally, I think separating religion from life is a better way to go about it than forcing it in. That's just me, though, and like I said we can't really get into it too much.

[bucksfan07]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

The more we(the government and the country in general) force God out of every day life the worse things will get. That's my belief anyways.

same here

[elicoleman]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

Every problem that Zeke described in his original post can be cured by one concept: Personal responsibility.

The problem isn't the media. The problem isn't society.

The problem IS that no one wants to take responsibility for their actions anymore. America has become a society of professional victims -- it's never MY fault.

Can't find a job? It's the rich guy's fault. Kids don't behave? It's the school's fault. Overweight? It's the media's fault for pushing fast food. Kids succumbing to predators on the Net? It's the Internet's fault. Violent tendencies are infesting our kids? It's TV and video games' fault. Up to your neck in credit card debt? It's the credit card companies' fault for pushing all of these low-interest cards in my face.

Excuses, excuses, excuses. It's all bullsh*t. It's about time that most Americans pull out paper towels and Windex and clean their bathroom mirrors so they can get a clear look at the root cause of most of their problems -- themselves.

Can't find a job? Work harder to find one. Get an education that will allow you to get a better one. Kids don't behave? Then work harder at teaching your kids the right way to live and enforcing discipline. It also would help if fathers stuck around after parenting children, too. Overweight? Then exercise and eat healthy. Kids succumbing to predators on the Net? Then restrict and monitor their Internet usage. Afraid your kids are learning violence through TV and video games? Then turn off the tube and the Xbox 360. Up to your neck in credit card debt? Then don't use a credit card or only use it to pay for purchases that you can pay off IN FULL at the end of each month.

It's not rocket science. It's called hard work, something for which that many Americans have lost their appetite. It's also called personal responsibility, something to which many Americans have become as allergic to as cat hair mixed with pollen.

If you put in the disciplined, responsible work, then results will come. If you don't, then don't b*tch about the lousy consequences.

I'm far from perfect, and I'm not trying to preach from an ivory tower here. But the answer to the problems that plague America is so simple -- it's called hard work and personal responsibility. I struggle with it at times -- who doesn't? -- but I firmly believe it's a struggle worth fighting more than any other.

Merry Christmas, fellas.

Take care,
PK

PK, that was ****ing brilliant. Seriously.

Brilliant. ****ing. Post.

[elicoleman]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

The more we(the government and the country in general) force God out of every day life the worse things will get. That's my belief anyways.

Not going to talk about it cause of TOS, but I absolutely agree with you.

[Acid]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

I know we can't really get into it to much but...

I personally don't pray or believe every day, and my life is perfectly fine...same with my family...so I have to completely disagree with this. There are much more pressing problems than forcing God out of every day life. Personally, I think separating religion from life is a better way to go about it than forcing it in. That's just me, though, and like I said we can't really get into it too much.

Same here.

[elicoleman]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

I know we can't really get into it to much but...

I personally don't pray or believe every day, and my life is perfectly fine...same with my family...so I have to completely disagree with this. There are much more pressing problems than forcing God out of every day life. Personally, I think separating religion from life is a better way to go about it than forcing it in. That's just me, though, and like I said we can't really get into it too much.

I don't think anyone is asking for religion to be forced in, except for the extremists that make Christians look bad. I believe in God, but if you don't then that's your personal choice. I think that's what faith is all about anyways. A personal thing.

I just think a child growing up should be able to have the same opportunity to hear about something like Creationism to counter Evolution. Things like that. Not forcing either side but simply being educated.

I don't see anything wrong with that.

[bucksfan07]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

I don't think anyone is asking for religion to be forced in, except for the extremists that make Christians look bad. I believe in God, but if you don't then that's your personal choice. I think that's what faith is all about anyways. A personal thing.

I just think a child growing up should be able to have the same opportunity to hear about something like Creationism to counter Evolution. Things like that. Not forcing either side but simply being educated.

I don't see anything wrong with that.

agreed, they could at least teach both sides

[DXZeke]

Re: Media, Kids, Parents, Society - What's Gone Wrong?

This is a very interesting thread, fellas. Very well considered, clear posts.

Take care,
PK

I was hoping that some well thought posts either way would make their way in here. I wish that more public conversations would be done on national news. That way people might actually see that there have been some changes over the years.

This thread appears to be represented by the people in their 40's-50's, 20's to 30's, and a few HS guys. We need to listen more to the HS kids since they are the ones living these topics day to day. Compare all of what they have now to what we had then... at some point MORE becomes excess. Excess typically isn't a good thing.

NOT EVERYONE is a bad person.

I hope that people understand that I'm saying that. A selfish self centered person isn't nessecarily a bad person... it's what the selfishness causes them to do. if it's whine and complain, so be it, but if causes that person to do hurtful and bad things to others than I really feel that's not a good person.

Thankfully people can change.

High Schools and parent discipline are main problems IMO. I am in high school and it's pretty bad. You've got kids cursing out their teachers, kids beating up teachers, ect. Talk about sex, drugs, drinking all the time...

Parents don't discipline kids anymore either. I see it all the time. Luckily, my parents brought me up right. They've been strict, gave me the appropriate "beatings" when needed and it has worked. I haven't needed to be grounded in the past few years since I got a basis when I was younger.

The public school system sucks, parents don't "parent", the media glorifies sex, drugs, ect., among other things. That's the root of the problem IMO.

I used to see some kids cussing out teachers and a few that got into a fight with a couple of them. That was 3 out of 800 kids.

Now it's becoming more than just a few, it's becomming groups of them. Eventually groups take over.

Talking about sex and partying. It's always been there, but instead of a handul now it's large groups. Lots of pressure is on these teen kids to grow up faster than they need too.