I can't counsel a young man or woman to go to college, more often than not. They'd be far better off learning a trade, be it as an electrician, a plumber, an auto technician, whatever. My generation winked at the cosmetology school bunch, but now, if they are any good, they are going to be more likely to be making money if they pursued their trade than the ones who went to college and got a degree in advanced tiddleywinks. It makes no sense to incur 80-120,000 dollars in debt for a degree to qualify for a job that will pay 30K, or one where the hiring rate is similar to the number of HS basketball players who go on to the NBA. Better to have a lawn mowing/snow removal service and make a living.
Enterprising youth can be mentored, guided around pitfalls, and some of the seemingly slothful (who are only lost, who just can't see how to get from point 'a' to point 'b') can be motivated.
If an older generation wants the younger one to pick up the tab, as many of us have done for the generations which preceded us, we'd best better get our cheeks in gear and make sure the young have the skills to be successful, whether that takes a lawnmower, rake, and weedeater, or a PhD. Not everyone is cut out for college, anyway, and the glut of 4-year degrees in useless nonsense has devalued the hard science, mathematics, and engineering degrees out there.
We were all robbed in the '60s by the two paycheck family concept, which became prevalent enough to drive inflation to the point where few could afford to live on only one paycheck. Suckered, plain and simple.
My family doesn't do "day care". The kids are left with relatives while mom and dad work, and the grandparents, uncles, and aunts have some input into the development of the children in the family. We look out for our own, and frequently, their friends as well.
I'm not sure where America got suckered into thinking of each generation as a distinct and separate entity, except that it damages family continuity where the concept is accepted, and leaves people open to the same scams, generation after generation. Interaction between the (Great) grandparents and the newest group of kids provides the wisdom of the elders on tap for the youngest, and all in between. All benefit. In the end, it is up to all individuals how they handle their own family affairs, but it is foolish to deride those who led the way or who just need some leadership.
That may seem archaic to some, but it works. Besides, human nature stays much the same, only the fixtures and trimmings change.
You’re right about clans. Take it from someone who grew up without an extended family. It’s easier for an “outsider” to see.
Clans will be essential for future survival. They’re the only defense against an all-powerful State.
Excellent point. Thanks. People who want to destroy history and people's ability to learn from it are behind this also.
Yep