[Mr. Jeeves]

We're BORN with a fierce independent streak in our genomes.

Clearly not. It was a quality honed on the playing fields and the battlefields - but in the Age of the Participation Trophy it has become very scarce.

[knarf]

becoming indicates it was there in the first place.

I'll stick with my comment, but add;

I figure about four generations of kids that have never developed critical thinking skills and are now adults with kids of their own.