My 17 year old son goes to school all day then busts his backside working as a dishwasher most nights. He wants to work to pay for gas for his car and save money. And, oh yeah, he’s a honor roll student, top 10% of his class.
Most of his friends are of the same ilk. It’s not all doom and gloom out there with regards to young people.
Of course the government will take most of their hard-earned money...but that’s another subject.
;)
I think that's a big factor:
When you're not given any incentive to work, and indeed your effort is irrelevant to success, it tends to dampen your drive. That is certainly the case where we are, with respect to government: the bailouts, government choosing winners and losers, means that your actual work doesn't matter.
In fact, you could make a fairly strong case that male attributes are denigrated, that 'maleness' is almost defacto 'guilt' [of some sort] in our society. I mean, have you tried to rectify one contraconstitutional law locally (I have, multiple states) — the desire for logical consistency in the law makes you "seem unstable", or "a troublemaker", or "nuisance" who wants to rock the boat… it's also great that you're not allowed to challenge the law's legitimacy w/o violating it [and thus forcing you to the weak position of the accused].
“My 17 year old son goes to school all day then busts his backside working as a dishwasher most nights. He wants to work to pay for gas for his car and save money. And, oh yeah, he’s a honor roll student, top 10% of his class.”
Hmmm...The more things change, the more they don’t change. In my early teens I delivered papers...learned the ins and outs of ‘owning’ a business...fantastic experience! And btw, we delivered a morning and an evening edition of the paper...meant getting up very early and delivering papers before going to school every morning...and then doing it again after school! In high school, I mowed lawns in the summer...I had a clientele that kept me busy six days a week. I had that clientele because I ‘advertised’ with flyers I printed myself on a ‘toy’ printing press and distributed those flyers door to door.
After school I had a job shipping packages for a small company that repaired small appliances. It was a short walk from my high school and I was there every afternoon for several hours.
I also had a job dishwashing in a school cafeteria. Low pay, but the experience was very rewarding.
And btw, with all that to keep me busy after school and during the summer, I finished in the top 4% of my class.
When did all that happen? 55 - 60 years ago. Have I been successful in my life? YES! Am I rich? YES! Perhaps not by this world’s standards. I am, however, rich with a lifetime of EVENTFUL experiences in situations that have been experienced around the world.
Would I do it all again in today’s climate? Yes! And I would be a resounding success!
One thing I have never done in any particular job...I have never asked for a raise or a promotion. Have they come? Yes! And was my employer rewarded? Many times over.
I believe these opportunities are open to kids today...if they are encouraged and allowed by parents.
Am I proud? Yes! I am proud of the country that allowed me and encouraged me to do all that. The kids who do it today do it without some of that kind of encouragement. This country today does not want kids to be ‘successful’. The gov’t education system works hard to dumb down our children/grandchildren/great grandchildren. The gov’t systems today are evil. So the kids today who do it are exemplary! Hats off to ‘em!
That is the other side of the coin. These types are exactly what the govt. is encouraging. These are “youngsters who cannot write, research or think analytically.” If you can’t research, you can’t discover the truth. If you can’t think analytically, you can’t logically determine the truth. All these things lead to brainwashed citizens who are too stupid to make decisions for themselves. Citizens too stupid to care for themselves need a nanny. The state will be that nanny and will take everything from you in order to do that job for everyone whether they want or need a nanny or not.
Your son and his friends will be paying for those needs to be met. In fact, the govt. would rather have more needy citizens. The more needy citizens, the more votes they can count on receiving. So they will make sure your son and friends find it so hard to make it on their own, logic will tell them it would be better to stop struggling to do it.
This is the world that is being created for our children. They are intentionally being fattened up, softened up, and dumbed down. They are lambs for the slaughter.