Do you think that young people today ?

Question

have as strong a sense of right and wrong as they did, say, fifty years ago?

Answer 1

Being there 50 years ago & being here now I would have to say that the thinking of young people is very different today. Back then, right & wrong were matters of concience & everbody had one of those. Many young people today don't seem to have a conscience. That is, young people seem very wrapped up in their own personal comfort & care very little about how others feel. I notice this in the way I'm treated by most young people who don't know me. They don't know me, therefore they can be rude. In the same way, many young people do things like shoplift for example, because they don't care who will take the fall when product is missing or the register is short. It just wasn't like that 50 years ago. I know young people who cheat at everything; school, sports, work etc.. They have told me often that it's ok to cheat as long as you get away with it.
In all fairness to young people, this same question could have been asked 50 years ago & the answers would probably be the same.
I hope the next 50 take us in a better direction.

Answer 2

I think most kids realize the difference between right & wrong. I just think a lot of them aren't used to having consequences from wrong behavior, so they figure they can get away with more. Parents are afraid to discipline them, and the legal system *usually* doesn't do much to them if they get really bad, because there'd be all this outcry of "but he's just a kid!" Since when did babying a kid ever prepare him for becoming an adult? Adults sure don't get babied.

On the other hand, a lot of things have changed. There's less racism and sexism (ok still some, but not as much as there used to be), and girls can wear jeans whenever they want, and being gay is acceptable in some circles. It's just sad that with all the advantages today's kids have, they often don't appreciate them or live up to their potential.

(Note that I'm not saying ALL the younger generation is this way. I know some pretty mature & respectful teenagers. It's just all the other ones that ruin things for them.)

Answer 3

Yes, they really do. They are far better than we were. Healthier, taller, more tolerant than our grand-parents were. Good for them! They see right through fake nostalgia. I reckon they are way more intelligent than anyone yet born was.

What? Should they sit around and nag whichever of them made most money this year? Impress others with what they would do if they were this year's dictator? Turn a blind eye, buying spirits for the group, sneaking outside to do drugs, making it easy to imitate tolerance and unanimous enthusiasm? Do you really believe that dull agreement equates with dissent? Is this your chance to get back at the schoolyard bullies? Buy a Pit, build a bridge!

Or should they do what they like, damage who they don't know personally, pretend that silence is the best and most cautious policy, apologise afterwards and pay a small fine? Oh! Have I missed something?

Did your generation make a law that they shouldn't copy you?

Or do they live their lives, care for their children, and hold that their values are self-evident? That all people are equal under ... ?

Do you all need some kind of brutal oppositition to justify your teenage choices? Well!

Excuse me, should they make excuses, say "Sorry!" for what they have not done? Or do what they do and grow up under the belief than they are in the best time and place, and deserve no less? Stupid of me - they should copy you and find a scapegoat in case they are blamed for your mistakes. Gee, where would your world have been without summer students?!?

Answer 4

No, most young people today are so much more disrespective than they were 50 years ago. They are rude and obnoxious and horrible....they don't treat other people like they should. Fifty years ago young people actually respected their elders and repected each other. Times are different too because a lot parenting has changed...so that could be why most of the young people today are what they are.

Answer 5

I think that every person has a sense of right and wrong. However, most young people may acknowledge that its there, but at the same time they definitely dont abide by it. In my personal opinion from my being raised ( by the way I'm only 17) that the parents have a great influence as to how they are influenced by their sense of right and wrong.

Answer 6

Absolutely not. I don't believe they have the families in the home to give them that sense like they did 50 years ago either.

Answer 7

Children....well...people these days seem to not care anymore. They say now that rules are ment to be broken, but really they arn't. Also with meth and all mothers/parents arn't teaching their children as they need to be taught. So these days arnt 'the good ol days' like they supposedly used to be, with the so many changes in life. But definatley no.

Answer 8

Oh believe me, they know right from wrong. The problem is that they have learned from adults to make excuses and they don't try to fix mistakes or take responsibility for their actions. They need to be held accountable.

Answer 9

probably so, Its that so much more is socially acceptible today, and more things readily available to get into, and the young people see more adults not following the standards that are asked of them so they are confused even though they know right from wrong...

Answer 10

No.The value system for the young generation is always changing and so is their ability to chose the right from wrong compared to older generations.