Depression Age Generation compared to today's generation?

Question

I am in my late 30's, but I have embraced many of ideas and work ethic of the "Greatest Generation," the people born and raised during the depression. This group laid the foundation of what we cherish today.

Many films, books, and documentaries have recently come out in the last few years showing the determination and resolve of the depression age generation. When I look at this present generation to the mentality of a century ago, I become very depressed. How have we declined so far so fast? Why do we blame others for our own misfortune? What is going to happen to the United States if we continue to decline downward into this lazy, technology dependent, the government owes me mentality instead of truly working for everything that you have or want? THINK ABOUT IT!

Just a few short years ago, a woman sued McDonalds for burning her own tounge on coffee that was too hot and WON THE CASE!!!!!

Answer 1

It sounds as though you were born a generation or so too late:) I admire your stand on the ethics and mentality of a previous era. Yes, life was simpler then, and people worked to accomplish their goals. They were more spiritually and family oriented. What they call progress now leads to more laziness and apathy, not to mention the increase in crime. Even during the Depression of the '30's, people were more optimistic and tried to lead decent lives. Their children were brought up to respect their elders, and they made do with what little they had. As Charles Dickens put it in his immortal "Great Expectations": "It was the best of times and the worst of times...." That meant that even in the midst of poverty and not having jobs, people were still hopeful and had faith. Now everyone takes things and people for granted. It's not a very good world we live in now. However, there is no law that says you have to go along with today's morality. I commend you for looking back and appreciating what our parents and grandparents went though, and the values they tried to promote. That is indeed refreshing and insightful, even on this site where questions and answers for the most part, are truly inane. It's like finding gold dust amid the trash. I wish you a most blessed holiday, and hope you continue your point of view. Your family must feel really lucky to have a mature thinker like yourself! Thanks for writing.

Answer 2

My father died not too long ago and he was 88 years old. Just the generation you speak of, and we used to talk a lot.

Honestly, there's a couple things going on.

On one side, I blame the wonderful job our media is doing, Television, mainly, and also the fact we have way too many trial lawyer laying around with not a lot to do..

There are many more factors to be included in this malaise, but I look at it as an erosion in accountability. And personally, I don't think many people today even understand what "accountability" really means anymore.

In the generation we look upon so highly, there was something called "numbers." Typically, only the poorest of the poor or the most desperate played it. Now the government runs lotteries. And two televsion shows that come to mind, that stupid briefcase thing, and that really dumb millionaire show... What does that tell the kids today? And you put that with reprobates like Paris Hilton and other miscreants that are in the media for no particular reason, and what's the message?

Now, on the other hand

My Dad used to say that his generation was more "coddled" back then. What he meant was that scandals, different behaviours, and all sorts of other unspecified things were kept under the rug, so to speak. If you were gay and in Hollywood back in the 40's or 50's, everything was done to keep that hidden from the public. Now it's a cause for celebration, or coming out party, as it were.

Because of this, I'm not so sure we have declined as fast as things would seem. The populace was just given a considerably more "lilly-white" picture of life back then. Then when things became more real, the general reaction was, "Holy Crap!!!

And as an aside, we also used to talk about what caused the change. He used to think it was the Kennedy Assasination, but I tend to think it was a combination of that, Bobby's Assasination, Nixon, the Viet Nam War, and the Civil Right, and Martin Luther King Jr.

God! I loved the 60's! This is not to say I'm happy about what happened, certainly not! But did we grow up...

Answer 3

I see where you are going with this and to a great extent I agree. But I also think that your comment is very generalised. For example when I look at my friends a people in my peer group, I see a group of people that could rest on their laurels, but instead they are active members of the community. Instead of depending in the government for money during our university years my friends and I are working. We are tired, we are exhausted and we are poor.
I do agree, bearing this in mind when I do see people around my age not doing (and using my tax money to do nothing) I tend to see red!!
Secondly, blaming someone/something else is human nature. There are 60 year old people where i work who point the finger at everyone else except themselves. I think that it is unjust for you to claim that that is something exculsively done by the youth.
Thirdly, I am not sure what it is like in the US but here the youth are blamed for just about everything. It is almost to the point where the youth of Australia are told that they are no-good, from day 1and furthermore that they are criminals. There is so much generalising and so much finger pointing from the older generations that sometimes it is hard to stay poisitive.
THINK ABOUT IT!!!

Answer 4

Todays generation has no idea of what a hard days work means. I'm 45 & have worked hard for what I have. I see kids (teens) every day driveing expencive cars,trucks,crotch-rockets, that I know damn good & well DADDY bought them. They have little or no respect for their "TOYS" or anyone or anything elsefor that matter.This mentality will unfortunately follow them into their adult lives. Why work when I can get someone to hand me what I want. This goes with the sue happy attitude of todays sociaty. I could go on but this is really beginning to depress me.

Answer 5

There are people with the entitlement mentality,but they are usually those who have had everything given to them.Over indulged children,spoiled rotten.Most people work very hard though.I started working when I was 11 babysitting,my mom who was a depression child made me give her room and board every time I made a dime she got half.It thought me how to pay bills first.My children have had to work as well,as soon as they could I made them work.They are very independent now,one is only 21 and is a full time student and waitresses.I am very proud of her,she understands what it means to earn a living.

Answer 6

yes the coffee lawsuit has altered reality forever