Americans getting softer? What’s your opinion?

[2LaneCruzer]

Economics, plus politics, do play a big role. My Grandfather was a farmer; farmed with horses most of his life. My Dad grew up on the farm, but went to college long enough to get a teaching certificate. He tried teaching, but said he was starving, so he went to work in a rock quarry, loading rocks on trucks by hand. He ended up as a construction Superintendent, and did OK.
I was fortunate enough to get through college and law school, but I worked days, nights weekends and holidays, doing everything from checking groceries to painting houses and laying sewer pipe. My oldest Grand kids all have college degrees, but they got a free ride from Mom and Dad...college dorm, books and tuition all paid. Their thinking and attitude are good, though; they are all professionals and work their behinds off.
But...didn't we work hard so our kids and grand kids didn't have to?

 

[SouthernSky]

It's not obvious to me.

Come on guys..... lets have no debbie downers here. America, and its youth, have not gotten softer. We have gotten more "colorful." (When you live in bolivia as long as i have you dont get crazy, you get colorful)

And we have gotten nicer (its nice to be nice to the nice.)

And we are learning that we need to (be nice.......until its time not to be nice.)

First one to tell me the 3 movies/shows the lines in the parentheses come from, wins a cookie!

I’m guessing on the first one.. Sundance Kid?
MASH
Roadhouse

 

[jjp8182]

But...didn't we work hard so our kids and grand kids didn't have to?

Don't disagree with that sentiment, but not having to and not being capable/willing to are very different things - and the latter can quickly become a personal survival concern if/when a major natural disaster occurs (as some have been learning the hard way in the last decade).

Hurricanes, multi-tornado outbreaks, large scale wildfires, ice storms -- all things that make having certain skills along with the will and presence of mind to use them rather important. Particularly if/when given "help" might be days (or weeks) in arriving in some cases. The number of people I've met who don't even know how to cook themselves a meal ....or even keep food (beyond store-bought snacks) in their homes.

In some of those cases even when access and power have been restored, the price and availability of hiring work out can be unaffordable if it's even obtainable.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Don't disagree with that sentiment, but not having to and not being capable/willing to are very different things - and the latter can quickly become a personal survival concern if/when a major natural disaster occurs (as some have been learning the hard way in the last decade).

Hurricanes, multi-tornado outbreaks, large scale wildfires, ice storms -- all things that make having certain skills along with the will and presence of mind to use them rather important. Particularly if/when given "help" might be days (or weeks) in arriving in some cases. The number of people I've met who don't even know how to cook themselves a meal ....or even keep food (beyond store-bought snacks) in their homes.

In some of those cases even when access and power have been restored, the price and availability of hiring work out can be unaffordable if it's even obtainable.

We tried to bring our kids to reality; they were both required to get part time jobs going to high school, mainly for the experience, but also to let them earn their own spending money. When college time came, they weren't babes in the woods, but were world wise and fairly independent.

 

[Doughknob]

I’m guessing on the first one.. Sundance Kid?
MASH
Roadhouse

BINGO!@@!!!!! (strother Martin's character in Butch Casidy $..... Frank Burns..... Patrick Sayze)

 

[Molalla1]

Interesting to me on ”conquering” is in the many history classes I took, I learned all about Spaniards, Italians, Portuguese, Greek, Roman, etc. conquerors, but almost nothing about the Moors and the conquering they did. I had no idea of the vast territories they conquered….
Why are the Moors largely left out of the ”conquering“ parts of history?

Probably because they were dark and people did not want you to know that they (the Moors) had conquered most of Europe and that is why you have some dark Italians and others . . .

 

[Oaktree]

Hurricanes, multi-tornado outbreaks, large scale wildfires, ice storms -- all things that make having certain skills along with the will and presence of mind to use them rather important. Particularly if/when given "help" might be days (or weeks) in arriving in some cases. The number of people I've met who don't even know how to cook themselves a meal ....or even keep food (beyond store-bought snacks) in their homes.

But there have always been those who were helpless, lazy or just didn't want to be bothered. I knew a lot of them growing up.
Many of us on TBN grew up in the country where you had to have a certain amount of self-sufficiency just to survive, whether we liked it or not but even when I was a kid we used to laugh at "city kids" who "didn't know anything". A lot more people today come from city/suburbia than 60 years ago.

As far as cooking goes, my father would have fallen in that category as would a lot of men of his generation, probably didn't have a clue how to operate a washing machine either. For them that was "womens' work", and most men back then never had any need to learn how...they went from living with their parents to getting married (with maybe a stop in the service in between.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Economics, plus politics, do play a big role. My Grandfather was a farmer; farmed with horses most of his life. My Dad grew up on the farm, but went to college long enough to get a teaching certificate. He tried teaching, but said he was starving, so he went to work in a rock quarry, loading rocks on trucks by hand. He ended up as a construction Superintendent, and did OK.
I was fortunate enough to get through college and law school, but I worked days, nights weekends and holidays, doing everything from checking groceries to painting houses and laying sewer pipe. My oldest Grand kids all have college degrees, but they got a free ride from Mom and Dad...college dorm, books and tuition all paid. Their thinking and attitude are good, though; they are all professionals and work their behinds off.
But...didn't we work hard so our kids and grand kids didn't have to?

my dad and i worked hard....to make a good example, to teach them to work hard

not so much so they didn't have to.

 

[Thomas]

No question about it we have gotten softer also taken things for granted,and I shall not ramble on and on.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

No question about it we have gotten softer also taken things for granted,and I shall not ramble on and on.

I remember reading an article many years ago, written by a military officer concerning the ability of the American soldier during WWII. The gist was basically this: The American soldier, those from rural areas in particular, was far more skilled in general than those of other nations. They were resourceful; they could improvise and adapt machinery; they could make most everything work and could repair and maintain their equipment in the field.

I know my Dad was like that; he could fix a water well or a caterpillar dozer; he could make those old finickey cars run; I even saw him put rings in my brother's bug eyed Sprite.