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sticky fingers's avatar

Response from a young American:

I am not jaded. I love this county. They, my peers, are not jaded either - they are uneducated. This is not their fault. Their educators have failed them. And I don't just mean their teachers in school.

Why have older generations failed to impart to so many of my compatriots these values that used to be considered American? Why have they failed to impart a love of this country?

Why don't they ask themselves this? Why do they tell my peers they know nothing, and then do nothing to change that but wag fingers?

They are jaded because they are ignorant of the things of which they should be proud. They are ignorant not for any particular lack of intelligence or interest, but simply because smartphones have stolen their lives entirely. This is not an exaggeration. They are spending upwards of twelve hours a day on these devices. If it were anything else it would be seen as a terrifying addiction.

And no, they are not "learning digitally." They are watching youtube, and it's not anything educational. You'd think this would be common knowledge by now, but apparently not.

I will tell you what to do for a start:

1) No smartphones of any kind for any minors in your care. Period. Done, no argument. If you won't take this first step for any minors in your care, you are failing in your duty of care. Failing, I would say, grossly, pathetically, and disgustingly.

2) No smartphones in school. None. They must be kept in lockers, and must be actively confiscated if seen. If your kid's school does not adhere to this policy, home school.

Learning & fun evaporate when a smartphone enters the room. It only takes one - then everyone is worried about being recorded saying something "cringe" or getting a question wrong and looking dumb. Your children are terrified of making mistakes - you say this all the time. This is why. And you've probably contributed by recording them playing sports, recording them playing music, and whipping out your phone whenever they did a "funny kid thing."

99.9% of you won't take these steps, because your kid would complain, and you aren't willing to do the hard part of being a parent. And you're probably on your phone too! If you took your kid's away, then you'd actually have to put yours down. And you won't! So there we are.

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K. F.'s avatar

Thanks for this - I needed it. You address and express far better than I could so many of the points that I've been stewing over lately while seeing the 'behavior' (marches, protests) and 'opinions' (social media 'stuff') of the younger generations. Too many I know (even some older people) are so far into the leftist self-hatred mindset that I often despair...and I'm glad that I'm older and will probably be dead before the younger people gain enough power in this country only to willfully demolish all the 'good' about this country to 'pay for the sins' of the 'bad' instead of making the US better for all. And I used to consider myself to the 'left of center.' But today's 'left' has left me far behind in it's rush to insanity.

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