The Future of the United States

I have had a lot of thoughts on my mind, so expect a lot of posts.

I started thinking yesterday about the youth of America and Kristy and I had a great conversation about it. We both babysit and have seen "the future" first hand. We watch kids who receive whatever they want whenever they want because their workaholic parents feel guilty for leaving them at daycare 10 hours a day.

Wait, this is a very scary picture. I think we can see the beginnings of this generation even in people our age, which is scary, because then how much worse does it get when they have children?

I know people who will take responsibility for none of their actions and blame others instead. I know those who are out of touch with reality. For example, one kid (a Techie), was complaining to me about Georgia Tech the other day. I guess hindsight is 20/20, because all in all I think I've enjoyed my experience here, and it was by no means easy or fun at times. I told him he needed perspective. For example, every citizen of the city of New Orleans has lost something, whether it is possesions or family members. There are those scattered throughout Alabama and Mississippi in the same circumstances. This kid lived his whole life in an affluent neighborhood in the richest country in the world and has the chance to do whatever he wants in life. I told him he could've been someone else born somewhere else, and I used women in Darfur as an example.

This out of touch with reality kid had the nerve to say "at least they don't have to go to college."
How shocking is that (I figure maybe he has no idea where Darfur is or that it's even a place, which is an issue I'll get to momentarily).

This same kid also said it was perfectly acceptable for the U.S. to mistreat prisoners "because they are terrorists and they deserve it and so if they have to give a blow job it's not nearly as bad as what they do to us."

What sort of upbringing leads those our age to have such un-informed opinions? Oh wait, I know... they're more interested in reality shows than reading. The news they do watch is full of coverage of the Michael Jackson trial or Britney Spear's pregnancy.

But more than that I feel there is a feeling of entitlement. Does someone who lives affluently in a country like this one inevitably become this way? Or is there a way to remain humble and appreciative of everything around you, to know that you have to work hard in life and that it will be a bumpy ride, and that the world does not center around them or the United States?

Don't get me wrong. These several people are, in my opinion, the exception here at Tech. I think most people we know understand that there is hard work involved in success. It's not longer about the brains, we know we're smart, you had to be to get here in the first place. Now it's about work and motivation, and I think the majority of our peers exhibit these qualities.

However, what if this out of touch population continues to grow?