Don't hold back. Tell us how you
really feel.
Actually, I have to agree with most of what 3BlackCrows says. I would like to register a minor point of dissent about a certain spoiled princess. At least she did try to use some of her fame for worthy causes, so I can't rate her nearly as badly as a lot of the famous people who are always in the news.
Historically, each generation considers the one after it to up a bunch of disrespectful upstarts (somewhere, I even recall a quote from an ancient Greek philosopher complaining about his younger students).
Unfortunately, in this case, I think there are some real problems with Western culture. I found out far too much about how one terrible school in Florida was being run (and wonder how many more are like it). The educational philosophies that everyone is special, only use positive feedback, rig the grades to prevent failure, avoid punishment (even when students break the law), and group everyone together since everyone is equal are all having horrific consequences. The fastest learners are bored out of their skulls. The slowest learners don't get enough help. Curriculum has to be targeted towards the low side of average. Thus, American education is more and more pushing for uniform mediocrity, and the standard even for this is slipping downward.
This isn't just a simple generation gap. Our society has dumped heroes like Sir Edmund and the Apollo astronauts and instead created a cult of celebrity. It doesn't take much effort to imagine the evening newscast starting out with "India and Pakistan have fired nuclear missiles at each other. We'll have the fallout maps so you can see if you need to take shelter or not. But first, the latest news about Britney Spears, followed by an update on OJ's current legal troubles."
Before we go and blame the younger generation for acting as they do, we need to look at who taught them these attitudes. Yes, kids rebel against their parents, but when the parents are ready to sue the school system when their "little darling" gets a C (and really earned an F minus) on a report card, it takes some pretty extreme actions to rebel against that. How can we blame them for having "heroes" like drug addled athletes and celebrities when even the most reputable news shows spend more time showcasing Paris Hilton's latest idiocy than any worthwhile achievements by anyone else.
Yes, the next generation (and the ones after that) worry me deeply. But the blame does not rest solely with the monsters. The majority of the blame rests with their creators.