Sir Ed is dead ( Kia Kaha)
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3BlackCrows
Corporal
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- 83
As a member of the so called ''ungrateful, spoiled lot'' fraternity, please allow me to address your complaints.
If we are ungrateful, it is because we have been taught what ungrateful is.
If we are selfish, it is because we have learnt from the generation before us.
If we are greedy, it is because the generation before us has shown us what greed is.
And if we are violent, it is because we see it as a normal part of life all around us, be it war or sport.
Never forget that a childs mind is an empty vessel - it knows not what greed, selfishness, violence, racism, or hatred is. Everything is taught by the first people we look up to - our parents and adults.
We are churned through an atiquated 200 year old education system that stifles creativity, oppresses freedom of thought and looks down on critical thinking. It's main purpose is to mold chidren into conformity so that they become good drones for society.
We are taught revisionist history from the point of view of the stronger side (race) who has been the dominant force in the world.
As an example we are taught that Hitler and Nazi Germany were the expression of ultimate evil in the world and are bombarded with the atrocities commited by his regime yet our educators fail to mention the conditions set forth by the Treaty of Versailles that allowed this tradgedy to develop.
We are also not told of the appeasement accorded to Hitler or the fact that a well respected publication (Time magazine) gave him the great honour of man of the year. Also left out was the fact that many Anglo Saxon companies (including one with the descendant of the current President of the U.S. as a controlling interest) were helping this regime by supplying materials to make the tanks and weapons that would ultimately be used to kill their fellow citizens. This was happening even during the course of the war.
The whole truth is not taught regarding the likes of Castro, Noriega, Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden - only that they are evil men who need(ed) to be destroyed.
We look around and find that the generations before us have still not learnt throughout the entire history of the world to solve disputes without the use of violence or war.
We find that the generations before us have been slowly destroying earth, polluting mother nature to it's very core yet are still in denial about whether it is happeningand dragging their asses to do something about it.
We see half the worlds population starving and dying of preventable disease while so called ''civilised'' nations around the world throw away more food than is needed to feed the entire world every single day and use money that could be used to help the world, instead be used to build up their arsenal of armaments whose sole design is to wreak havoc and destroy lives.
We are taught that might is right, that you must win at all cost, thus creating a world of winners and losers along with the psychological and self esteem problems associated with being a member of the losing team.
Our so called heroes are paid millions of dollars a year for their skills with a piece of pig skin filled with air, a puck, a boat, a fuzzy green ball etc... while the real heroes have to strike and picket for a measly scrap of a pay rise or fight hard for a donation.
A good looking, yet very immature and spoilt Princess that lived in the lap of luxury gets front page headlines, tribute concerts and anniversaries for when she died yet a little old woman who gave up everything to live a penniless life helping people more unfortunate than her in the slums of Calcutta gets barely a mention and is all but forgotten.
We watch adults taking great delight at watching 2 grown men beating the crap out of each other, cheering at a crunching tackle that renders a body limp and lifeless and egging on a brawl at an Ice Hockey game then watch as these same adults sit back and lament about all the violence in the world.
Who are the real heroes again?
The real truth seekers among us may find out that the world is manipulated by a select few wealthy bankers that create mechanisms for huge boom and bust cycles that rape ordinary citizens of the world of their hard earned money, leaving them destitute yet growing these same bankers wealth by a factor of 10 everytime this happens.
Despite what some people think, young people are not stupid and nothing at all is lost on us. It's a pity that innocence is confused with stupidity and is seen as a weakness that must be stamped out at all costs.
So in the end, what do we do?
We take to the streets with youthful exuberance, just like the previous generation with the Vietnam War. We protest against destructive, pointless wars, we burn flags and we cry out for a change to the inequalities we see, yet we are beaten into submission.
"Ungrateful'' we are called. ''Selfish little punks'' - ''After all we've done for them?!?!?''
Finally as we get older we see that nothing looks like changing so the old adage of ''If you can't beat them, join them'' comes into play, just like the previous generation.
Yes we become just like you - selfish, greedy, and violent.
And the cycle continues throughout the generations - the sins if the father are visited upon the son.
So yes I guess you could call me ungrateful - ungrateful for the mess that the past generation has left me to inherit. But never forget that that ungratefulness is tinged with anger at the previous generation for bringing me into this mess then looking down on me for reacting to it.
And it is quite hard trying to step up when you are so overwhelmed at the state of the planet and society and the multitude of problems we have been left to solve.
Afterall I'm just trying to survive.
My suggestion is that before any one of us berates anyone who is younger or different to ourselves we stop for a minute, have a think and turn to the nearest mirror and take a long, hard look.
As an aside, Sir Edmund Hillary was a true heroe to me. Not only did he conquer the impossible, but he touched the lives of many and truly helped their lot in life. There are many heroes in this world - they just don't get press coverage, and why should they?
What could be more important than Brittany Spears latest momentary lapse of reason or Lindsay Lohans latest stint in rehab?
If we are ungrateful, it is because we have been taught what ungrateful is.
If we are selfish, it is because we have learnt from the generation before us.
If we are greedy, it is because the generation before us has shown us what greed is.
And if we are violent, it is because we see it as a normal part of life all around us, be it war or sport.
Never forget that a childs mind is an empty vessel - it knows not what greed, selfishness, violence, racism, or hatred is. Everything is taught by the first people we look up to - our parents and adults.
We are churned through an atiquated 200 year old education system that stifles creativity, oppresses freedom of thought and looks down on critical thinking. It's main purpose is to mold chidren into conformity so that they become good drones for society.
We are taught revisionist history from the point of view of the stronger side (race) who has been the dominant force in the world.
As an example we are taught that Hitler and Nazi Germany were the expression of ultimate evil in the world and are bombarded with the atrocities commited by his regime yet our educators fail to mention the conditions set forth by the Treaty of Versailles that allowed this tradgedy to develop.
We are also not told of the appeasement accorded to Hitler or the fact that a well respected publication (Time magazine) gave him the great honour of man of the year. Also left out was the fact that many Anglo Saxon companies (including one with the descendant of the current President of the U.S. as a controlling interest) were helping this regime by supplying materials to make the tanks and weapons that would ultimately be used to kill their fellow citizens. This was happening even during the course of the war.
The whole truth is not taught regarding the likes of Castro, Noriega, Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden - only that they are evil men who need(ed) to be destroyed.
We look around and find that the generations before us have still not learnt throughout the entire history of the world to solve disputes without the use of violence or war.
We find that the generations before us have been slowly destroying earth, polluting mother nature to it's very core yet are still in denial about whether it is happeningand dragging their asses to do something about it.
We see half the worlds population starving and dying of preventable disease while so called ''civilised'' nations around the world throw away more food than is needed to feed the entire world every single day and use money that could be used to help the world, instead be used to build up their arsenal of armaments whose sole design is to wreak havoc and destroy lives.
We are taught that might is right, that you must win at all cost, thus creating a world of winners and losers along with the psychological and self esteem problems associated with being a member of the losing team.
Our so called heroes are paid millions of dollars a year for their skills with a piece of pig skin filled with air, a puck, a boat, a fuzzy green ball etc... while the real heroes have to strike and picket for a measly scrap of a pay rise or fight hard for a donation.
A good looking, yet very immature and spoilt Princess that lived in the lap of luxury gets front page headlines, tribute concerts and anniversaries for when she died yet a little old woman who gave up everything to live a penniless life helping people more unfortunate than her in the slums of Calcutta gets barely a mention and is all but forgotten.
We watch adults taking great delight at watching 2 grown men beating the crap out of each other, cheering at a crunching tackle that renders a body limp and lifeless and egging on a brawl at an Ice Hockey game then watch as these same adults sit back and lament about all the violence in the world.
Who are the real heroes again?
The real truth seekers among us may find out that the world is manipulated by a select few wealthy bankers that create mechanisms for huge boom and bust cycles that rape ordinary citizens of the world of their hard earned money, leaving them destitute yet growing these same bankers wealth by a factor of 10 everytime this happens.
Despite what some people think, young people are not stupid and nothing at all is lost on us. It's a pity that innocence is confused with stupidity and is seen as a weakness that must be stamped out at all costs.
So in the end, what do we do?
We take to the streets with youthful exuberance, just like the previous generation with the Vietnam War. We protest against destructive, pointless wars, we burn flags and we cry out for a change to the inequalities we see, yet we are beaten into submission.
"Ungrateful'' we are called. ''Selfish little punks'' - ''After all we've done for them?!?!?''
Finally as we get older we see that nothing looks like changing so the old adage of ''If you can't beat them, join them'' comes into play, just like the previous generation.
Yes we become just like you - selfish, greedy, and violent.
And the cycle continues throughout the generations - the sins if the father are visited upon the son.
So yes I guess you could call me ungrateful - ungrateful for the mess that the past generation has left me to inherit. But never forget that that ungratefulness is tinged with anger at the previous generation for bringing me into this mess then looking down on me for reacting to it.
And it is quite hard trying to step up when you are so overwhelmed at the state of the planet and society and the multitude of problems we have been left to solve.
Afterall I'm just trying to survive.
My suggestion is that before any one of us berates anyone who is younger or different to ourselves we stop for a minute, have a think and turn to the nearest mirror and take a long, hard look.
As an aside, Sir Edmund Hillary was a true heroe to me. Not only did he conquer the impossible, but he touched the lives of many and truly helped their lot in life. There are many heroes in this world - they just don't get press coverage, and why should they?
What could be more important than Brittany Spears latest momentary lapse of reason or Lindsay Lohans latest stint in rehab?
Last edited:
Pharaoh
Brigadier General
- Messages
- 20,307
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.
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.
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