Today's kids - really that dumb ?

[ohgood]

I'm going to anchor my place in old-fartdom this morning...


Last night a small group of teenagers knocked on our door at 10:00. Six or seven of them, dressed nicely, pretty girls, decent enough kids. Dumb, but decent. They weren't drunk, holding drinks, and didn't appear to be stoned (although it's hard to tell a difference with some of them now).

Now, here's why I ask if kids are really this dumb:

The house was dark. Completely. Not a single light on. No party in the backyard, no one was at the end of the long driveway with a signal light to park the arriving party goers, since there was no party !

But here they come, ambling up the drive, talking the whole way. As I opened the door, the girls (this part is scary) looked at the threshold and started to walk right in ! The guys were about to follow, and (this is the really really scary part) I believe had I said "Yes, come on in my little lambs !" they would have.

They've never been in this house, never seen me, should not have recognized any of the cars/motorcycles in the drive, absolutely no reason to think this was a safe place to be.

I've read today's kids need re-indoctrinating into the world of verbal communication. Texting, internet, instant messaging, have robbed them of their ability to read a person's body language. I've also noticed they don't catch on to sarcasm, irony, or puns nearly as quickly as 90 year olds.

Are kids really this dumb ?


(sorry kids, some of you are smart as a whip, i'm not bashing -you- )

[lilbill]

In some cases I think that there is an excessive sheltering of children.  This seems to me to be a function of some parents wishing to have their children grow up trouble-free.  I've seen this firsthand in some children around me who I've watched grow up.  I think that naive may be the best word to describe what I've seen.  The kids see no adversity ever and therefore do not realize it exists and cannot deal with it effectively when it does indeed occur.
As you said, this is not a true generalization, but only a glaring trait of some.

[makenzie71]

Drop the first chick with the scissor kick and the rest will be like what the f%$k and run away.

[PuddleJumper]

In some places, children aren't allowed to face adversity or allowed to experience failure.

For example in sports, No one loses and all of the players get trophies.

When you don't face failure or hardship, you don't learn to pay attention and analyze your surroundings. Why should you? There's no penalty for failure.

True failure isn't the falling down part. It's the not getting back up again.

BeSafe
PJ

[grayghost]

want to see em self destruct? find out what fast food/convenience store they work at, go in and purchase say $10.48 worth of whatever, give them $21.00 and stand back and watch the show.
whoa daddy, now that's entertainment.

[gearman]

want to see em self destruct? find out what fast food/convenience store they work at, go in and purchase say $10.48 worth of whatever, give them $21.00 and stand back and watch the show.
whoa daddy, now that's entertainment.

Yeah...but hand them your cell phone and they'll figure out how every function works (including the dozens you weren't even aware of) in about 30 seconds!

[grayghost]

i'll admit it- you're right gearman. high tech they get, but the everyday stuff, i ain't so sure.

[GeeP]

That's great!

I don't think I ever did that kind of crap.  I was too busy working.

[Majorhavoc]

want to see em self destruct? find out what fast food/convenience store they work at, go in and purchase say $10.48 worth of whatever, give them $21.00 and stand back and watch the show.

So true; so true!  Oh, man, I'm still wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes!  I don't care who ya are, that's funny stuff right there!

[GeeP]

If you really want a laugh, buy 1000 units of a product on sale at a discount of $0.02 per unit.  Realize after the kid rings you up that they charged full price and must now calculate the discount and over tax to refund your money.

ROCKET SCIENCE!

[geekonabike]

want to see em self destruct? find out what fast food/convenience store they work at, go in and purchase say $10.48 worth of whatever, give them $21.00 and stand back and watch the show.
whoa daddy, now that's entertainment.

Yeah...but hand them your cell phone and they'll figure out how every function works (including the dozens you weren't even aware of) in about 30 seconds!

http://www.thefump.com/fump.php?id=29

[bombadillo]

its called uncommon sense.

[ke7syv]

DarwinAwards.com is a great place to visit. Check it out. It commemorates the dumbest of them all but only after removing themselves from the gene pool. Good for some laughs. The winners get a darwin award but deaths must abide by rules...See below.

The rules are :
Reproduction
   Out of the gene pool: dead or sterile. (No surviving children)
Excellence
   Astounding misapplication of judgment.
Self-Selection
   Cause one's own demise. (Murder doesn't count)
Maturity
   Capable of sound judgment. (Around 18 or older)
Veracity
   The event must be true.
For Example: (13 January 2008, Florida) A 37-year-old man was killed trying to cross the Manasota Key drawbridge on his motorcycle. Wearing only swim trunks and sneakers, the man was seen racing at high speed towards the gap as the bridge began to open.
Bridge designers had anticipated such lunacy and invented the crossing guard. The closing gates swept him off his Suzuki and over the side of the bridge, into the water and out of the gene pool. By a twist of fate, the motorcycle continued up the ramp and made it across to the other side!