Young people tune out older standards

SAN DIEGO (UPI) -- A California psychologist says young people have become increasingly indifferent to the impression they make on others.

Jean Twenge, the author of "Generation Me," teaches at San Diego State University. She gathered data from surveys taken between 1958 and 2001 by more than 40,000 youngsters. They featured questions aimed at whether the respondents always said "please" and "thank you" or were careful to dress appropriately.

Twenge says that 76 percent of children aged 8 to 12 in 1999 were indifferent to social approval, up from 57 percent in 1970. Among those who were already in college in 2001, who are now young adults, 62 percent were indifferent, up from 56 percent in 1970.

Other psychologists and people who work with youngsters told USA Today that their experience matches Twenge's data. Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and sociologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, blamed the increased use of cell phones and similar devices.

"They're tuned out in some ways to the social graces around them and the people in their lives, in their physical realm, and tuned in to the people they're with virtually," she said.

I think this is a totally misleading article. We have all these young people saying "I dont care what society thinks of me" yet now more than ever we've got a society filled with so many people who want to shut up others because they can't TOLERATE anyone else's view that might be opposed to theirs. Sure, they may not care what we think, but they certainly want to make it illegal for us to say so, because it might hurt their feelings, self-esteem, whatever.

The office manager told me that "we have so many cancellations during summer, so many people on vacation who just forget, you know."

I said, "So if I make my appointments in March and September, I won't have to confirm? I can just trust that my making an appointment actually made me an appointment?"

She wouldn't go that far.

It is not just under 30's. I was upset with my son for wearing his skateboard shoes to his 8th grade graduation (I neglected to look down on our way out the door!). I was embarrassed because I knew my parents would be there. However, some of the teachers who were present, and there were a few over 40, were wearing flip-flops and denim capris. The principal wore khaki shorts, and the superintendent chewed on a wad of gum the entire time.

Also, last summer on vacation, I politely asked my son to remove his baseball cap in a fairly upscale restaurant. He didn't want to because of "hat hair." I quickly scanned the room to judge the atmosphere. Across from us set a man of around 50 with a big sweatband across his head - I told my son not to worry about his cap. I probably should have made him anyway in retrospect.

...there would be some hope of saving this current generation...

There is hope, though. I am priveleged to work at a high school. At the graduation last week, they read the colleges that kids were going to, some JC's and a university or two, and the kids cheered as their college was called out, but the largest amount of noise from the graduates came at the mention of serving in the armed forces. Maybe this is not a typical experience in a public school setting, but it is gratifying to know that some of these kids actually care about this country.

"Otherwise, everything else is classical."

Well, to a point for me. I'm currently listening to Robert Palmer, but that's OK...'cuz he's passed on, and that man had A LOT of excellent music left in him, that's for sure. Earlier in the evening I was listening to "The Hollies" but they're probably all dead of old age by now, LOL! (I just realized I was also listening to Eva Cassidy, who has ALSO passed away. I'm not trying to be morbid on purpose, LOL!)

Do you have Claude Bolling's "Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano" in you collection? I actually discovered that music while reading a "Travis McGee" novel by John D. MacDonald.

And if you're of the same mindset as me, you only need to start at "The Deep Blue Good-by" and you'll be hooked. I mean Mr. MacDonald also wrote all sorts of TV cr@p in his later years, but his Travis McGee novels will stand the test of time. And Travis is a total conservative and quite Libertarian for the times. I'm half in love with him. There! I finally said it out loud, LOL!

There's something about old/classical music and Noir/PI Fiction that just fit, you know? :)

* The Deep Blue Good-by (1964)
* Nightmare in Pink (1964)
* A Purple Place for Dying (1964)
* Quick Red Fox (1964)
* A Deadly Shade of Gold (1965)
* Bright Orange for the Shroud (1965)
* Darker than Amber (1966)
* One Fearful Yellow Eye (1967)
* Pale Gray for Guilt (1968)
* The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper (1969)
* Dress Her in Indigo (1969)
* The Long Lavender Look (1970)
* A Tan and Sandy Silence (1972)
* The Scarlet Ruse (1973)
* The Turquoise Lament (1974)
* The Dreadful Lemon Sky (1975)
* The Empty Copper Sea
* The Green Ripper (1980)
* Free Fall in Crimson (1981)
* Cinnamon Skin (1982)
* The Lonely Silver Rain (1985)

Enjoy! :)

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