[Carlos O.]

Why do older people seem to not like teens nowadays? Why is it that they have a bad opinion about them at all times? It seems that teens and older people never get along.

User Detail :  

Name : Carlos O., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Catholic, Age : 20, City : Porterville, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Phil-S]

I’m 65, so I suppose I qualify as being part of the older generation. I like young people as much as I do older people, provided they are thoughtful of those around them. And the same provision holds for older people. If a person my age sits next to me at a traffic light with a sound system that jars my ears, then I ‘don’t like them.’ I consider behavior, not age, in deciding how I will respond to a person.

User Detail :  

Name : Phil-S, Gender : M, Race : Unknown race (don't know who my great grandfather, Age : 65, City : Panama City, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Retired, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[David]

I think it’s a real shock to a parent when the child who has deified them in the past changes and now looks upon them with amusement, hate and loathing. So begins the years’-long battle until the kids are gone. This is a learning experience for both parties that neither has prepared for. To be lied to, ignored and embarrassed by your teen children naturally gets carried over into how one sees all teens. Adults still see themselves in their mind’s eye as young. I feel young, think young, I AM young. I know how young is supposed to be enjoyed. So, why can’t these other young people control themselves? One of the most remarkable and irritating acts is when a teen wakes up on their 18th birthday and has suddenly absorbed massive amounts of wisdom and knowledge from their pillow overnight, and refuses any suggestions or ideas or someone else’s take on the realities of the world – yet they still require regular infusions of cash. As you can tell, I still need closure on some things. My kids are all grown, and I finally learned to treat them like people, and they now listen to me – if I present my opinion in a non-threatening manner. This type of behavior takes years to learn. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, and they have made me cry with happiness, pride, anger and frustration.

Now that some time has passed, I no longer growl when I see a teen. I believe that in a perfect world, kids should grow up in a multi-generational home, and the grandparents should raise the young, as they are the only ones who have enough wisdom and patience. Of course, for this to start, some unlucky generation would have to raise two sets of kids.

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Name : David, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : spiritual, Age : 49, City : Battle Creek, State : MI, Country : United States, Occupation : factory, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Vincent B.]

I’ve been asking the same question since I was 18, and that was almost 9 years ago. I can’t offer you an answer, just an opinion. I believe too many senior citizens think my generation (and that of my 18-year-old cousin) owes them blind respect because of what some of them did or went through more than half a century ago. Killing other people in a war doesn’t garner respect in my world, but that’s another issue for another time. Secondly, the Great Depression – and World War II, for that matter – happened WAY before my generation came into being. I can only show respect for deeds done in my lifetime. Those seniors I do respect are those who make an effort to communicate with teens and young adults, not lecture them condescendingly about how their problems are of little significance compared to ‘my day.’ I’m of the philosophy that respect is earned on BOTH sides of the generational divide. That is, just as my generation has to do what we need to in order to earn respect, so do the older generations (e.g. not pressuring Congress to sacrifice financial aid funding, with the sole motive being the protection of their own programs, as I believe happened to me in 1995 when my application for a scholarship was rejected due to budget cuts; or not believing every young person to be the enemy of ‘decent’ society because they don’t dress according to your criteria or listen to your type of music)

User Detail :  

Name : Vincent B., Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 27, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[Sara]

I’m curious about why you say you can respect only deeds done in your lifetime. Even though I haven’t directly experienced some things that happened in the past, I know I’ve benefitted from those past deeds. I’m thinking of people who were in the Freedom Marches for Civil Rights and risked their lives to integrate schools, etc.

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Name : Sara, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 36, City : Indianapolis, State : IN, Country : United States, Occupation : Manager, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Stacey]

At 27 I don’t exactly qualify as the type of older person I think you are refering to, but I feel that I am qualified to answer. I spent six years working on a college campus after graduating from that same college. I noticed a marked difference in the overall quality of people who were going through the school. To give you a very real example, as a student I worked in an office that managed many offices staffed by students. After graduating, I worked in that same office. As the years went by, there was a very marked difference in the work ethic. There was a decline in how reliable the students were and how responsible they proved themselves to be. The actual number (not percentage) of ‘good eggs’ dropped remarkably, despite the number of hired students increasing. This bothers me and lends to my ‘bad opinion’ of teens.

Further, there is definitely a different attitude among teens/young adults than 10 years ago, when I was one. I was no peach myself, but seeing the amount of rebellion and disregard for others that is so prevalent throughout this age group is shocking. There are plenty of teens I have a good opinion of, but the majority of these teens have been raised by parents who follow Biblical principles. I know a lot of generations say things about the ones following them, like ‘we were never like that.’ I guess each generation has its own negative image, but it seems that with each passing year the negatives become larger than the positives. If I were to add 40 years to my age, I imagine I would be horrified by what I see teenagers doing, from acting like their own parents to smoking at the age of 14.

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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[justagirl]

Something my 84 y/o grandfather mentioned to me recently was a perceived lack of respect for the elderly among younger persons. If an older person takes the time to say hello, for example, we should greet them as well. It’s the least we can do, and we may be the only person they get to talk to today. Heck, if we’re feeling really generous, we should offer to carry their groceries to their car. Remember, they are someone’s mother or father, brother, sister or friend. It is the lack of common courtesy among a growing number of people that, in my perception, is widening not only the generation gap, but the bond between humans in general. Another possibility is that at present, older persons generally don’t identify with having a computer, mp3 player, etc., and may feel that they have nothing to talk about with younger persons. We need to remind them that we still know how to play checkers and dominos! Lastly, they might be afraid, having seen coverage of crimes against the elderly on the news. My grandmother was once consumed with the thought that an accused rapist she saw on the news, having just escaped from a local penitentiary, would come to her house. She worried incessantly until he was caught, and during that time she avoided contact with almost everyone due to her fear. I guess the bottom line is that to truly know what’s bothering someone, you have to ask them, as there are many possibilities. Try taking a store-bought coffee cake to the person you are trying to connect with, and ask if they’d like to sit and talk with you on their front porch (they’ll feel safer than if you ask to come in). Tell them you need help with one of life’s many questions. Hopefully they will lend you an ear and a word of advice as you lend them a shoulder to lean on. Best of luck to you Carlos, may you be blessed.

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Name : justagirl, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 33, City : okc, State : OK, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Emily]

I am a young woman and I have noticed that older people, including my grandmother are rude to younger people. I believe it is because they think we are just young and haven’t experienced much. That may be, but aren’t we taught to not judge anyone?! They were also young once. I worked at a nursing home and I believe that elders should be respected if they give respect. They can’t just walk all over people because they are fighting gravity. We’ll all be there one day.

User Detail :  

Name : Emily, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 22, City : Huron, State : SD, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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