THE GENERATION GAP

Who isn’t aware of the generational gap between parent and child? There are many areas where we don’t connect and there is no meeting of the minds. How many of us have uttered the phrase about our own children: “I don’t understand them”? A generational gap occurs between age groups from cultural changes as one generation grows to adulthood. In our ever-changing world the younger generation adapts and grows at the same rate as the changes that are occurring in their environment. The older generation is more set in their ways, and the learning curve is slower, hence the gap where minds meet. As children change from impressionable youngsters to emerging teens or young adults, their own opinions begin to shape who they are. Once again the differences become apparent. I know for a fact that my teenager has a lot more freedom than I had at the same age. My parents were stricter on my curfews and outings than I am on my own children. I, as a parent will naturally try to use the same values that I grew up with, only to fall short sometimes as times have changed, but MY attitudes haven’t.

Take for example the 1940’s where the youth were not allowed to mingle freely. Gents were allowed to “court” ladies in supervised or chaperoned situations. As the years went by, the attitudes of our culture changed. Young people of today date without supervision, without parental interference and their choice and frequency of partners is not questioned. The phrase “The Generation Gap” was coined in the 1960’s. The late 1960’s was a pivotal time in history where attitudes changed. Due to the hippy era, the younger generations’ use of experimental drugs and their opposition to the Vietnam War, took its toll on the older generation. The old school attitude of obeying the Government’s wishes to support the war was made apparent in the youth who opposed the war with a passion. Here, too came the phrase “Make Love Not War”.

The years marched by and the 1970’s and the 1980’s produced the Generation Xer’s. Children of this era were, yet again different to the eras before. Their parents brought them up with less supervision. This was because economics forced both parents to work leaving children to go home alone after school. These kids became known as the first “Latch key kids”. Without parental supervision these children grew up to be more independent.

The 1990’s and 2000’s have so far proved to be the era of most radical change. Sexual behavior, political differences between generations, constantly updating technology, has all contributed to a totally different way of life. If I am Generation X, then that makes my children Generation Y. As information has become more available via instant access of the internet, so have attitudes loosened up. I am far more open with my children than my parents were with me. Why? If I don’t pave the way with parental talks then my children can take to the internet and learn on their own. I would rather I be the one to apply my version of ethics and values on sex education than they learn from a sterile computer screen. Knowledge of today has a way of opening previously closed doors. Communication needs to be initiated by the parent at an earlier age than previous generations. This is to prepare these children to the ways of the world. Children have to be more street smart in order to survive the technical world they live in. I would rather give my children knowledge in person about the child predators living in our towns, than have something bad happen. I would rather educate my children about their sexuality than one of them is injured by their innocence. It is sad that today’s children have to grow up so soon, but it is a matter of survival.

We as a generation of children had so much more freedom. Freedom to roam our neighborhoods without fear. Freedom to just be children and enjoy playing outdoors in the sunshine. Today’s generation of youngsters get bored if they don’t have the latest electronic gadgets to keep them busy. Computers, video games which are constantly updated, internet accessible cell phones, all these weren’t available to us as children. We grew up at a slower, more natural rate. How sad is it that childhood innocence has been lost to technology?

The bottom line is that this generation has evolved with the technical times. The generation gap can be significantly small, or insurmountably large. Technology has made our children grow up too fast; we need to keep up in order to bridge that gap. My generation has to reboot itself, adjust our way of thinking so we can aid in the preparation of our children’s future. Cultural standards have changed. We need to keep up with the times in order to keep those lines of communication open with our children. Let’s bridge that Generation Gap and build a better future.

I love the image and words of the joke I posted below. This was sent to me via email, so there is no source to quote from. It says it all so eloquently, with a little bleeped out word to emphasize the main point!

REALITY TV SHOWS

After our class discussion on TV shows, good and bad, it got me thinking about a related issue. Reality TV Shows. I will admit to the fact that I am totally against the majority of them. I feel like TV entertainment has gone too far. American culture has let its morals slip. The question most often on my mind is how did we degenerate to such low standards? I am horrified beyond words at the loose morals and backstabbing that is shown by the characters in some of these shows. What kind of impression does this give viewers outside our borders? Not a very good one in my opinion.

These characters know cameras are on them 24/7. Is it all just a bid to become famous? This has allowed such bad behavior to let the so-called “stars” of these shows become the media attention grabbers they are. Ask any actor with real talent how much they loathe these “stars”. These people become famous for being famous, with no talent at all to show for it. Look at the likes of Paris Hilton, Tila Tequila (really… is that even a real name?), and my least favorite, Snooki, The Situation and the other equally lame cast members of Jersey Shore. I am actually proud to say I have NEVER even watched a single episode of that junk they call entertainment! Despite my best efforts to avoid watching such drivel, I still know who the cast members are. Because of the media attention they get, these slovenly characters have been forced into my world. I don’t want my children growing up thinking this sort of behavior is entertainment. Drunkenness, debauchery and partying are what the cast of Jersey Shore are famous for. How do I know this? I already admitted to not watching them on principal, but their most famous, eye catching and newsworthy antics are recorded for posterity. These are broadcast on the internet channels, and documented in magazines, which I do watch and read.

       
Two lines in the song “1985” sung by Bowling for Soup, struck a chord with me. The lyrics talk about Ozzy Osbourne who is famed for his heavy metal band “Black Sabbath”. The lines go something like this: “When did reality become TV? And when did Ozzy become an actor?” I too would like to know when Ozzy became an actor! Does fame mean so much to him that he pimped out his family for the sake of the reality show “The Osbournes“? Why could he not stay with what he’s most famous for, singing in a well known and highly successful band?

Video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K38xNqZvBJI

The Amazing Race and Survivor are other shows I started watching. That was until I discovered the ugly backstabbing that goes on between contestants. It just put me off. There are more disappointments I can add to my ever growing list: Fear Factor (not just the gross factor but the competitiveness seems to bring out the worst in people), The Bachelor (why would a woman with any self respect let herself be pitted against conniving rivals?), my list could go on.  

The reason why I am so set against these types of shows is engrained forever in far recesses of my mind. I would prefer to keep it there, but will bring it out for the sake of my blog. Many years ago, (the details have been blocked out due to the trauma I suffered); I watched a reality TV show. The setup portrayed a house full of young people living together. They showed the usual bad behavior of getting drunk, sleeping around and generally behaving like they never would in front of their parents. Cut to a night shot of one of the cast members being so drunk they were unaware of what they were doing. It all boiled down to this person defecating on the lawn, in full view of the camera. Of course, to get the FULL entertainment value, the shot was replayed over and over! It was enough to put me off Reality TV shows for the rest of my life. I do not EVER wish my children to see that sort of behavior, let alone act out that way and think it’s acceptable.

That in itself is the reason why I am so against the degeneration of standards and the way today’s reality shows have turned out. How can we be proud of a nation that allows such shocking behavior to become the norm, all for the sake of entertainment? Personally I prefer to look at the morality and the context of the show before I commit to watching it. There are far better shows out there for me to watch, ones that don’t offend my sensibilities. I will stick to watching gentler subjects portrayed, like those in Secret Millionaire, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and even the touching “Teach” starring Tony Danza.

The Wikipedia definition of this subject explains it all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded.^[1] The genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television, began in earnest as a television formula in the 1990s, and exploded as a global phenomenon around 1999-2000, via series such as Big Brother and Survivor.^[1] Programs in the reality television genre are commonly called reality shows and often are produced in series. Documentaries and nonfictional programming such as news and sports shows are usually not classified as reality shows.

The genre covers a wide range of programming formats, from game or quiz shows which resemble the frantic, often demeaning shows produced in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s (such as Gaki no tsukai), to surveillance- or voyeurism-focused productions such as Big Brother.^[1]

Reality television frequently portrays a modified and highly influenced form of reality, utilizing sensationalism to attract viewers and so to generate advertising profits.^[2][3][4] Participants are often placed in exotic locations or abnormal situations,^[1] and are sometimes coached to act in specific scripted ways by off-screen "story editors" or "segment producers," with the portrayal of events and speech manipulated and contrived to create an illusion of reality through editing and other post-production techniques.^[2][3][4]