Snowflake Generation.

I became triggered just reading the title of this thread. Must find happy place...

I think in general this is a great generation of young people.

They seem to have more mature attitudes to alcohol consumption, their health and social issues, than my generation had.

I don't think they're as prone to doing stupid shyte like fighting, drinking to excess and teenage pregnancies.

They get a hard rap because they didn't experience Ireland when we weren't as affluent as we are today.

Personally, I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want provided it doesn't harm others.

As for the whole snowflake safe spaces, trigger warnings stuff. I think that it's rare in a real world scenario, social media is a great platform for this to be pushed to the forefront and blown out of proportion.

One thing I do take exception to is the idea of banning those who have controversial or opposing views from speaking publicly. This is a very dangerous precedent and if you don't agree with someone you should be fit to debate their points, not just silence them. I believe that this mentality facilitated the election of Trump as Clinton rarely debates his points and basically just said "I'm better" in an attempt to debunk him.

The current generation of young twentysomethings seem to be less inclined to go on the lash than I did at that age. It may have something to do with the fact that a lot of them would have been relatively well off in early childhood only to see the crash in full swing in early adolescence. How many of them went from a financially stable home to one where one or both parents lost their jobs in the space of a few years? That can leave a lasting impression.

I grew up in the north during the 80's/90's, we had very little to begin with so when I went to university it was a big sesh with some work, I didn't know what it was like to have a financially stable home.

Honestly, I think this generation have a lot of pressure on them. Between the rise of right wing movements, a financial system that is becoming increasingly instable, environmental issues that just seem to be constantly getting out of hand, automation of jobs and the increase in sabre rattling by the largest nations.

I guess you could argue this was the same in the 80's with the cold war, the financial crash, Thatcher etc but maybe with being connected by the internet it all seems a bit more daunting as you can see so many more people sharing your viewpoint.

"Youngsters are so weak these days" said every generation ever. And when it's pointed out that every generation ever has said that..."Yeah, but this is different."

dont bother wrote: »

but it's correct....
this generation (snowflakes) ARE having it easy.
the reason they wont go to get a job is because they think they're above doing the work - eg: they wont work in spar shop, or they wont do this or that...

then they claim "there is no jobs" and "you have to go through 5 stages of interview for these jobs"....

they have been raised on a diet of TV, internet and social media which has brainwashed them into believing (not just "thinking") they deserve, but BELIEVING they are OWED these high powered positions just because they were sent to college by mammy and daddy etc.

they think too much of themselves, and that in turn is the reason why they act like they are offended by everything...
they are mentally deluded into believing that they are literally BETTER than everyone else... so of course it would stand to THEIR reason that "everyone else is lower" and therefore their lower standard of opinion offends me and my DELICATE palate for information.

Oh dear, so much bitterness, so much nonsense.

tomwaterford wrote:

It had nothing to do with that this generation for the first ever will be poorer on average than their parents (i wont tbf)

tomwaterford wrote:

(Surly a sign capitalism has peaked/beginning to fail??)

You could be right here

tomwaterford wrote:

The older generations just got greedy and fcuked all the youngers over to pay their pensions/greed

greed, it's a complicated one but I do think this is more complicated than we think. We have created extremely complex economic and financial systems that aren't fit for purpose, in which selfish behaviour is almost a must even enforced in order for many to survive, hence the term, 'atomisation' as used by noam chomsky. We better come up with more co-operative systems very quickly or this planet is done

tomwaterford wrote:

....only look at what unions agreed to for the younger teachers-their own members

'Divide and conquer' maybe?

tomwaterford wrote:

I know from talking to my dad and they were unreal poor growing up they could buy admittedly bangers and afford to drive on labouring wages back in the day

Something isn't right, 'debt peonage' comes to mind!

tomwaterford wrote:

It wasnt though....unions shafted their membership as new members made up such a small%

You do make some good points but I think it's a lot more complicated than that, but maybe your right. People are scared, people have been made scared, the last few years have been traumatic for the world, we 've come very close to the abyss, well I think people like yanis varoufakis and David McWilliams are right in saying all we've actually done is, 'extend and pretend' and 'pray and delay'. Be prepared! People think, do and say strange things when they get scared!

looksee wrote: »

Maybe you were not around when there were missiles pointing at the uk, America etc?

very good point, chomsky's story about how close we came to total annihilation during the cold war in which we were all saved by pure luck and the bravery of a single russian soldier, is truly terrifying. but theres a new kind of warfare, some call it 'financial terrorism', be afraid, very very afraid!

Austria! wrote: »

I'm not really aware of figure from Ireland, but globally in the developed world material wealth has increased a lot so young people are better off because we have internet and smartphones and, but house prices are crazy and represent a huge transfer of wealth from the young in particular to the old. Young people growing up now have a much more unequal world to deal with. Also, they're not getting laid anything like previous generations.

i personally believe true wealth is actually 'trickling up' largely due to the activities of the fire sectors(finance, insurance and real estate), and the most common form of money, i.e. debt, is actually 'trickling down', i.e. most of us have a perception of becoming wealthy, largely due to asset prices etc, but in fact all we re doing is accumulating debt. this accumulation of debt is becoming a very serious problem, some advocating for the 'restructuring' of these debts, in order for 'a true recovery' of the real economy. i think they could be right.