Opinions on youth
For Spanish class I have to write an essay on the differences between youth today and their parents. I'm a little stuck on what to write, does anybody have any interesting ideas, views or opinions?
Illy ~
7 Answers
I just finished reading a book entitled "Young People Ask" put out by a religious organization. The questions discuss the problems of modern youth,
(the effect/dangers of the internet, too much texting, cell phones, TV, etc.), but the main questions are timeless. How to deal with parents, peer pressure, self-image, sex, bullying, alcohol, drugs, violence, etc. Naturally, since this book was published by a religious organization many of the answers had Biblical references, but the fact that advice from ancient times could even be slightly relevant shows how timeless these problems facing youth are. The appearance of modern problems may change, but at their root they are basically the same.
When I was a youth we worried about The Bomb. Today it's Destruction of our Environment. There will always be societal concerns, personal concerns, etc. The shape may be different, but the core essence is the same. The world your parents faced isn't that different than yours. They faced polio, you face HIV. One generation faces a World War, one nuclear holocaust, one Global Warming and a disappearing ozone layer. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Ok here is some stuff. The youth today are all self centered and they take life for granted. They all have Iphones and Wii's and expensive stuff yet they don't know the meaning of a dollar. I am 35 and I walked to school and I couldn't afford a sony discman much less expect my parents to buy one. Tonight I was working the floor and this 4 your old kid had an Ipod touch, and then this 12 year old girl was talking on her Iphone and I wondered why today's youth gets sheltered and coddled. It isn't candied apples when you grow up, you get dropped on your bottom and hope you can crawl up. If your lucky your pay your own way through college and maybe score a job as a janitor (your degree will be worthless whatever it is). Kids. It seems like today's parents coddling them so much is a simple form of abuse because they aren't learning how to be self sufficient, they will think that they deserve a living. I believe that life will get harder, and they just won't be prepared for the sudden onset of this harsh world. Gracias.
I don't think the kids today are much different from their parents. I would say the differences are more a result of society and technology. For example, do you think the parents were visiting websites such as this one asking and answering questions of complete strangers on the other side of the world back when they were children? Probably not unless they are very young. Hopefully this gives you some ideas to think about.
You could write about the influence of technology on youth. The prevalence of the internet and sites (such as spanishdict) which make it easier to learn and share information.
I have actually had people sitting at dinner in a restaurant avidly texting away and, later, call me every name in the book because I picked up and left. I did leave more than my share for my untouched meal..but I am careful who I join for dinner. Everyone seems to want to be someplace else or with someone else.
I was recently in an internet cafe and the "kids" were texting each other - even the kid sitting next to them !!
Soon they won't even be able to talk let alone interpret body language and facial expressions.
Some of them were of course "killing all the bad guys" with AK47s.
Status symbols have changed over the years too - Who really needs a phone that takes pictures - plays radio stations - plays music - Can even be converted to function as an X-ray machine ?????????
Kids do !!! or they feel "left out"
Technology is the big one. As gfreed points out there are more things in common than not.
Being an oldie, the thing I see as the biggest difference is the way young people are in constant, to me, obsessive, communication with each other. From my standpoint it looks as if everyone is somehow more isolated while at the same time exchanging electronic messages.
I had lunch in a pub the other day and noticed two separate groups of young people exchanging desultory remarks while always checking their phones. Not too good for the art of conversation I thought.
Still, when I was a kid the adults used to worry about the bad effect television was having and thought a phone call should be as brief as possible. 
Here's an idea, quote some of the answers you get here throughout the essay showing you have researched the topic.
