Teenagers have no respect or manners for adults anymore

[MissCatholic]

Now i have put this on the political debate board as i think its an issue that could grow and grow with the lack of respect creeping into society. The reason i have mentioned this as i had a situation with a friend of mine yesterday..

So I was parked at the mall and my friend was walking ahead of me with her two oldest boys. As my friend approached the door a young man in a Barnes and Noble smock rushed in front of her and her boys and let himself in the door. and with out a care let the door slam in the children and my friends faces. He literally brushed by one of the boys and opened the door only wide enough to get his body through. He didnt apologise. He just carried on. Now as i struggle at most times to hold my tongue, i approached the guy and i asked him 'why he had no manners' he told me to f-off! This guy was no older than 16 but the lack of respect is growing.

I understand that times are not what they once were but this was rude. This is happening more and more often and i am sure some of our older posters can relate to what i saw with my very eyes.

Later on i was with my friend and we talked about the whole situation and she told me that its parental problem. Children and tennagers no-longer fear their parents. if you hit them they rebel even more. if you are friends with them they will destroy you.

My friend went to see one of her sons teachers the other day and the teacher told her that her son was the only student in class not to have received a yellow apple. Green apples are given when they are good. Yellow apples are given when they are warned. Red Apples are given when "call the parent/let's have a talk about your child's behavior".

My friend asked the teacher why is it acceptable for every child to have a yellow apple in the first two months of school? which the teacher couldnt reply.

[afleitch]

While I tend to agree, as a 21 year old, I know it can also go the other way. I grew up with manners and repect for others, but routinely had people who really should know better believing that because I was young I was 'up to trouble.' Pensioners would skip infront of me in queues, tut when I offered them my seat and generally believe I had little right to any opinion becasue of my age. So yes I agree, but I believe that respect doesn't necessarily come with age either.

[Speed of Sound]

I agree, however I believe that the reason teens lose respect for adults is because adults don't give teens respect. Its as simple as that.

[Max Power]

Hmm.... Well, I always hold the door open for other people. What annoys me is when people don't thank you when you open it for them, and what annoys me even more is when feminist-types call you a male chauvinist for holding the door open for them because they can open it for themselves.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I grew up with manners and repect for others.......

And you didn't learn either on your own.  Those who brought you up apparently did a very good job.  That's the key IMO.

[Peter]

The rudest people I know of are elderly.

To a degree, children mostly only practice what they are taught, and this usually means by adults. Whilst adults are not generally as vulgar (i.e. less cursing), their general tone in dealing with teenagers who have annoyed them can be shocking in the extreme. Is it any wonder that teenagers repeat some of this?

Its not a problem of children no longer respecting adults, its a problem of anybody no longer respecting anybody.

[ilikeverin]

Absolutely, I hate my generation (in general, specific people are quite nice) with the fiery red hot passion of 1,000 suns

Of course, it could be attributed to our teenagerhood->raging hormones, but eh.  I still hate my generation.

[Max Power]

The rudest people I know of are elderly.

I know. A lot of old people I know, every time somebody does something small (such as cut them off), they go on and on about how nobody respects the elderly. Another thing that annoys me is old people who speak their minds in inappropriate situations, such as when an old man says to a woman he doesn't know "You're a good looking woman."

[Keystone Phil]

Teens have lost respect for their elders. I'm not perfect but some of the stuff I hear my friends and others say to their parents or just adults in general warrants a response. Whenever I tell them they're exaggerating it's always my fault for "not understanding." Some would like you to believe their parents are the most horrible people they know. It's ridiculous. Wait until they get into the real world where they'd love to be back with their parents, giving them respect. Wait until they're out in the real world where they'd give anything to have the teacher back who they treated badly.

[Gabu]

I grew up to respect my parents because they respected me, simple as that.  It's not as if teens are given all the love in the world and just arbitrarily decide to give other people crap just because they're evil.  Every rebellious sort of teenager that I've known had an upbringing in which that person's parents demanded respect and were the "because I said so" type of parent.  This obviously is not an excuse for behaving badly, but it certainly is a reason for the behavior.  I have absolutely no reason to believe that the current generation is any less respectful than any other generation; I have a feeling that it's more the case that the only teenage generation that we've actually lived through is our own, and all previous generations have already outgrown that stage.

I don't like disrespectful people, to be sure, but I also don't like people who demand respect in exchange for absolutely nothing, either; these two things tend to go hand in hand.

[TeePee4Prez]

Peter Bell has a point, there is not respect for each other.  Some teenagers think I am a freaking runner for beer and I'll go into an A-Plus and buy you cigarettes or Phillie blunts so you can roll up a joint.  Mind you I drank underage and smoked weed, but I'm also not getting in trouble for a random person.  I know growing up myself I would not randomly ask an adult for beer or smokes.  The best part is these kids think they can walk up a back driveway (another NE Philly thing) and just drink 40s in public.  These idiots should at least know to go to the park or a playground.

I have generally been respectful towards my teachers.  However I have had some college profs that I felt needed a boot up their asses.  I mean to sit there and act like you don't care while I'm paying part of your $100,000 salary is just arrogance. 

[Speed of Sound]

I grew up to respect my parents because they respected me, simple as that.

thats the key.

[TomC]

Generally, I disagree with this. Remember, I am a high school teacher, so I have a pretty good snese of things. Most kids are fine but the really rude ones stand out. Miss Catholic's situation is an example of rudeness, but how many well behaved kids is she passing or interacting with that aren't that way?

Also, there might be a generational gap here. In the past, and to a lesser degree the present, I think it is fair to say adults verbally abused kids. Intimidation was rampant. Today's teens are much more likely to refuse to accept verbal abuse, and possibly throw it back in somebody's face. Now do not get me wrong, I'm not saying kids should get their way or adults should coddle them and be in fear of scarring them emotionally or any of that humanistic crap that I attribute to some baby boomers. It's the difference between assertiveness and agressiveness. Adults should deal with problem teens or I should say teens with problems in an assertive, confident way, not in a way that ridicules. My point is: kids today are more likely to be rude when dealt with in an aggressive way, not as much if dealt with in an assertive way. (Side note: I got called a racist and had a bird shot at me  last week when I told a student, on our volunteer work day, to "take today seriously." Since I singled him out, I was a racist and when he refused to continue our discussion in the hall, I told him to go to the office. He said "I'd rather be there than in here w/ you." He got three days. But the same day, 127 other students were quite respectful.)

But there are many GREAT teens and kids, and to make the generalization that kids are worse today shows disrespect for the ones who are polite and respectful.

[Rin-chan]

I definately agree.  Being in high school, it disgusts me how few manners everyone has.  I make it a point in my life not to be rude or disrespectful or lack manners.

In our highschool, definately...  Some of the kids even make fun of teachers to their faces and make them cry.  It's sad...  Even the kids I was a camp counsuler of were rude and said I was a lesbian, kicked me, pinched me, and completely disobeyed me.  They also disobeyed all of the other counsulers in camp. 

It really makes you wonder what on earth has happened to the world...

Rin-chan

[MaC]

I think Speed of Sound has it dead on-no respect is given either way.  However, there are many counter examples.  Many younger people can be quite pleasant-provided they're given a chance.  However it is partially a teenage mentality-as I used to have that the world is against you.  Hence the teenagers can collectively talk amongst eachother and anyone out of their age range is excluded.

[Dave from Michigan]

lots of adults can be rude too i think it depends on the person.  Anyone else work in a restaurant some people are very rude to the workers

[nclib]

I agree, however I believe that the reason teens lose respect for adults is because adults don't give teens respect. Its as simple as that.

Pretty much my position. I also believe that respect shouldn't just come with age.

[Inverted Things]

I hate old people. Damn it, I pay for their drugs, food, shelter and clothing through social security and medicare, and all they ever do for me is tell me that I need to cut my hair. Assholes!

[MissCatholic]

I am the only democrat that thinks kids have no manners or respect for adults anymore.

[Speed of Sound]

I am the only democrat that thinks kids have no manners or respect for adults anymore.

yes, apparently you are.

[MaC]

I am the only democrat that thinks kids have no manners or respect for adults anymore.

You can't base one expirience with a kid and have it apply to all teenagers. (Composition fallacy)

I have a suspicion though, the kid hates Hillary Clinton, and displaced some anger onto you

[Gabu]

You can't base one expirience with a kid and have it apply to all teenagers. (Composition fallacy)

To be pedantic, this is a hasty generalization fallacy, not a composition fallacy.  A composition fallacy is where you take something that is true or false of all the components of something and then assert that it is also true of the whole when it need not be.

The fallacy of composition isn't really very common, as its "applications", so to speak, are few and far between, and it's usually (though not always) fairly easy to identify as being false.

An example of this is as follows:

"Tanks use a lot more fuel than cars, so improving the fuel efficiency of tanks would improve the problem of scarcity of fuel better than improving the fuel efficiency of cars."

The initial statement is true, but the argument completely misses the point that there are a lot more cars than there are tanks, and commits the fallacy of composition by assuming that, since each individual tank uses more fuel than each individual car, tanks as a whole must use more fuel than cars as a whole.

[AuH2O]

...and men spinning around the earth, and there's not no attention paid to earthly law and order anymore...

[ilikeverin]

I am the only democrat that thinks kids have no manners or respect for adults anymore.

No

[ThadK]

No (D).  It's just the minority of teens who disrespect elders on a daily basis that are highlighted in polls and surveys.

-Thad