Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

chicagotribune.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 211 posts

Re: Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

#21

Post by hkmurakami »

cpr wrote: post #8
goodroot wrote: post #4

It's disturbing that, at least in Chicago, there appears to systemic conditioning that's convinced people sex is dangerous and scary. > Among teenagers now, "there is a feeling you're getting of, 'Wow, the world is pretty serious, so why would I rush to immerse myself. . .Why don't I stay with my friends and away from anything that has heavy consequences, like pregnancy or sexually-transmitted diseases?'" Sex is joyf…

Yes, sex can be joyful. But sex is not a play toy, even if you're an atheist. The physiology of sex creates very strong bonding, and arbitrarily creating and then breaking those bonds is usually quite damaging to the human psyche.

I recently read Welcome to Your Brain, and the authors describe the neurochemical basis of those bond formations well, for those who might be interested.

Re: Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

#22

Post by MarkPNeyer »

secfirstmd wrote: post #17
eighthnate wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every previous generation thinks the current generation is coddled. When I was a kid, I had to walk through 10 miles of snow to get to school. "Snow day"? Schools are creating sissies I tell ya.

Back in my day, my Mum used to listen to the internet on our house phone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

Re: Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

#23

Post by tomcam »

SandersAK wrote: post #6
vparikh wrote: post #3

Because todays kids are coddled and have a 'safety net' of being able to stay home and not join 'adulthood'. I mean when I was a teen ager - my parents couldn't afford to support me. I had no way of staying home and riding it out. If I wanted anything in my late teens (car, fuel, guitar, computer, books, money for dates - etc.) I had to come up with the money for it - my parents provided shelter, food, clothing and a…

Every 10 years someone posts this. The message it sends is this "I don't actually take time to understand the unique situation of being a kid in today's economy and culture. I do not acknowledge that the experience is rapidly changing. I am uncomfortable with this new world and would rather put the blame on kids being 'coddled' without any data to suggest this than confront my own lack of understanding."

I don't see where you addressed the substance of the parent post--was your own post truncated?

Re: Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

#24

Post by yorwba »

vparikh wrote: post #3

Because todays kids are coddled and have a 'safety net' of being able to stay home and not join 'adulthood'. I mean when I was a teen ager - my parents couldn't afford to support me. I had no way of staying home and riding it out. If I wanted anything in my late teens (car, fuel, guitar, computer, books, money for dates - etc.) I had to come up with the money for it - my parents provided shelter, food, clothing and a…

Your explanation for fewer teens (but still the majority) learning to drive, dating, having sex or drinking is that they can easily afford everything on their parent's money? That strikes me as strangely backwards.

If your parents provided you with a car, wouldn't you be more likely to learn to drive? If your parents gave you a generous allowance, wouldn't you have more dates, buy more drinks and as a result be more likely to have sex, rather than less?

Personally, the reason I didn't have those classic "growing up" experiences is that I mostly don't think they will or should be part of my adult life. I don't expect to need to drive, I don't want to get drunk and I'm not interested in meaningless hookups. How most adults today grew up has little bearing on the way I want to live.

Re: Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

#25

Post by smileysteve »

bredren wrote: post #7
vparikh wrote: post #3

Because todays kids are coddled and have a 'safety net' of being able to stay home and not join 'adulthood'. I mean when I was a teen ager - my parents couldn't afford to support me. I had no way of staying home and riding it out. If I wanted anything in my late teens (car, fuel, guitar, computer, books, money for dates - etc.) I had to come up with the money for it - my parents provided shelter, food, clothing and a…

> The starting point is so much more comfortable for all of these kids. I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I mean, do we want life to be uncomfortable for young people? It wasn't just your situation with your parents. A lot of adults today grew up with Joe Camel and cartoon ads like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yHsoW6CTjM There was no anti-bullying education. Actually, bullying was basically okay when I was i…

> I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I mean, do we want life to be uncomfortable for young people?

Yes. The result of rubber playgrounds is surprisingly more serious injuries.

Re: Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

#26

Post by analog31 »

vparikh wrote: post #3

Because todays kids are coddled and have a 'safety net' of being able to stay home and not join 'adulthood'. I mean when I was a teen ager - my parents couldn't afford to support me. I had no way of staying home and riding it out. If I wanted anything in my late teens (car, fuel, guitar, computer, books, money for dates - etc.) I had to come up with the money for it - my parents provided shelter, food, clothing and a…

Oddly enough, the most successful people have always provided their kids with an extensive safety net, but for kids in the middle class and below, I suspect that the safety net is withering. Student debt might be one measure to look at -- there might be others.

Re: Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

#27

Post by chewz »

goodroot wrote: post #4

It's disturbing that, at least in Chicago, there appears to systemic conditioning that's convinced people sex is dangerous and scary. > Among teenagers now, "there is a feeling you're getting of, 'Wow, the world is pretty serious, so why would I rush to immerse myself. . .Why don't I stay with my friends and away from anything that has heavy consequences, like pregnancy or sexually-transmitted diseases?'" Sex is joyf…

I disagree.

Sex puts you through a lot of suffering (disappointment, self-doubt, rejection, bad life decisions etc.) and simply is a great waste of resources (time, money, energy etc.) and in modern times even more so cause it isn't usually leading to procreation or long-term bonding.

Yes sex is nice but it has a heavy price.

Re: Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

#29

Post by mbroncano »

smileysteve wrote: post #25
bredren wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The starting point is so much more comfortable for all of these kids. I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I mean, do we want life to be uncomfortable for young people? It wasn't just your situation with your parents. A lot of adults today grew up with Joe Camel and cartoon ads like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yHsoW6CTjM There was no anti-bullying education. Actually, bullying was basically okay when I was i…

> I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I mean, do we want life to be uncomfortable for young people? Yes. The result of rubber playgrounds is surprisingly more serious injuries.

That's surprising indeed, citations?

Re: Why are today's teens putting off driving, dating and drinking?

#30

Post by zappo2938 »

goodroot wrote: post #4

It's disturbing that, at least in Chicago, there appears to systemic conditioning that's convinced people sex is dangerous and scary. > Among teenagers now, "there is a feeling you're getting of, 'Wow, the world is pretty serious, so why would I rush to immerse myself. . .Why don't I stay with my friends and away from anything that has heavy consequences, like pregnancy or sexually-transmitted diseases?'" Sex is joyf…

If Tinder was good at creating matches they would go out of business. It is rigged. It is designed to create emotional dependency and sell in app purchases which is does so well it is the highest grossing app in the Apple app store.
Post reply on HN