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Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)

economist.com

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Re: Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)

#81
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not true that nobody's fucking. The LGBT kids fuck to an extent, as do some of the lower achievers, but even then it's nowhere near as much as I expected. I'm surprised to hear you compliment my writing style. I always thought it was subpar - too many clauses, a slew of unnecessary qualifiers and weasel words, no shortage of kludges for things I can't express very well. I tend to be better at it after I've been…

Just some advice, since you said you're 16. When you get a compliment, I know it's tempting to downplay yourself and seem humble, but a "thank you" is almost more appropriate. Stand by yourself :)

Sometimes I agree: In this case, I read it more as telling us how much he appreciates the compliment because of the fact he generally feels subpar.

I am the same when I speak Norwegian: When I get a compliment, I feel as he does.

Re: Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)

#82
post #27

16-year-old here. My experience is probably markedly different from most teenagers in the US (I'm an immigrant who goes to a competitive school full of other immigrants) but I find that, for the most part, this article hits the nail on the head. High School is nothing like the usual media portrayal - I've never heard anyone even talk about a party, nobody's doing anything stronger than weed, nobody's fucking or even…

I doubt that’s the general experience of high schoolers.

I was in honors and AP programs in high school in the 90s and I’d have described a similar dynamic at my school, until one year my ADHD got the better of me and I failed english and had to go to summer school. It turns out a whole lot of kids in my high school were doing drugs and having parties and having sex. They just aren’t in your classes at your school.

That was the best summer of my high school experience, FWIW.

Re: Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)

#83
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah yes, the second tier of Carnegie Mellon and Cornell. Lol.

Second-tier compared to the world's top universities; that is, Harvard, Stanford, Oxford and their ilk. I've seen posts on this website[0] how some big tech companies almost exclusively skim off the top. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15543371

[deleted]

Re: Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)

#84
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mean "they have seen nothing" or "they have seen things", as in bad (or meaningful or powerful) things?

Guessing the latter. It’s a common expression in uk english, not sure about elsewhere.

Also common in Canada. And that definitely jives with my late 90s teenage years, although nuanced. The kids who had the most shit in their lives seemed to go either way: either they put on their grown up pants too young, or they just gave up, figured out the bare minimum income necessary to live, and smoked pot and played video games all day. It’s anecdotal of course and not a broad population study, but it’s how my group of misfit friends seemed to go. I was part of the “grew up and got a job and got my shit together at 15” group, but stayed in touch with the other half of my friends for a while and partied with them occasionally (pretty much until cocaine started showing up at the parties, at which point I thought... nope!)

Re: Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)

#85
post #27

16-year-old here. My experience is probably markedly different from most teenagers in the US (I'm an immigrant who goes to a competitive school full of other immigrants) but I find that, for the most part, this article hits the nail on the head. High School is nothing like the usual media portrayal - I've never heard anyone even talk about a party, nobody's doing anything stronger than weed, nobody's fucking or even…

If there was something I could impart to this generation, it would be this. I deeply admire your commitment to entrepreneurialism and to taking a bit of ownership over what you can learn in terms of "return on investment." However, I would caution you to remember still what is the most rewarding in life. Too often I see a never-ending status tournament for those in the elite schools (all of those mentioned), and it can tear apart those involved.

Not too long ago, my company sent out teams to interview students from Stanford. Without fail, all of them mentioned some feeling of alienation from their peers due to the ridiculous status games. One foreign student who was relatively poor talked about dorm-mates who would fly first class back to LA or NY for the weekend and boast about it. It was a kind of revolting illustration.

Helping your fellow human beings and living a life of service to them is what is ultimately important. I think this generation may actually be primed to give us a lot of hope in this regard, but I hope that you can listen to it. And if I may be so bold, I believe that many would be well-served by realizing that out there beyond the cosmos above us is something that deeply loves each of us.

Re: Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)

#86
post #21

The fact is competition has been increasing every generation at a ridiculous rate. I like to think society would desire to remove competition as a requirement for everyone and allow basic needs being supplied for a somewhat enjoyable life. Sadly, I think it will take two generations of travesty before anything substantial happens if at all. I predict a lot of suicide & homelessness if not for some disaster and that w…

If you are worried about competition from below, think about how people above should be worried about competition from you. If you are worried about competition from above, think about how people below are worried about competition from you. or you could not worry so much about competition and just keep your eye on the goal which hopefully isn’t just competition.

Re: Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)

#89
post #25

The most adult teenagers I know all have seen shit and just skipped being teenagers. It sadly catches up with them.

Do you mean "they have seen nothing" or "they have seen things", as in bad (or meaningful or powerful) things?

To convey the former meaning I'd probably use "haven't seen shit".

Re: Teenagers are better behaved and less hedonistic (2018)

#90
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've never heard anyone even talk about a party And the stuff about sexual intercourse - really? Such a far cry from my own high school years (in the seventies), I can hardly believe it. Sounds more like the stuff I would try to convince my mother, with mixed success. Otherwise, kudos for such mastery of language at 16.

It's not true that nobody's fucking. The LGBT kids fuck to an extent, as do some of the lower achievers, but even then it's nowhere near as much as I expected. I'm surprised to hear you compliment my writing style. I always thought it was subpar - too many clauses, a slew of unnecessary qualifiers and weasel words, no shortage of kludges for things I can't express very well. I tend to be better at it after I've been…

> The LGBT kids fuck to an extent, as do some of the lower achievers, but even then it's nowhere near as much as I expected.

I'm trying to be charitable and not over-interpret the juxtaposition of "LGBT" and "lower achievers". I'm surprised you have so much time to study who is having sex. Quite remarkable.

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