AIBU to think children are now in charge

[Itsmeagainandagain]

The school kids protesting in London, how things have changed when we were children we done what we were told, now the kids are laying down the law and dictating to adults.

We already know children know they are above the law and untouchable, we had Greta Thunburg blame the older generation for all the faults of planet earth.

AIBU to think that children are being disrespectful and have no idea how the real world works? These are the same children who would be in floods of tears screaming if you changed the WiFi password to their gadgets, WiFi that us adults work to pay for!!

I only disagree to a point. Young people should be passionate about the world around them, unfortunately many have a terrible mix of righteous indignation, a need to virtue signalling, zero critical thinking skills or the ability to see beyond their own viewpoint. It's not their fault they lack the maturity that comes/is needed with a better understanding of the big issues, but it does lead to petulant behaviour. It is rather infuriating that the world must change on the bases of foot-stomping children in that regard.

People care about different things, OP. You don't get to dictate their priorities.

I'm glad the young are still idealistic & energetic, instead of being jaded & tired like us oldies.

*I admire the "woke" generation, they are the first generation to have access to vast amount of knowledge at their fingertip and many are using it for the right reasons."

Off topic but I don't think there is a word I hate more than woke. I assume it's supposed to stand for awake to issues? It's just such a grammatically weird way of using a word. It sounds dreadful as it's so incorrect.

I’m an adult and I see a lot of adults that treat young people like absolute shit when they aren’t with a grown up, I hate it.

Well I don't know what your teenage years were like but mine were very much full of my opinion on things. Some of which I now look back on and think how on earth could I have believed in that - but that's part of maturing.

As for children being taught to respect their elders - I was taught to respect everyone. Didn't mean those people were right, just that I should respect where they were coming from. But I could, and did, tell them if I thought they were wrong - after all they were telling me the same thing. It's called dialogue.

I remember taking part in a protest in the mid 70s on a boat on the Thames taking a petition to parliament. Our local council were planning on closing our school and we were having none of it. So the children (backed by the teachers) organised a petition and we spent months talking at council meetings, going to the newspapers then organising a boat with the help of one of the dads, to get some publicity. The school is still standing - thanks to us kids (I was 13 at the time).

The boys in our class, when we were probably 15/16 years old, decided to wear skirts into school for the day in protest that the girls couldn't wear trousers - even in the winter - in those days. One of the boys had re-read the uniform code and realised, while it said girls could not wear trousers, it didn't say boys couldn't wear skirts. So he organised the boys who borrowed skirts from us girls and in they paraded. The headmaster conceded that the school couldn't stop them and the following year the code was changed to trousers for all if they wanted them.

My cousin, who is 10 years older than me, took part in ban the bomb protests at 16. Another sat in the road to stop developers taking over land.

It's part of growing up.

As for the kids telling us what to do but not contributing. That's what discussions and rows between kids and parents are for. I support the environmental movement BUT I have talked with DS (who is 14) about the fact that the computers they all have for school, the mobile phones, the PS4/XBoxes they all love are all plastic. All by products of the 'dirty oil business'. I've spoken to him about the fact that wind turbines have to use 'dirty fuel' to be made in the first place (at least until wind power is strong enough to make enough fuel to work with). He wants to go into environmental engineering - working on green energy etc., but understanding that, at the moment, we rely on 'dirty' fuel for so many things has made him think about ways that could change. Dialogue is everything and you don't get that by 'only speaking when you're spoken to'.

Of course some of the things the kids find important make some adults shake their heads. My mum shook her head at Greenham Common. Her mum shook her head at equal rights demonstrations as she was perfectly happy in her world. My mum wasn't though - she wanted the same pay for the job she did. It's how the world changes.

@echt, that poster turns up on every thread talking bollocks about flag loving and patriotism. I'm starting to think they have an agenda....

Wherever there is change, people will call it disruption.

Everyone has to earn respect. I certainly don’t respect ‘elders’ that are pretending to go for U.K. net zero while commissioning new coal mines and ‘outsourcing’ fossil fuels so that it doesn’t count in our emissions audits. I do respect anyone regardless of age who is prepared to stand up for injustices.

Respect works both ways.

We’ve spent years ensuring our children have a voice, are heard and believed. They don’t need censoring, they need the ‘elders’ to engage in the conversation. They’re fighting for their future. With respect, I think we need to listen.

Can't find anything 'wrong' with what these kids are protesting about. Good for them.

@GalesThisMorning

Are you a parent? How could you possibly think that children protesting against climate change is a bad thing?? Maybe they should just keep quite and follow the stellar example set by their elders

Or maybe you're being goody?

Because kids like Greta are largely born into a life of luxury and they have utterly no appreciation for the role fossil fuels/industrialisation has had in it.

Over 15 percent of all kids born in Sweden never lived to see their 5th birthday in 1900. Largely thanks to industrialisation.

Cheap fossil fuels will save the developing world, denying them access is the big killer. Traditional lifestyles are very hard and people escape to the cities where they can.

They are not being taught this at all.

Ageist claptrap? Or is this a rubbish April fool?

@BrumBoo you've confused two issues. The world must change because the only other alternative is extinction, not because children are foot stomping and petulant.

Children have a right to be upset. Their future is going to be worse than our present if we're not careful.

Protesting is the easy bit. The challenge is coming up with a solution to the problem. I would ask some of these young ones chanting and complaining about plastics (for example) to put the time and energy into their education - go to uni and study chemistry/engineering etc and come back when you have a workable alternative.

Oh is it my turn to post the Socrates quote:

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”

April Fool of an unpleasant variety, surely?

I assume it's supposed to stand for awake to issues?

Not exactly. It means the person thinks they've 'woken up' to an issue, and behave like they personally discovered it and have all the answers to solving it (usually Be Kind and Accept Everything We Say). It's the opposite of a Gammon, but quite honestly regression both sides down to these sides isn't helpful, especially since they're both angry groups who already don't listen to anyone but themselves.

Demanding to remove the flag is ridiculous, unpatriotic and frankly unBritish. But I guess a lot of them don’t want to be British, and that’s a large part of the problem.

Cheap fossil fuels will kill us all in the end. We are all living a life of unimaginable luxury (here in Britain), hundreds of years ago it would have been beyond most people's dreams. Thousands of years ago even more so.

I don't quite see your point. Should we teach children to be grateful for the internal combustion engine, is that what you mean?

I should have said on my previous post that often when I saw the school children throwing their rubbish on the pavement I would call them out on it. Sadly so many times I received a mouthful of abuse and foul language in return.

This was in a good area. I guess it would be called a middle class area. No respect for elders and disgusting attitude. Their parents must be so proud

@BrumBoo

I only disagree to a point. Young people should be passionate about the world around them, unfortunately many have a terrible mix of righteous indignation, a need to virtue signalling, zero critical thinking skills or the ability to see beyond their own viewpoint. It's not their fault they lack the maturity that comes/is needed with a better understanding of the big issues, but it does lead to petulant behaviour. It is rather infuriating that the world must change on the bases of foot-stomping children in that regard.

Let’s hope they don’t go full Red Guard on us. My best friend’s mother took turns whipping her teacher.

Another old woman I talked to went to school where the (female) principal was forced to eat feces and got bricked in the head. She later died alone in the toilets as no student dared to help her.

No one I’ve ever talked to admits to being a leader on these things, but you always have to wonder what they were thinking at the time ...

@Halloweenrainbow

Protesting is the easy bit. The challenge is coming up with a solution to the problem. I would ask some of these young ones chanting and complaining about plastics (for example) to put the time and energy into their education - go to uni and study chemistry/engineering etc and come back when you have a workable alternative.

Yip. I grew up going on protest marches, my family are still very keen protestors.

I support many of the same causes but what's usually lacking is solutions. Down with this, ban that, etc. None of it counts for anything unless you can present, organise and implement alternatives that work in the real world.

@GalesThisMorning, I'm not just referring to climate change protests, but my point remains in general. Of course children and young people should be passionate about the world around them, but they should also be educated on how to listen and problem solve without getting angry and thinking once they have an opinion it must be rigidly stuck to without debate.

Half the things on your "these things are important" list directly affect children... So are children not allowed to protest against things that affect them? The adults should deal with it because they're in charge, yeah?

So with the same logic, men should deal with all women's issues (reproductive rights, fertility, safety, menstruation, abortion etc) because they're (mainly) in charge, even though the issues directly affect women?

Same thing.

[quote GalesThisMorning]@BrumBoo you've confused two issues. The world must change because the only other alternative is extinction, not because children are foot stomping and petulant.

Children have a right to be upset. Their future is going to be worse than our present if we're not careful.[/quote]
Rubbing. No serious person is talking about human extinction. Someone is badly educating these children if this is what they really believe.

I think it's great that gen z feel they have a voice. The Pimlico school situation sounds like the head/SLT need to go. "Afro" hair banned, but top knot buns I assume are ok??

However, I saw the news and the one student complaining about the GB flag and saying "that doesn't represent me, I want it down" I bristled at that. It's our flag, warts and all. That's where I drew the line.

I am actually concerned that, to me, it feels like battle lines are being drawn (especially with report on racism released yesterday) and we're heading for a summer of riots. Where's the dialogue? Let's talk about statues, flags, history curriculum etc. Let's not just scream at each other.

I am all for debate and change etc, if the Union flag is in need of an overhaul then let's do it. But do it together.

@Itsmeagainandagain

I don't feel confident in teenagers who have contributed absolutely zero, but demand the world fits around them. I don't feel confident in anyone that is hypocritical, I want climate change but I travel around on airplanes to tell the world about climate change and its all their fault, by greta thunburg? Are you all for serious. adults being told By children not to do things they happily and without care do so themselves.

Greta Thunberg refuses to fly and travels by train, boat and electric car.

Young people are the ones who will suffer the consequences of generations of people like you not giving a fuck about anything.