Youth of today

[CarerWhoCaresTooMuch]

What is it with them.?? Whilst I know I’m going to sound like my gran probably get a roasting too but I just don’t get them. Im working in retail and what I’m seeing these days just disgusts me. Foul mouthed , Cocky , vaping youths who think it’s their absolute right to steal , trash the shops and even abuse anyone who would question any behaviour, I know kids will be kids and it’s part of ‘Growing up’ , yes times have changed but what the hell has actually happened? They genuinely don’t give two monkeys about what they say or do, There’s no respect , common curtesy , manners . Some of the mischief as it was put to me just this evening ‘ a bit of entertainment’ is actually criminal damage , disturbing the peace . They don’t even care if they are on camera , seems like there’s nothing to stop them.
Yes I know there are also some absolute cracking youngsters out there too.
I’d love to know what the parents of these youngsters actually think and how they would feel if they knew what their child was up too. Obviously things were different when I was growing and I know the world we live in now is also very different, so I guess I’m just wondering how everyone else feels and what they think.

Also, just to put another side of the coin out there. In my area of the country, we have a large number of elderly folk who also cause a lot of bother.

• they are known for being very rude and difficult in local shops
• they very frequently crash their cars into each other and inanimate objects
• they very rarely pick up their dog’s mess, and decide to leave it for the ‘younger’ generation to deal with
• In this area, there are mostly elderly couples or people living on their own in extremely large houses, whilst looking down their nose and making comments about the mess when one home the same size as theirs now houses four families of 5 because it’s been split into flats.
• despite their difficulties with using mobile phones, or paying with a card in a shop, they are very capable of setting up local Facebook groups in order to moan about the younger generations and stir up animosity within the community. I can’t remember the last time I saw a 19 year old do this.
• It is also the 60+ generation who are now at the top of the local drug dealing networks and so are responsible for bringing large amounts of illegal drugs into the area, and pushing them onto the younger generation to deal.
• And so also responsible for the significant money laundering and tax evasion that goes along with this.

Swings and roundabouts.

@LaFemmeDamnee

You're right - none of it is new. But there is a clear divide between the kids who are "feral" and the kids who aren't - and the main difference I can see is that the disruptive kids have parents who either don't know what they're up to, don't care or think there's nothing wrong with it and "they're just kids being kids lol"

All goes back to the parents. Well most parents.
I know someone whose 6 year old (yes 6) goes around harassing the old people in their bungalows at night and egging peoples houses while their mum just giggles about it and says the classic line "well what can I do about it?"

I was born in 1965 and my secondary school which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year is putting loads of photos up. The rose-tinted glasses are well and truly on. There was a massive glue -sniffing problem, and the cafe nearest the school was taken over by hordes of addicts. I had a Saturday and evening job in a paper shop in the town centre and we weren't allowed to be alone on the shop floor after 4 because the teenage shoplifters/glue sniffers would often come rampaging through.
Tickles me that some of those people (who were notorious at the time) are now featuring in the photo exhibition as examples of what the town was like in the late 70s early 80s and how fabulous they all looked in their Harrington's and mohicans. They've got glue bags in their hands and are all off their tits after probably terrifying the entire town centre but are now cultural icons. Fuck that.

I know no teens or young people like that. Our 4 and their friends were always polite and respectful, and still are.

Ageist bollocks. Our young people are fantastic, responsible, hard working, caring people as are the majority of their peers.

Glue sniffing! You don't hear much about that any more. Used to be a massive problem. Kids dropped dead from it left right and centre, and the glue sniffers were like angry zombies.

But it's not the youth of today. there are groups of people like this in every generation. I remember specifically being told my generation was all these things. Yes I remember kids setting fire to wheeley bins, yes I remember kids throwing rocks at cars, yes I remember having a firework shoved through the letterbox. All by youths in the 1990s/early 2000s.

It's not new. It's not different. You're noticing it because you're affected.

It's like when you first have a baby and realise how many times changing tables are only in the women's toilets. It hasn't just happened, but it's only now affecting you.

Great post, completely agree.

I know no teenagers like that. My husband worked in a small village shop where they had 4 teenagers employed, all of them were really lovely, hardworking young people. One of them actually ended up saving a customer's life, because he had learnt CPR through the scouts.

I'm really sick of older people complaining about younger people.

For goodness sake I don't think anyone is saying that ALL young people are like this, but the ones that are are a real problem in society.

CuteOrangeElephant
“I'm really sick of older people complaining about younger people“

Hear, hear. Our young people are fantastic, we couldn’t be prouder.

'I'm 50 and young teens stabbing and killing other teens and older people simply wasn't a thing'

Well, that just isn't true is it?

Most kids I know are really nice young people. There has always been a minority of out of control kids. Most parents also love their kids and want to do their best for them, there’s a minority who are neglectful or downright abusive.

I just think that it’s more visible than ever before due to social media. Policing cutbacks haven’t helped either.

'For goodness sake I don't think anyone is saying that ALL young people are like this, but the ones that are are a real problem in society.'

The OPs title is LITERALLY 'The Youth of Today' not - some kids who I know aren't the norm...

There are no consequences to their actions. Why would they stop?

I know plenty of pleasant and nice teenagers and I also see the types you describe. However, it's not a new thing. I'm 48 and remember lots of dreadful teenagers when I was young in the late 80s/early 90s. I remember really awful, rude, dangerous behaviour from some of my peers. I also remember good kids. I think there's always been a mix of good and bad.
It's a tough age with hormones raging and a huge amount of pressure from schools. When you consider that some kids are growing up in the most dysfunctional families, it's not surprising that some go off the rails.

Doesn’t make sense.

”The ones that are” applies to all generations, everywhere.

Teenagers don’t seem any different to me and DH (I’m 37, he’s 44) bar a couple of things: they’re all much more “groomed” than we were 😂 we saw a load of college kids in the supermarket the other day and DH was like “why don’t any of them look as shit as we did” 😂, you don’t see them smoking like we all did and they don’t seem to drink as much either. I was a “good” teen that did well at school, listened to my parents, was never in trouble etc and I was still out drinking alcopops down the park when I was 15, we all were. I don’t see that now.

Thing is you are now hearing more and more of it.
James Bulger was a shock, but you hear it more and more now.
Nothing gets better.
Who would have thought you'd hear of somebody being stabbed because they asked some teens not to behave badly. Years ago you would have been ashamed to be told off by an adult now you've got to fear being abused or killed.

Lack of discipline and respect is at an all time low and its not going to get better sadly.

They know that there are no consequences for what is laughingly called "low level anti social behaviour ". Its not low level when elderly people are being terrorised in their own homes on a nightly basis by groups of youths.
Early intervention is what's needed before it escalates. Look at the stabbing in Warrington of Brianna. 15 year old boy and girl charged.
No way did they just suddenly decide to get knives and go out and murder someone.
Also this week a 17 year old youth has been convicted after being encouraged bt a 19 year old to stick a lit firework through the letter box of an 88 year lady who subsequently died. These youths were captured on CCTV causing mayhem in the town.
Give the police and courts their powers back. Bring back Borstal and make it so bad nobody qill6wver wish to return

Just because these things have always happened does not mean it's ok.

It's not funny or a rite of passage to be abusive, destructive or to terrorise people.

The OP did not at any point say ALL young people are like this.

In my opinion, the vast majority of teenagers are no worse than previous generations but the small percentage of "bad" teens have got worse. They are also more visible due to social media and newspapers glamorising crap behaviour.

I'd agree with this

My sons friends, and the young people I work with actually give me hope for future society! It's rarely a young person rude to me, but my god, the generation above me are entitled, rude idiots as a rule (baby boomers).