Wow, that is a thesaurus worth of stuff.

I would agree with most of it but some of it is academic research paper bunk, created by a professor trying to justify getting tenure. Some points are pretty much saying the same thing but the major points are there. Yes, the erosion of authority is a major cause. I don't want to get into the cause of this, whether it be lying presidents, corrupt officials or whatever, setting a bad example. The point is that there is an overall lack of respect for authority. We can see it in schools and in the general public. We are all old enough to remember when we were afraid of our teachers and parents. That doesn't exist like it used to. Kids are more defiant and less disciplined than they used to be. This dovetails into the other point that the family structures are family values are different now. There are too many parents trying to be their kids' buddies rather than being their parents. Add to that the busier schedules and putting kids second behind other things. Add to that some parent's expectation that the government should raise their kids. They expect the schools and other entities to teach their kids right and wrong. (I know this first hand all too well.) Put these kids into a society where there is a sense of entitlement caused by said parents, the media, politicians, etc, and you've got kids that who lack the fundamental moral development and sense of social responsibility that we all should have.

IMO, there are some very basic things that is causing the phenomenon. As I stated, it starts with parents. I deal with many parents who throw up their hands when their 14 year old kid is out of control. I ask them if the kid woke up one day and was a hellion and almost universally, the problems started when the kids was much younger. Parents need to actually be parents from day one. Also, our society has started allowing mediocrity to be the norm. We dumb things down for people and make it easier to remain, well, dumb. We make too many accomodations and demand less which in turn lowers the level of expectations and the commensurate level of ambition people have. To put it simply, kids don't try as hard or aren't as respectful because it is not expected of them. Kids are like water: they'll sink to the lowest point you'll allow. Having said that, I can tell you from personal experience that kids want discpline and thrive when there is more structure. Unfortunately there are too few parents providing that.

Anyway, there's more stuff but I'm pretty sure I've put some of you to sleep so I'll stop my diatribe.

Peace out.

* Disclaimer: Gross generalizations were used in the formation of the above opinions. Exceptions to the general rule are acknowledged.

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