Generation Of Girls At Risk

[icyfroth]

This article by Miranda Devine in last weeks telegraph caught my eye and thought it would make for interesting discussion here:

Secrets of the hookup culture

"THERE is one domain in which woman have always reigned supreme, and that is the business of coupling, procreating and child rearing. Therefore, if you influence women, you influence the fabric of society. Which is why feminism has been such an important weapon in the armament of the left.

But feminism has now gone well beyond redressing genuine inequality to advocating behaviours and attitudes that damage women, and threaten the health of society. The evidence is there to be seen for anyone who cares to look, in the annals of psychological disorders that afflict so many young women today."

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/mirandadevine/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/generation_o...

"The zipless f ... eulogised by yesterday’s feminists has become the norm for Gen Y in the form of a too-often joyless, mechanical and regret-filled hook-up culture. Secks and human connection, let alone love and compassion, have effectively been decoupled in the hook-up culture, in which dating has given way to no-strings-attached physical encounters.

The term “hook-up” is exactly as dehumanising it sounds, and a fascinating study by the American Psychological Association last month shows how disconnected are the seckual behaviours and private internal desires of young men, and especially young women.

Yet the establishment’s concern and outrage is marshalled against the rare piece of advice from elders that might offer an antidote to despair."

"Meantime, out in the real world, The American Psychological Association review, “Sexual Hookup culture” shows the disturbing psychological consequences, for both men and women. They include unwanted sex (mostly alongside alcohol and substance abuse), profound regret and feelings of shame, emptiness, and in some cases depression."

I despair also for the generation after this one...

[izabsmiling]

Hi back there Duffy, I am Iza. Our Avi's do look a bit similar.

I can still remember being young and how it felt to be told I was doing bad things I wasn't...unfortunately the effect on my young rebellious mind was that I thought 'if I am going to be told I'm doing them and treated as if I was doing them.... I can't win..I might as well do them' ...even more when told by someone who I knew even then did all I was being accused of/told not to do and a whole lot more :^O

That was easier to deal with on a small scale .Now there seems so much neg stereotyping in the mass media (we hear little of the good ...it's like some do bad stuff ...so they are all bad) I can't help but to think that it can't be encouraging or good for their self image.I really think there needs to be more balance and more good news .Media never swings to view that the many young people are doing good stuff they are all good . Do we all want to hear bad news ? Is that good for the young people ?

[izabsmiling]

I'd think that there would be a huge outcry if that same was done to older generations ...yet these are young minds and our future .I want to like them not the reverse.

[Anonymous]

hi Iza.

Im not surprised someone here is disgusted and accuses people of not being real bright just because they are not living up to her ideals.

[icyfroth]

Iza, we can gloss over the bad news and only focus on the good news but that gives us a rather unbalanced perspective IMO.

As young people we all tend to rebel against authority, it's only natural. We've had it with being  told what to do and we want to spread our wings and look forward to taking up the reins of our own life.

Thing is back in the day when we were young, we had certain guidelines to live by. Sure we crossed the line at times, but we stepped back when we realised we'd gone beyond the acceptable to the society we lived in.

Thing is with Gen Y, they're not told anything they do is bad, or unacceptable. In fact the presiding culture encourages them to drink, drug, brawl, and engage in bizarre sexual behaviour without any emotional connection. All in the name of having a good time because you're young and you can and you should and you're entitled.

We all know youth doesn't last forever and ultimately the piper must be paid.

[kengillard]

😮

[izabsmiling]

Hi Icy, I said more balanced views...hearing about the good as well.If the media is giving people what they want to hear and we aren't hearing much 'good news' that's kind of depressing and it must be especially so for the younger generation ...not good for their self confidence/self esteem and the way others view them which I think could be one of the major issues ? 

Same as with any age group or group of people who are  collectively negatively stereotyped.

http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fm1/fm30/de1.html

Ageing: everybody's future

Don Edgar

Ageing generally has a negative image, bound up with fear, stereotypes and alarmist projections about the implications of an ageing population. But as Australia, like most

Western societies, grows older, there is likely to be a revolution against 'ageism' as 'the generation shift' follows on from the 'gender shift'.

In the latter part of the twentieth century, and even more so in the next century, the masses can look forward to a fit and productive old age. Old age therefore promises to be a rich resource for society but only if accompanied by a shift in attitude away from the negative images that consign elders to the scrapheap.

There are two sides to ageing: the external, socially- imposed notion of 'the aged' and the internal, existential discovery of ageing which rests heavily upon health and a continued sense of being in control of our lives. That sense of control develops out of our experience and the positive or negative feedback we get from others. Our sense of self is socially constructed, so our feelings about growing older are linked closely to external attitudes. In this, stereotypes can play a pervasive role.

....Some balance is required. Community structures that respect and make it possible to draw upon the wisdom, resources and experience of older people are needed, but not all old people have to be busy beavers in volunteer organisations, setting up cake stalls, playing bowls, painting, golfing, making jewellery and studying Middle-East history.

A new vision of productive ageing is needed, one that recognises the enormous contribution already being made via family support and cultural maintenance. We need a society that offers hope and structures varied opportunities for its elders to contribute to community life and to grow personally. Above all we need an existential activism as opposed to a fatalistic 'bad faith' which blames others or merely accepts ageing as a decline that is inevitable (de Beauvoir 1972).

Have the aged moved closer to a new vision  ? 

what about our youth ?

[*pepe]

...and the moral of the story is... when judging others its best to remember one's own roots....

so to speak.

[izabsmiling]

:^O Pepe

[freakiness]

One of the problems as I see it is that young women are simply not growing up - at 30 they are still giggly 19 year olds.

My family was the opposite. My mother tried to prevent us from growing up and I ensured my kids where taught how to make decisions and grow up.

We were the party animals and our kids are not   :^O

[freakiness]

Iza, we can gloss over the bad news and only focus on the good news but that gives us a rather unbalanced perspective IMO.

As young people we all tend to rebel against authority, it's only natural. We've had it with being  told what to do and we want to spread our wings and look forward to taking up the reins of our own life.

Thing is with Gen Y, they're not told anything they do is bad, or unacceptable. In fact the presiding culture encourages them to drink, drug, brawl, and engage in bizarre sexual

We need to take a balanced look though, not only look at the bad and conclude all the young are like it.

As parents of young transitioning adults we should not be authoritarian. It does not work. It leads to rebellion and ends up with opposite of what is desired. We need to communicate and teach our kids how to make good decisions not scare them into submission by authoritarian attitudes.

What a generalised load of claptrap about a whole generation of young people.