Comment by etempleton | Hacker News Reader

Comment by etempleton | Hacker News Reader

Everything is better when you are younger, rose-tinted glasses and all that, but I do think things are worse for kids these days, but it is not any of the things people typically point to.

Kids aren't allowed to do anything anymore. Whatever autonomy kids once had is basically gone. Why? I have been scratching my head regarding this for awhile, but I think the turning point was Columbine followed in short order by 9/11. I think the US has been in a state of paranoia ever since and that is reflected in the current larger societal/political discourse, which shows a lack of trust and empathy for anyone who dares to disagree.

Something always sticks out in my mind: My older siblings were allowed to basically roam the neighborhood after school / on the weekends and by the time I was their age I wasn't. My parents had become more afraid. Everyone could be a pedophile, or Satan worshiper, or someone could have a gun or drugs, or guns and drugs. And once Columbine happened it was all over not only were there dangers out there for me, I could be the danger. They had to know what I was doing at all times, less they are bad parents for not knowing what I was going through and they have to be the parents on the news say how I was "such a good kid" and "they had no idea."

It started couple decades before Columbine brought school shootings to the forefront. There was the satanic panic of the '80s, which were preceded by actual child abductions, iirc? There were high-profile crime cases in the '70s and '80s I think, spurred on by an increasingly sensationalistic media, coupled with real increases in crime, that led to memes about the neighborhood no longer being safe and "save the children."

Actual child abductions being: it happened a couple of times, and one dude who did it was straight up cray cray crazy, but "if it bleeds it leads" and got a lot of press.

Crime in the 70s was a lot higher in general. Much discussion why, such as the Freankonomics guys arguing abortion, or the more recently discussed lead paint cause.

It's the same here in Hong Kong. So perhaps its more prevalent, though Hong Kong does get heavily influenced by US trends.

My personal guess is that there's a "stabilization" of social structures, and it's hard to argue against incremental changes that lower risks to children, which happens whenever some adverse incident happens, and they eventually pile up. Kind of a slippery slope to the bottom, so to speak.

> Kids aren't allowed to do anything anymore.

Blame boomers.

The generation that invented participation trophies then started a culture war over them. The generation that espoused capitalism and made ever facet of human living and enjoyment cost money. The generation that destroyed privacy. The generation that destroyed the climate. The generation that believes resort towns in Mexico are more dangerous than large US cities. I could go on.

I grew up riding my bike across town as a teenager and being home by the time the street lights turned on. Kids these days don’t have that, and it’s showing.

> Blame boomers.

Oh come on. Boomers are grand- or even sometimes grand-grand-parents at this point, with one foot in a grave at best.

Zoomers are already building their careers and some even have babies.

Stop kicking grandpa, at this point he can hardly be responsible for anything.

Participation trophies were definitely a Gen X/Y thing - and it's not like any of them are less bloodthirsty capitalists. And somehow I'm pretty sure that Y/Z will fuck up the climate even more with the current "let's do something, whatever, I'm too nervous about this" attitude.

What? Boomers were pretty much in power everywhere 30-20 years ago, when thing started changing for the worst, and are still in power in some western countries (US especially, but if you have something called 'senate' in your country, it's probably baby-boomer controlled too).

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