I know how easy it is to feel this way when you sit in class and are surrounded by egotistical and entitled students all day long. Been there--done that. (You might look into Generation Me by Jean M. Twenge. Here's a link.)

I think it's an issue for every generation--the young are more spoiled, more obnoxious, more entitled than their parents and this divide creates a culture clash. But I wonder what will happen to the next generation, who are predicted to do worse than their parents for the first time in American history?

You know, I don't think everyone in our (I'm 17) generation is necessarily a "simpleton," either. My mom used to work with children with learning disabilities, and you couldn't believe how many were truly kind and sincere despite the fact that they couldn't learn to read or speak. I don't think it has much to do with intelligence as it does character. It's fine to be an optimist--to have dreams to play in the NBA or, as my friend aspires to "clean out the dirty cops," as she says--but when one thinks they are better than everyone else, when life is "guaranteed" and "fair," then I think they're in for a terrible reality check when they're older.

People take school for granted. Some day, after working at McDonald's for 20 years and still earning minimum wage, they'll look back and regret their decisions. Hopefully, they'll learn their lesson soon enough to teach it to their kids.