Quote:
Originally Posted by WarmFuzzySocks
Interesting question, QM. I agree that this isn't limited to young people.
I was thinking more specifically of the transition in young adulthood that happens for many college students, thus the "young folk." I know a lot of them, and actually find humans this stage remarkable and exciting and passionate about the world, and inspiring. And I think there are a lot of reasons many people in that transition stage are entering college/university struggling with those skills in ways that are systemic/cultural.
(And I genuinely apologize, if needed. Tone is hard to read, but I am wondering if I was inadvertently insensitive, appearing to paint "young folk" with a broad brush.)
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Yeah, I did feel hurt because it read like a broad global brush against young people.
I'm guessing you're referring to a particular subset of college students then, that have helicopter parents clearing any obstacles for them or something. Or who have/had really overbearing caregivers. That they never learned appropriate coping skills and distress tolerance, no matter the age.
Where I live, a lot of middle aged and upwards people also apply a really broad, and very negative brush for younger people. We're apparently a monolith that are all entitled, expect handouts, desire coddling, fragile, and vehemently want ridiculous levels of "safe spaces".
When the reality is really very different.
My mother (and others like her) have no idea how utterly amazing her salary and work benefits are, and despite zero personal responsibility regarding her finances, is going to have a very comfortable retirement.
Even after her work benefits end, she'll get great, proactive and responsive, holistic healthcare for extremely cheap as the elderly are venerated to an excessive and blind degree. There's so much given and offered to her with zero means-testing. Yet she doesn't make use of any of those resources and takes zero ownership about her health issues. This help extends to more than healthcare.
You folks will see green, and I'd totally understand why! Because I am green with envy too lol. I'm definitely not getting any of that - these are policies meant to uplift the elderly only.
Telling her times are different, and that younger people like me don't have the same stuff didn't work.
It was also incredibly frustrating just how extremely dependent she is, for all kinds of minor stuff. She couldn't even handle a yes/no computer popup on her own, and would freak out. Googling anything made her anxious and demanding I come over immediately (as though it's a life s death thing) to tell her exactly what to type into Google. I'd show her something a million times and ask her to physically try it out, but she'd just refuse and insist I do it for her.
There's even plenty of free computer/tablet/smartphone classes for people like her, but noooo, she just said she can't.
Amazing how she's survived more than 20 years at her job which requires daily computer use, but then I was tech support to older and younger people (even younger than me!) alike with the same problem.