"Gangsta Whitewalls, TV Antenna In the Back...."

Every now and then amongst the magazine articles or clusterfudge of items that crowd my Facebook newsfeed and Twitter timeline, I encounter videos and/or articles that are quite entertaining. Beyond the “S*** ________ Say” YouTube craze, my favorites have been related to “You Know You’re An 80s Baby When…” or “Do You Remember the 90s?” postings. Referring to a previous post, I happen to enjoy these things because they stir nostalgia and remind me of times when life was grand. More recently however, in watching or reading on things related to my childhood/teenage years, the feeling has been bittersweet. I can no longer consciously look at them and genuinely feel happy because I find myself turning around to look back at today’s generation.

To put it simply: I am deeply afraid for the future of our generation of children. Yes, I'm only 25. I have not been on the earth long enough to see and experience all of the things I need to, and there are plenty adults out there that still look at me as a kid. Nonetheless, it is still troublesome to follow the direction of our youth. The conversation has arisen twice in less than a month. I’ve had more than one friend make the statement "I don't understand these kids today." Upon hearing such comments, I always chuckle because our conversations turn into something of that of our parents and grandparents who don't and won't understand the pogs, Tamagotchis, and Gameboys of my era. However, take a step back and look at the age differences: our parents and grandparents are at least 20+ years removed from our generation.

We, on the other hand, are 10 years OR LESS removed from a generation that believes in performing fellatio acts on school grounds and recording it on phones, fighting on camera, harassing people in both classroom and on social network websites- one of the leading causes of bullycide, and glorifying artists that rap about…er…absolutely nothing at all. Going to the toy section of a store was the closest thing we got to getting to the North Pole, whereas today the toy industry is gradual declining as more children are turning to video or computer games for recreation. We ARE “the last generation who played outdoors.” I’m sure those who were raised prior to the 1970s and 1980s would have their own sentiments on what we consider the greatest time period of all, but the point is not to argue who had the best childhood. The true question at hand remains: Has today’s generation been robbed of a childhood?

Children are now being raised to have a “dog-eat-dog” mentality. You can’t blame them in world where people are suffering. Desperation has never been more real when you go home to see people stole the covers from sewers, and fences from city parks and playgrounds to sell for scrap. It becomes even MORE real when you have 5-year olds shooting 4-year olds. There are people out there who recognize the issue and try to address it. I applaud the social organizations that have mottos and missions that speak to the need to invest in our children, as we should. Yet we need to look at our youth from an all-inclusive perspective. "Children are the future" need not be a statement, but an action plan. The more I learn, the more I feel the need to incorporate youth into my life plan, and I say life plan because I know they will be an integral part of my life, and not another notch on the resume.

With that said, does this mean a possible change in my career goals, or is this just another blog expressing frustration?

Stay tuned.