Respect for others, age not an issue.

[Sibling Chatty]

So, today I had the rare pleasure of chewing out someone who SO needed it...AND having the ability to make him regret his small mindedness.

Alpaca had designed a website for the Burleson County Democratic Party for me, hosted it and everything. The 'party' had prablems, new leadership that didn't DO anything and didn't last, and a LOT of non-participators, so the site was fallow. The day after we agreed to pull it, a guy contacted me to find out about it.

He was...long winded, but seemed somewhat sane. I gave him Alex's e-mail, and so on, and this guy's the one ASKING a favor, so I figure HE can contact Alex, right? Well, he calls me today (as I am at the oncologist's office) and rattles on a bit about needing to involve ALL of the county's residents, the poor, the non-dominant races, etc. yadda yadda, THEN starts to tell me he's looked up "That teenager"--he found ME and my cellphone by doing a WHOIS and evidently did the same on Alex... THEN

He says "He's a teenager and he'll probably want to be paid for hosting and all the work he's done and..." and I stopped him. so he starts in on "He's a gamer and his on-line persona is a kind of camel-like..." and I stopped him again.

So, I hung up on him, then called him back and chewed his ass BIGTIME.

WHAT DOES NOT COMPUTE ABOUT A 17YEAR OLD PERSON BEING A HUMAN WITH RIGHTS AND DIGNITY JUST LIKE ANY OTHER??? Seventeen NOW means 18 by the next damn election, so THAT'S a VOTER!!

I informed this bozo that he'd shot himself in the foot and then stuck the foot in his mouth. And that IF Alex wanted to be NICE to him...he MIGHT decide to do ANYTHING at all for him. The moron had the nerve to tell me that to tie into the State Democratic site there were 'things you had to do, and standards to meet'. No frickin' DUH...

WHAT is the deal with older people that DO NOT GET IT that todays teens ARE tomorrow's adults, and that THEY DO DESERVE basic human courtesy, just like ANY other human being? Are these nitwits just...clueless? 'Cause I don't get it. Somebody 'splain it to me.

I suspect there may not be an explanation, just one more total goober in the political pressure game.

[Griffin NoName]

Appreciate the annoyance and guy sounds borish.

On the other hand, I'd take a lot of persuading to have anyone young do a website for me because they generally don't have the experience for stuff I consider important.

Now with Alpaca it didn't take me long to recognise he passed all and more of my technical AND other standards. But this is very unusual, and all the more credit to Alpaca.

I have the opposite problem. Employers on the whole don't want solid experience and skills. They want izzy wizzy kids who can produce gloss and don't consider the consequences of not having the solidity to back up the gloss.

[Sibling Chatty]

Techwise, 'paca just kicked his butt, so politely he's probably not aware he's been kicked.

I'm really sorta peeved at the whole attitude though, that teens are universally going to be a problem. JUST like every other group of humans, if you treat them as individuals and treat them with respect, they ARE just like every other group of humans. Interaction with adults on the internet HAS made a difference in the discussion level of quite a few teens.

Believe me, there are just as many nitwits, looneybirds and total wastes of protoplasm in the adult ranks as there are in the teen. It's just that the teens MIGHT have a chance to learn to behave better, but most adults don't think they need to.

"We" expect these people to be able to go to war, to vote, to hold down a job or go to advanced (not so supervised education) in very short order, but we can't treat them with the same basic civility that we'd offer someone that's 27 instead of 17??

I see a generation that's coming up now that realizes the problems their youth can present, and they're trying hard to NOT be the "rotten teenagers" that everyone speaks of with disdain. (Yeah, there are some, but there are in every age group.) On the whole, I would rather hang with most 16-24 year olds than with the 32-42 crowd. I don't know if it's just here (here, physically, this area), but I sense a much more 'able to see all sides' mindset.

Dan and I just made friends with a really nice couple. They're 19 and 20... The guys do car stuff, she and I have been sorting my books for something for her to read. She's got a high school diploma, probably won't ever go to college (going to beauty school to be a hairdresser) but is devouring everything I give her, and wants to talk about it, discuss, learn from what she's reading. I'm intrigued with the idea of the internet as a social leveler of sorts...she doesn't have any preconceived ideas about me based on age, and I don't about HER based on age. And we both think it might have to do with the wider age range of friendships on line.

[Griffin NoName]

What about the 25-31 year olds? Apart from my two who need their butts kicking, more one than the other.

Personally I don't come across a lot of anti-teenagers. Although certain sectors of youth culture are considered trouble.

I have always (well, from my teens onwards anyway) had friends of all ages. Given how often young friends have commented I don't treat them any different - a common one is "I can talk to you like someone my age" - I suppose it suggests others do. Maybe I have my head in the sand.

[Bluenose]

I must admit that the main problems I tend to have with people are all about attitude, nothing to do with age.

Certainly I have run across my fair share of people in IT with shiny new degrees that think they know everything, but generally know very little about the real world that their programs are going to be used in, but I don't think it is so much a factor of their youth (although, obviously most recent uni grads are relatively young, that is just a function of how education works) as one of lack of experience in the particualr field.  I once had the "pleasure" of working with a recent IT graduate who was mid forties in age and was an engineer before changing career to IT and he was simply hopeless as a programmer.  (Mind you, I would not want to drive over a bridge designed by this bloke, either!)  He simply did not seem to be able to recognise the failure of his programs to perform as specified.  I once had to re-write a program on the spot during the implementation of a major system for which he had written, tested and had signed off as complete a very simple program designed to perform some simple accumulation tasks on a flat file.  It took me about 45 minutes to write and test, he had had three weeks.  Basically, I do not think age has much to do with it.  Attitude is the problem!

[Alpaca]

First of all, Chatty, you flatter me much more than I deserve.

I agree that respect ought to be given regardless of age. Older age generally lends itself to greater experience, yes. But I feel that the fact does not preclude younger people from having some degree of ability.

Mutual respect is something that I find valuable and constructive. I respect those around me and openly accept that they may have much more ability and experience in certain fields than I do, and I am willing to learn from them, and I can accept that they may have less than I do in particular fields, and I am still willing to learn from them. I respect my fellow human beings enough to give the benefit of the doubt, so to speak, in assuming potential in both them and me for mutual growth.

And I greatly appreciate, and immediately respect more, a person who exhibits some form of this respect towards me.

[Sibling Chatty]

Evidently, this last few weeks have been my time to Meet the Morons. I have been surrounded with middle aged people that just can't even SEE a teen without being rude about, if not to, them. From the rude salesclerk at the auto parts store (who I almost had to smack to get him to wait on the kid that was there, at the counter waiting to check out when I was still getting out of the car) to the horrid admissions clerk at the hospital, I have just been appalled at the lack of courtesy to young folks who were, in EVERY instance, being patient, courteous and well mannered.

I dunno, maybe it's the heat...but it has been annoying to the point that when "this guy" was being a jerk ANYWAY, I just decided that he needed a lecture in tolerance for ALL people.

Of course, now that he's learned how to spell Joomla, and what a discussion forum is, maybe he can begin  to realize that he's got a resource that most people would pay big buck for, and he's only got it if he can behave decently...

Attitude is the thing. Now, why some people expect to dish out some pretty nasty attitude without getting back?? I dunno...

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Why do I have the words 'respect for the aged' in my mind while reading this?  'you should give me respect but don't expect me to respect you..." 
---
My kid's violin teacher is still a teen (he is 18-19) and I know him for the past 3-4 years. He knows more of history, archeology, architecture (that is his mayor) and music than many 'adults' I've met, but for some reason in the opera (where I met him) some older folks keep talking about 'those high school kids' (that come from an arts school) in not so kind terms. Mostly the remarks come from not so talented people but once or twice you get some pearls from the guys who know their stuff.

Is it that they feel threatened by the younger generation, or is it simply the result of a generalization/extrapolation from the news and the few mis adapted teens around (as if there were no 'adults' and older sociopaths)?

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

I really can't answer that, but it would make sense to me. Or that some older people are convinced that teenagers are smart-mouth brats or killers.

I've gotten that sort of behavior on a few occasions. About two years ago, I was regularly volunteering at one of my local museums, and I was working the front desk. The lady who was working the shop wandered across to my desk and asked me where I was going to school. When she found out I was in high school, she looked at me like I was going to steal from her, and terminated the conversation by almost running across the foyer.

Most other adults I deal with are usually pretty respectful, if on occasional asking me stupid questions to make sure I know what's going on. Especially the old ladies, for whatever reason. They always are really neat people and are easy to work with.

[Griffin NoName]

People get fixated on minorities. Minorities that have issues are hyped in the media. Also, one just gets plain tired

I was turning from a minor road into the high road today when a women dragged her 8 ish year old kid across my car narrowly avoiding the kid going under my car. The little girl turned to me and said thank you (I slowed down!!). The mother didn't even notice. Later I drove past the mother and child again. The girl and I exchanged big grins. The mother didn't notice again. Mothers are busy people.

[anthrobabe]

As a mother who lives in a home with a 17 year old girl (and prior teen sister now 21) I can say

Teenagers Rock!