College offers puppies and coloring books to deal with finals stress

[3Gsandme]

What I SAID was that students graduate with the attitude of "What can YOUR company do for ME" rather than "Here is what I can bring to your company." There is an attitude of entitlement. I will add that there seems to also be a, "Well, I did the job, so I should get a raise" when the raises go to those who go above and beyond. It seems the minimal to get by is the most effort they want to put in.

Is EVERY person like this? No, but this is an attitude that was not there 25 years ago.

What does NOT graduating have to do with any of this. I never mentioned that. That is the norm you have seen?

I think your memory is selective. The idea that entitled people who expect raises is absolutely not a new concept. These people have existed, in some way, in every place I've ever been employed. Of course there were people who felt the company was lucky to have them. Of course there were people who did the bare minimum of their job description and expected equal raises with people who busted their butts and went above and beyond. This isn't a new phenomenon. At all.

 

[Magpie]

No, it just means she found an article that disagreed with my articles. There is not bing, bang, boom here. Think what you want to think and find arguments that support your own ideas. They are all over the internet.

She didn't mention the NY article or the Psychology Today or the many others. She mentioned ONE that she agreed with. Great, I hope that is true and the other many articles are wrong.

But I think they both have merit. There are many kids who are not prepared for life. Kids are moving back into their parents houses or not moving out at all more than ever before. Here is an NPR piece, is that newsworthy enough? Or do we dismiss this one too?

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...-young-adults-live-with-parents-than-partners

There are also young people setting the world on fire. I think that is fantastic.

I did actually address each article. I gave them a sentence each.

But no, I don't think I "tossed it out of the ring" either. That's hyperbole, and a bit embarrassing, actually.

I think each generation meets the challenges specific to it in their own way. I see no reason to believe that this generation is any more fragile than the previous one. Nor do I believe the previous generation is any more spoiled or self-indulgent than their parent's generation. And no, the fact that many people say the same thing is not, in of itself, proof of anything. Especially when it comes to "kids these days".

To quote a book I own:

"Writer Pearl S. Buck noted in a 1935 issue of Harper's Magazine that Depression-era youths, at the time called the Lost Generation but whom we now regard as the Greatest Generation, were "completely selfish . . . so sophisticated with a sort of pseudo-sophistication which is touching in its shallowness." The future heroes of World War II were described by author Maxine Davis in Lost Generation as a group that "accepts its fate with sheep-like apathy," and she suggests that "youth today . . . would not fight for states' rights or any rights, because they have no interest in them." Of course, a few years later the same youths went on to liberate Western Europe from fascism - but hindsight is 20-20."

Kids These Days, Facts and Fictions About Today's Youth, by Karen Sternheimer, pub 2006.

You should check it out. It's chock full of actual social science research.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

No, it just means she found an article that disagreed with my articles. There is not bing, bang, boom here. Think what you want to think and find arguments that support your own ideas. They are all over the internet.

She didn't mention the NY article or the Psychology Today or the many others. She mentioned ONE that she agreed with. Great, I hope that is true and the other many articles are wrong.

But I think they both have merit. There are many kids who are not prepared for life. Kids are moving back into their parents houses or not moving out at all more than ever before. Here is an NPR piece, is that newsworthy enough? Or do we dismiss this one too?

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...-young-adults-live-with-parents-than-partners

There are also young people setting the world on fire. I think that is fantastic.

This article actually goes against you. It shows that the problem is wages have been dropping in real terms for quite some time now and not that the generation coming of age is coddled. Quite the opposite. They have it harder than Gen Y, Gen X, or the Boomers. And yet on the whole they're a hard working and caring bunch.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

It is kind of stupid to get upset over this stuff. We had puppies at my college right before finals 13 years ago. It was just something the dorms did, I don't even think it was widely advertised. The people who went certainly weren't quaking snowflakes in fear of the world. It was just some 18-20 year olds who missed their dogs at home. Our dorm had a budget to spend on little parties or events for the students and this was one of the things they picked.

I feel like people are digging deep for things like this so they can trumpet at how coddled the younger generations need to be.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

It is kind of stupid to get upset over this stuff. We had puppies at my college right before finals 13 years ago. It was just something the dorms did, I don't even think it was widely advertised. The people who went certainly weren't quaking snowflakes in fear of the world. It was just some 18-20 year olds who missed their dogs at home. Our dorm had a budget to spend on little parties or events for the students and this was one of the things they picked.

I feel like people are digging deep for things like this so they can trumpet at how coddled the younger generations need to be.

I know really. Who could possibly be upset at college kids (yeah I know they're 18 but they're still kids to me) having some time with puppies? It's good for the kids and good for the puppies too!! How bitter must someone be to have to go through 20 stages of mental gymnastics to get upset at that?

 

[DawnM]

The piece you quoted actually works against your opinion though. It isn't saying more kids are unprepared for life now but rather even those who are prepared, are making a fraction of what their 1970s counterparts would have when adjusted for inflation. So they are willing to move out but due to the financial burdens of student loans coupled with earning less (when adjusted for inflation of course) means these "kids" simply can't afford to move out. It never points to their coddled upbringing as the reason why but rather the Great Rescission and the lead up to that.

Yeah, sorry, I am too tired tonight to find the article I had found before. I will have to do it tomorrow.....or not. Not sure I care enough to really take it any further.

I love puppies. I hate coloring. Whatever.

I hope the next generation is indeed better than the previous several. I am not convinced, but hopefully I am proven wrong. I know some fantastic youth. Hopefully they will set the world on fire.

 

[DawnM]

I know really. Who could possibly be upset at college kids (yeah I know they're 18 but they're still kids to me) having some time with puppies? It's good for the kids and good for the puppies too!! How bitter must someone be to have to go through 20 stages of mental gymnastics to get upset at that?

And yet you made a big deal out of it and needed to slam people, not only me.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

And yet you made a big deal out of it and needed to slam people, not only me.

I didn't slam you at all. The post you quoted was mainly referring to the shock jocks on the radio acting like it's the end of the world. As for me saying by metaphor you're losing your arguments you're getting into left and right, that's not a slam.
And you're the one continuing to argue with multiple posters after you said you'd stop. So it seems to me you're the one making the big deal out of it.

 

[3Gsandme]

Yeah, sorry, I am too tired tonight to find the article I had found before. I will have to do it tomorrow.....or not. Not sure I care enough to really take it any further.

I love puppies. I hate coloring. Whatever.

I hope the next generation is indeed better than the previous several. I am not convinced, but hopefully I am proven wrong. I know some fantastic youth. Hopefully they will set the world on fire.

They are better, but they're different and we need to accept that and part of it is understanding they're going to do a better job of taking care of their mental health than the boomers and x'ers did. Depression, stress, anxiety; these things aren't taboo to today's kids. They're not dirty little secrets. They're more understanding and supportive.

If you want them to set the world on fire, you have to give them some room and refrain from judging them for things you don't understand.

 

[DawnM]

I didn't slam you at all. The post you quoted was mainly referring to the shock jocks on the radio acting like it's the end of the world. As for me saying by metaphor you're losing your arguments you're getting into left and right, that's not a slam.
And you're the one continuing to argue with multiple posters after you said you'd stop. So it seems to me you're the one making the big deal out of it.

Yes, you are slamming. I have said it already. Your capital letters, exclamation points, in this and other threads, coat-tailing on other people's posts.

I am not arguing, just stating my opinion.

I have said it multiple times and will say it again, these are OPINIONS and each of us can find things to support our opinions. But you love to dig and dig.

 

[Aliceacc]

Enjoy, folks.

I'm out. This thread has lost appeal for me-- and I suspect I'm not the only one.

 

[Donnainnj]

Every time discussions like this are on the board I can't help thinking of this Monty Python Skit

 

[China Expat]

I just went home at lunch to take a nap and pet my dog. I have had a stressful week. I am 58.

 

[EveDallas]

I feel like people are digging deep for things like this so they can trumpet at how coddled the younger generations need to be.

Ding, ding, ding!! We have a winner!

 

[sunshinehighway]

It is kind of stupid to get upset over this stuff. We had puppies at my college right before finals 13 years ago. It was just something the dorms did, I don't even think it was widely advertised. The people who went certainly weren't quaking snowflakes in fear of the world. It was just some 18-20 year olds who missed their dogs at home. Our dorm had a budget to spend on little parties or events for the students and this was one of the things they picked.

I feel like people are digging deep for things like this so they can trumpet at how coddled the younger generations need to be.

This.

It's funny because they also seem to be pretty fast to accuse people of attacking them. I don't know, sounds like they need a safe space where they can grumble about puppies, coloring books and these kids today

 

[kamik86]

What I SAID was that students graduate with the attitude of "What can YOUR company do for ME" rather than "Here is what I can bring to your company." There is an attitude of entitlement. I will add that there seems to also be a, "Well, I did the job, so I should get a raise" when the raises go to those who go above and beyond. It seems the minimal to get by is the most effort they want to put in.

Is EVERY person like this? No, but this is an attitude that was not there 25 years ago.

What does NOT graduating have to do with any of this. I never mentioned that. That is the norm you have seen?

This may not be so much a product of the generation as much as the job market.

When I graduated I got several interviews, multiple offers, and I was being selective about where I ever applied. If I didn't have offers I would have branched that out a bit more but it wasn't an issue. Due to this I had to look at what the companies could do for me to determine where I wanted to work. I took a job at a company that was in a location near my family, paid extremely well, had a sign on bonus, and promised to pay for me to go to grad school. By graduation I didn't know anyone in the computer majors that didn't have a job offer in hand, even some of the students with pretty questionable academic records.

Right now graduates have a similar situation. If you factor in cost of living where I live my company and location pays extremely well, this location better than many others at the company even, and yet we are still having a really hard time recruiting people. We aren't in a situation anymore of getting multiple qualified applicants for each job post but rather where applicants are getting multiple job offers. Many students are turning down offers here because they don't want to live in the area, which is causing our company to up social activities and other benefits.

Now a few years ago when we were getting multiple qualified job applicants per position we were being much more selective and asking what each applicant would bring to the company. That is simple economics and not a factor in how the generation was raised.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

This may not be so much a product of the generation as much as the job market.

When I graduated I got several interviews, multiple offers, and I was being selective about where I ever applied. If I didn't have offers I would have branched that out a bit more but it wasn't an issue. Due to this I had to look at what the companies could do for me to determine where I wanted to work. I took a job at a company that was in a location near my family, paid extremely well, had a sign on bonus, and promised to pay for me to go to grad school. By graduation I didn't know anyone in the computer majors that didn't have a job offer in hand, even some of the students with pretty questionable academic records.

Right now graduates have a similar situation. If you factor in cost of living where I live my company and location pays extremely well, this location better than many others at the company even, and yet we are still having a really hard time recruiting people. We aren't in a situation anymore of getting multiple qualified applicants for each job post but rather where applicants are getting multiple job offers. Many students are turning down offers here because they don't want to live in the area, which is causing our company to up social activities and other benefits.

Now a few years ago when we were getting multiple qualified job applicants per position we were being much more selective and asking what each applicant would bring to the company. That is simple economics and not a factor in how the generation was raised.

What kind of company do you work for? My boyfriend is looking for work

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Yes, you are slamming. I have said it already. Your capital letters, exclamation points, in this and other threads, coat-tailing on other people's posts.

I am not arguing, just stating my opinion.

I have said it multiple times and will say it again, these are OPINIONS and each of us can find things to support our opinions. But you love to dig and dig.

What you really want is to throw your opinions out there and not have them subject to scrutiny. But by all means blame the messenger.