young people are so soft these days

[maggiemagooo]

Today i went down to the local rememberance day parade in penetang...it was definitely moving to see all the vets that were out to remember their fallen comrades. But i have one comment to make... while standing there observing the ceremonies, i heard alot of young people (15-30 something of age) complaining of the cold and that it was so boring to stand around. What the hell??? Up front and center were all the vets, standing in the cold like the rest of us, with bodies alot less strong than our young bodies , and they managed without a grimace. Their poor knees looked like they could barely walk or stand , and yet they stood proud throughout. No chairs were set up for them, although they are definitely derserving to have them if they wanted to.
Everywhere i go nowadays, young people seem to be getting a little bit too soft physically, they do nothing but complain about any sort of physical activity that they may have to do, and when they do exert themselves , they complain afterwards for days...
Now i'm not saying ALL young people are like this but there is a vast number out there that fit this description, and it definitely bothers me!!! What has happened to our young people??? I'm afraid that in years  to come that we might not have around the type of men and women who are strong enough physically or mentally , to defend our freedoms , like those vets that were out in the cold today.
Cheers to them!!!
Sorry about the vent session but i had to!!!

 

[jonsey]

What's happened is years of television, computers and videogames, not to mention the lack of proper education about the subject of this holiday.

Kids have become lazy (myself included, but I'm attempting to rectify that). They expect things to happen for them with little effort on their part.




<possible innapropriate humor>


Heh, maybe we need another world war to whip these kids into shape.


</possible innapropriate humor>

 

[Alex252]

Heh, maybe we need another world war to whip these kids into shape.

Probably not the best thing to say on Remembrance Day :

 

[Bert]

There may be a case to say the current generation desires "instant gratification" and standing out in the
cold certainly isn't that.  Yet, I recall as a youngster growing up in another decade and kids were not
much different.  The legacies of WW2 and Korea for most were far away.  It might be more interesting to
compare a 30 year old from the 1960s and a 30 year old from the 2000s and see what different.

 

[zerhash]

People are weak and idle!

It has to do with everything about our way of life. From fast food chains on every corner to the education system not enforcing gym activities past grade 9.

If you look at the middle east or war torn countries they dont have any of those luxories and they get to walk everywhere they go. Their labour is manual and not done by a machine that mass produces for them.

The average household in america has how many vehicles compared to the average bosnian household?

look at the chineese. Their way of life is based on manuel labour. If we were to go up against them we would be faced with some seriously motivated troops.

whats that line from appocolypse now? "Charlie didnt have time for R&R. They were moving to fast. Charlies idea of R&R was some cold rice". -inaccurate quote (off the top of my head)

 

[Sh0rtbUs]

another was "The longer I sit here in Saigon, i grow weaker. Every moment Charlie squats in the bush, he grows stronger" (something like that.

Simply put, life is too easy for us. Everything we need is placed before us on a silver platter. I blame alot of the parents as well.

 

[Bert]

Good points. 

The industrialization of the west and the conveniences of today have been evolving for some time
especially in urban societies.  I don't agree with your logic Zerhash.  There are other examples that
disprove them but I understand where you're coming from.  Effective troops come of good leadership,
training, and tools.  Motivation is good if its common, directed, and used in the intent of the battle.

I think Canadian society is generally peaceful and makes an effort to remember its participation in
wars.  As time moves on, attachments to historical events lessens with every generation.  Who
remembers the War of 1812, the Boer War, or engagements on Canadian soil by military or police
units from 1850 to 1911?  Other than whats studied in history class, these event are fuzzy in our minds.
Events in more recent times may be more remain sharp and clear.

Like what was mentioned earlier, safe secure Canadian society and efforts to make others safe
as well has been undertaken by the efforts of courageous people.  Many people and not only
kids fail to see this.  How many know of Canadian military participation around the world who
try to make a difference in the lives of besieged people?  I figure through media, events, and
school, the efforts of historical and recent Canadian military participation (and those directed by
the government who may not be military) be remembered.

 

[zerhash]

i think the public is not nearly educated enough in what the military does.

from my own experiances everybody seems to think that canada is in iraq. maybe that is because our media and politics is so tightly wound around the american government or the concensus that canada is american.

as for remembering wars the education system could do a much better job of teaching. I think ive spent more time learning about the history of natives than what our military has done. I personaly dont remember the boer war ever being taught, nor vimy ridge, nor operation market garden (just for an example of the detail that goes into the materials taught).

i think a good solution would be to show war films in classes such as a bridge too far, zulu, etc etc. how many students these days can tell you about the somalian inquiries?

im ranting off topic now but i think the reason we are so soft also has to do with the education system.

 

[Garry]

Have any of you heard of the concept of "personal responsibility?"

Quit making excuses. Want to see who made you lazy? Look in the mirror.

Cheers-Garry

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I am sure kids complained of cold and boredom at cenotaph services in the 1930s, too, this isn't the new phenomenon that everyone pretends it is.  I am sure the generation that fought the First World War pretty much felt that teenagers in the 1930s or 1950s had it way too easy also.   

 

[maggiemagooo]

yes micheal, i suppose you are right, every generation probably thought that the upcoming generations have it way too easy. I remember the stories (i'm sure you have all heard them too) from my father and mother of how they all had to walk to school 10 miles, all up hill, in the freezing rain and snow, no school buses, or parents to drive us around : I guess my parents made sure that i participated in outdoor activities, we weren't allowed to sit around the house watching tv all day, and i did walk to school, i didn't get driven there by my parents. My parents took us camping , we didn't stay in hotel rooms. My parents made sure that i had everythig i needed, and did their best to make my life easier than theirs was, but they didn't baby me. And i guess by doing these things , i gained a sense of appreciation for the things that make my life easier, but also an understanding not to let those things make me lazy either. I have a great respect for people who have lived and still live harder lives than I do.

 

[white]

In the book "Amongst the Marines" the drill instructor talks about the old days when the kids could put up with alot more but he said these days the younger generation aren't very tough and so they've had to change the way the recruits are treated and bring down the enrollment standards. Haven't they also had to do the same thing with the CF. I guess kids really started going down hill when they came out with the first nintendo 

 

[patt]

if u take todays kids (basicly my generation) and put it into the early '60 i bet u any money they wouldnt survive..

 

[48Highlander]

In the book "Amongst the Marines" the drill instructor talks about the old days when the kids could put up with alot more but he said these days the younger generation aren't very tough and so they've had to change the way the recruits are treated and bring down the enrollment standards. Haven't they also had to do the same thing with the CF. I guess kids really started going down hill when they came out with the first nintendo    

Can't say for certain, but from what I've been told, 20 years ago you had to be able to do something like 60 pushups just to get in.  These days males have to do less than 20, and female standards are even lower than the male.  Something I CAN say from personal experience is that the physical training on courses these days is MUCH easier than when I joined, and I've only been in for 6 years.  And on my basic course, OUR staff used to call us weak and "the nintendo generation"   The standards deffinitely have declined, but I don't think anyone could give you an objective statement on how much.

 

[Freight_Train]

Have any of you heard of the concept of "personal responsibility?"

Quit making excuses. Want to see who made you lazy? Look in the mirror.

Cheers-Garry

  ;D

 

[Acorn]

I received 50 pushups the morning of my first day of Battle School "back in the day."

Is 50 even a normal number anymore?

Acorn

 

[HollywoodHitman]

They say a max of 25-ish at a time and only for PT, not discipline/punishment..........Anyone else heard similar numbers? I seem to recall the questions being asked of 'people in the know' and noone even committing to a concrete answer..........

I remember being in agony at doing multiple sets of pushups at the hands of my instructors.......Wondering if it were ever going to end...."The Red light is on Gentlemen!!!"......I also clearly remember a short time later thinking this is AWESOME! I can do these all day! These guys are really onto something! Looking back, I loved it. I really did.



TM

 

[48Highlander]

When instructing on courses I've never been told an "official" number for how many pushups you're allowed to do at once.  The rule of thumb seems to be no more than 20, although you can do multiple sets as long as you stop in between.  The most creative way I've seen of using that rule was on my leadership course when the section commander had us do 20, then stop, 19, then stop, so on all the way down to 1.  So we ended up doing around 100 without technically breaking any rule.  The thing is, as long as physical standards are lax, and instructors are afraid of being accused of mistreating their troops, the level of training will always depend on the individual staff.  Some will always go by the book, and others will always bend or break the rules and hope for the best.  I know that during my basic course our WO got reamed pretty good for some of the things he had us do, but he didn't seem to give a s**t, as long as his candidates got the best training he could provide.

 

[camochick]

Hey, I saw the worst parade ever. The military people didnt march right and one guy was giggling and stumbling around. we figured he was drunk or something. It was disgracefull because the veterans marched better than they did. Way to show respect eh!

 

[canadianblue]

Well, I'm a 17 year old in grade 12, and yes kids these days are way to soft. The biggest problem by far is video games, and the huge emergence of fast food chains on every block. In Parkland Country their are three McDonalds, each one mile apart. I usually only go their once a week if I'm feeling hungry, and wanting something cheap. A big problem is video games, when I was 12 and younger I did'nt play any video games, I always played army or cops and robbers outside. I'm surprised at how some youths can play video games for hours on end. Plus another problem is alot of kids do drugs, so thats going to have a negative effect on their health.  Nowadays I can only play a video game for maybe 45 minutes maximum, and then can't stand sitting around for so long. I've decided to go running at least 3 times a week, and run atleast 4-6 miles a day. I'm also trying to do at least 3 sets of 30 pushups, and 3 sets of 35 situps, atleast 3 times a week.

But here is another problem, right now whenever I want to get a fruit drink, water, or any other healthier drink it is usually double the price of a pop. So is it any wonder why people are getting obese, usually all of the crap food is by far the cheapest on the market. The solution I believe is to make junk food more expensive while at the same time making it more cheap to buy healthier food and drinks.

I don't think I could ever do 60 pushups, the maximum I think that I can get is about 50. I'm really working hard at them, I'm gonna re-evaluate my workout, and try to do maybe 100 a day in different sets throughout the day, the same with situps.