This is so true. Let's get back to that day right after 911 where people were reaching out to their neighbors with love and compassion. Unfortunately that spirit did not last long enough. And for the youth, they are missing out because they are not being trained and developed and life for a handful is too easy. What I want to create for this world is generous communication. Most difficulties can be overcome with communication, and I don't mean tex-messaging. Write someone a hand written letter and see what happens. Share random acts of kindness on a daily basis and remember "Love everyone, because behind every smile is a secret sorrow" Love and light, Linda S.
who is this guy? He is awesome. He speaks exactly what I would like to say to people. "We are sitting in a chair in the sky" everyone should see this....
I love Louis CK. He is one of the best standups around. What a good comedian does is to remind us of that thing that is funny that we didn't see as funny the first time. Comedians also have that inate intelligence to recognize what is true and to see through all the BS. They are the truth tellers of our society just like the court jesters of old. If you tell the truth and can do it in a funny way, you won't get your head chopped off. That's the power of laughter.
In the 1960's they told us technology would shorten our work week and give us more free holiday time....like spending quality time with family. NOT. Don't get me wrong; I love technology and how it adds to my business in particular. But we need to always remember why God put us on this earth to begin with...in a word...relationships. Let's appreciate relationships and if technology helps us with that, great. If it takes away....well I think you get my point. Anita
ENTITLEMENT! A generation of people that they are entitiled to complain about everything! Ingrates! I love flying; it is amazing. You are so on top of it, CK.
who is this guy? He is awesome. He speaks exactly what I would like to say to people. "We are sitting in a chair in the sky" everyone should see this....
BTW, the correct URL is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_CK (your post has a . between the C & K).
No, that's merely a redirect to the actual URL which is what I posted.
Unfortunately, when I posted the correct URL, Multiply's magic turn-URLs-into-links didn't realize that the trailing . was also important, and put it outside the link. I've manually fixed the HTML in my earlier comment, so it works now. :)
this video is hilarious. he's so right. we're so used to all the mod cons that we expect it all to work fast, and to work all the time. just look at the whinges whenever multiply is down for two minutes...
very tempted next time I fly to start shouting excitedly "hey everybody do you realise we're FLYING in the SKY!!!" but they won't have a straitjacket my size.
I think much the same thing when, for example, my co-worker complains about waiting 15 minutes for the airline to de-ice the plane. At least we're not going to get stuck in New England for the entire winter, we get to go home, and hey, bonus, we're not going to die because the wing flaps won't work.
This is by far one of the best statements of fact, even if masked by humour. I miss the simpler days. The days where Mom told us to follow the 'yellow' line and see where it takes us and we did! Without worry of injury or abduction or destruction of property. She worked and so did Dad, just like families have to today, however the employers back then also put YOUR family values first, simply because they too had families to care for. Neighbours were interested in your life, not necessary to be nosey but because there was true empathy and caring. Kids went to the neighbours house for safety or just a cup of sugar... the neighbour could have been next door or a whole block away, but you still knew them and addressed them as Mr or Mrs. A kinder simpler time. One where we notice someone’s mood and 'care to ask about it' not criticize it. A more open time, where it was YOU sharing your own 'dirty laundry' at a casual dinner party where friends, family AND neighbours attended. Our society has lost pride in ourselves and as carpenters of life. We are so steadfast in building new 'gadgets' to suffice the world of 'faster, better, bolder', but where is the 'you'? There is no heart in a machine, in a wave length, in sending text msgs or IMs. Remember a hug does a person better than an email. Thanks for the space to rant my personal misses. And just for the record, I too have the mp3/IM/cellular phone, laptop and other gadgets my so-called work requires. However I remember at least once a week to leave it all at home and go, just drive to a personal adventure with the family to remember what it's like to be 100 % focused on the people around me and not on the world's interruptions. Try and remember what it’s like to get lost in the awesomeness of nature and the sparkle in your spouse’s or children’s eyes. God Bless -
A kinder simpler time. One where we notice someone’s mood and 'care to ask about it' not criticize it. A more open time, where it was YOU sharing your own 'dirty laundry' at a casual dinner party where friends, family AND neighbours attended. Our society has lost pride in ourselves and as carpenters of life.
someone in the Bible study i lead was saying some very similar things just last week. in some ways, i agree. it was a time of more safety for people like my parents or grandparents when they were kids. they could wander away from home all day long and be reasonably safe. neighbors did get more involved in each others lives.
at the same time, the KKK was growing in membership, blacks got the crap-covered end of the stick, we might not have had to worry about sending our kids out to play but we did have to worry that our teenage sons might be called up to go to war, my grandfather was an integral part of the unions in both the coal mining industry in PA and the auto making industry in MI, not because he thought unions were fun but because employers were taking advantage of the workers. ...
i think things change over time and we trade one set of problems for another. it's easy to look back and think, "those were better days." but really, those were better days because we forget the economic, social, racial, etc. struggles that we went through and remember the nostalgic bits that are replayed over and over to us in movies and in our selective memories.
that's not to say that we can't look back and be reminded of things that were good in the past and that we've lost sight of today -- not relying too heavily on credit is a great example -- but at the same time i think that in over idolizing the past we do those who went before us -- who fought for us to be able to have an 8 hour work day, a lunch break, the ability to sit anywhere in a restaurant without regard to the color of our skin, etc. -- a disservice by not recognizing the past struggles as well.
Liked the video and your comments barefootmeg. Technologist change the world but not the ethics. Nothing is either good or bad just how we use it. That should not be lost in the wash. Christians that cry for war should do more than read the good book, Atheists who deny the supernatural, deny their own spirit. Ignorance is not bliss just ignorance.
I thought the piece was very funny. But it may be too easy to degrade the generation in question. No generation or age group becomes what they are in a vacuum; they are the product of the previous generation's choices and actions. That makes it more complicated (and probably less funny), but it's a fuller, more accurate description of the situation.
Take the impatient cell phone user: is he or she's impatience influenced by anything? Perhaps it's the continuous inundation of advertisements for "lighting fast" or "high speed" networks? They are the most advertised to generation ever...EVER. Think of what that means. There lack of satisfaction or appreciation is what the constant ads intend--they are being trained to look for the next bigger, better, faster, slimmer, more fashionable item. The world is changing. The expectations of the youth are changing with it.
The above information/viewpoint doesn't have to condone or be happy with the way "things" are going. I just think we have a responsibility to see the whole picture.
The world is changing. The expectations of the youth are changing with it.
rob and i were just talking about the economy and what possible solutions might look like. the problem with "job creation" is that that leads to "stuff creation" which leads to "need creation" (as you mentioned, AP, when you talked about advertising) which leads to consumption which leads to credit (we just watched Cashed Out last night. i'd recommend it. it's basically a movie showing we're all greedy, no matter what socio-economic status, whether we're talking about individuals, corporations or the gov. and it makes one wonder if the anti-usury rules of the middle ages need to be brought back into play.) ... so it doesn't seem like "job creation" in itself is really a long term solution. yes, it would be great if everyone that wanted a job could get a job, but then what do we do with all the stuff? and how do we learn to scale back our purchases (esp. on credit) without having that negatively affect the economy?
it seems like there are so many pieces to the puzzle that it's hard to get a handle on.
Thanks for the film recommendation, and I like your assessment of the often uncritically accepted solution of "job creation." If we don't need something, we aren't being good consumers. And depending on your viewpoint (level of cynicism), a good consumer could equate to being a good American. Most people don't want to admit they feel like they need something (some kind of product) to be a part of mainstream culture. I have to consciously remind myself that my current laptop is fine, despite it's no longer the newest of its kind.
What can counteract the push of consumerism that surrounds us all? It looks like we have to be willing to make tough decisions both as a country and as individuals.
This reminds me of documentary I saw on PBS a few years ago. It presented a critical look at consumer culture in 20th century America and made a plausible argument for the connection between our constant need for newer and better products and function of personal relationships. In so many words, they posit that the rise in divorce may be connected with willingness to upgrade. Something to think about.
absolutely correct.. I share the same view points about the spoiled brats of today.. who text all the time, and are always on their phones as if their worlds are so important, no one can miss a single nano second of what's happening in their lives.. I can relate totally to what he says about dialing and someone having 0's in their number.. let's learn to say thank you for the modern conveniences we have, and be greatful!
also about flight.. I'm always amazed at how you get on a plane, when you land the wonder of being in a foreign country to me is awesome. think about it. you get on , sit down, and in a few hours you're somewhere else completely.. different time zones.. climate and culture.. it's amazing in the simplicity of it!
maybe the new president will make him in charge of awareness, and a sense of community, after all, this is the year of the earth ox, and the global consciousness is raised to doing something for others. With new hope, on a global scale in the minds of many, surely, this generation of instant messaging can be made to realize what it was like before this technology was available.
I'd like to hear more about 'billzee'..His background, age, occupancy, experiences? How do you get off saying that the technologies of this day and age are not amazing? In fact, they're improving by the second..Wake up ol' timer, it's the 21st century!!!
Dumpster Dave I was homeless for fourteen years. A lot happened while I was away. How could I not be grateful. Yet I complain (to GOD and myself) when things don't work properly. I need to be more grateful and less assuming. THANK YOU FOR THE REALITY CHECK....
If you've never seen a comedian before in your entire life, I guess this guy would be funny. This rant is just an unoriginal, regurgitated updated routine done by comedians decades ago.
Listen up folks, as I think many of you need to pay some attention to this. Louis C.K. (aka Louis Szekely) was born in 1967 and is now 41 years old. He is right; we do a lot of great and amazing things now days and need to remember that. However, what we (the younger spoiled generation (I’m 25 years old)) have come to expect as ordinary and take for granted, people who are older still say… “I remember when I had to use a rotary telephone and took forever to dial a phone number. Now you have mobile computers the size of a small paper pamphlet that you can use to call anywhere in the world to, access the internet and use as a GPS device with navigation (iPhone).” Yes that is true and yes it’s a great thing, but that’s progress for you. You didn’t hear him talking about the people who in 1880, after Thomas Edison invented the long lasting filament, that would complain about not having light. And even he said back in his day that he would get pissy because someone that had a “0” in their telephone number. He is kind of being a hypocrite. He himself is complaining about the ability to digitally transmit ones voice through wires and it coming out on the other end.
All I’m saying is that what I am used to right now will be so far out dated, that by the time I’m 50 I too will be able to say “Remember when.”
He was so funny. But, he forgot so much.....party lines, so many short and long rings so you know its your phone ringing. We didn't have self pump gas stations, the gas station did it for you and checked under the hood. the registers at the grocery store weren't automatic. The workers had to push in the amount of your purchase. what else.....there's so much. as kids we actually went out to play and didn't have to worry about getting kidnapped. We were gone all day. We walked or rode bikes, our parents never drove us....unless it was to church. How about we were all afraid of our parent and we respected them. whatever...............life goes on........my kids missed the fun times I had. 51 year old mom in texas
How DARE the "old generation" berate the current one. My generation (I am 30) is a product of an environment that the old generation created, promoted and continues to control. My generation will in fact be the one to suffer for the misdeeds of the greedy, selfish, utterly SPOILED series of generations that made up the bulk of the 20th century, and squandered all the wonderful resources of the earth on war and bigotry that the old generation continues to support. We will have to adjust our expectation downward while the boomers merrily retire to cushy pensions on their yachts. We will have to be the ones to remake this world from the bottom up. Grow up, please, all of you, and what's more, take off your rose coloured spectacles.
looking at your name i doubt that you will come back to see this but i'm goign to say it anyways. Where i agree with part of what your saying you are forgetting a MAJOR part of this. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND STOP BLAMMING OTHERS FOR ISSUES THAT YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER!! You want things to change? Then be that change! Stand up and grow a pair and lead the way. Don't cower behind this "Product of my environment" bull crap. God gave you self will that you migth go forth and make him proud. Again, accept responsibility and take responsibility.
"You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5
If you wish to be miserable and feel sorry for yourself, life will give you all the excuses you need. I grew up in the slums of North Philly. I no longer live in the barrio. I worked my freaking ass off 6 days a week at every job that I could get my hands on, and learned and got better and made more money than I ever thought possible. I am not rich, I am successful. Grab your ass and lift it.
wow. isn't it great that one has the gift of insight and comedy, to help highlight the weakness of our hallucination of deserving entitlements? yes, we are Americans, so we are 'built' on 'rights'. depending on your faith, one will recognize that humans 'feel' they have rights, yet if you are a believer that Jesus Christ came to earth, lived as a human, suffered for us (go ahead, read about crucifixion), for our sins, our bad decisions, our iniquity, then perhaps that would help ALL of us. the dude is right, MANY of us are 'spoiled idiots'. let's make sure we can all look in the mirror, make the step in our personal life, to not be the new 'si'. (changes the si swimsuit edition to something that becomes a personal check, eh?) thanx for sharing...
Hey growuppeople, the "old generation" you are berating WON'T be trotting off to yachts and cushy pensions -- they'll be paying for your stupid "needs" and listening to your complaints about how life is so tough for you. Yes, we made lots of mistakes. Yes, there are things we should have done better. But the main thing we should have done is STOP trying to make things so flipping easy for you! Because we didn't want you to face the hardships that we faced, we made the HUGE mistake of not teaching you the reality of what life really is. Life is not a playground, a circus,or a hand-out. NO ONE OWES YOU ANYTHING. You talk about contributing, and you're right. We ALL, no matter the generation, need to take our eyes off ourselves and do everything in our power to help others. Maybe when we stop deciding we have to have stuff (including everything according to our own time table), and we make a moment by moment decision to live and love and enjoy what is truly real, things would turn around, regardless of where technology has or hasn't taken us. Thanks.........babyboomer
King, it has less to do with technology and more with the economics of greed. Abundance is here. We just let a control structure dictate how we should live and in the process gave away all the productivity gained by technology to put more money into the pockets of the ones doing the controlling. It is actually a pretty well thought out plan of distraction and deception. Explore it and see what you find out.
Here are some terms to start with. Look them up and tell us what you think: - Artificial Scarcity - Command and Control - Sovereign Individuality - Consumerism - Materialism
ihaitken I agree with what you say about taking responsibility, please do not misunderstand. My missive was entirely a response to the largely one sided arguments that I read on this blog. I would hardly be humble if I started listing the things that I do to "make things better", suffice it to say that it is my MO. Needless to say I get very defensive when people start to judge a whole group, and they conveniently ignore their own group's glaring sins. THis is hardly laying blame; rather, it is the simple stating of the truth. In fact I would wager that more members of this "generation of idiots" are cognizant and respectful of wide reaching global issues, and are doing more to try and change the status quo, than any previous generation. How many "old timers" are really wiling to give up their cars, their large suburban homes and wasteful ways of life? Not to even mention their wayward ideologies that got us in this present mess we are in. I would welcome any logical counter argument against what I say.
Grow, I understand your frustration and I can see now that we are more alike then I originally thought. The way you phrased this comment vs. the last makes you look like two completely different people. Do you suffer from split personalities? I agree that this “spoiled generation” that they are talking about has a lot to do with they way that this generation was raised and I hate being stereotyped as one of them. I can see the sins of our fathers as well as you can, but what good is it to our generation if the old timers are pointing fingers at us, and we just point our “collective finger” back at them? What I’m trying to say is that we can no longer bicker back and forth at who is to blame for our current situation(s). Economic, political, international relations and conflicts, industrial and individual pollution, it doesn’t matter. We must rise together and make it right, remember that the past is just that, past; and there is nothing we can do to change that. Let’s let the historians dictate in a 100, 200, or 300 years from now who is to blame. But it is OUR (not just the younger generation) RESPONSIBILITY to make sure that in 300 years some one will be hear to be able to do that. v/r Larry
GROW...the next generation will say the same about you. What goes around come around. It's the cycle of life. So, I would not be too quick to jump. ;-)
I think a lot of you totally missed his point. He wasn't saying remember when? at all. He was commenting on our collective sense of entitlement. Our generation, as well as so many others, tends to take for granted what we have. That's what he is saying. We have so much, let's not take it for granted. Let's be thankful, patient, and generous. If we all had that attitude, the world would be a very different place.
binahbaby wrote on Feb 9, '09, edited on Feb 9, '09
to the person who responded by saying the poor 30-somethings are victims of all of us 'older' persons who are going to retire with cushy pensions and yachts? what world are YOU living in?
I agree with this guy 100%. I would like to see cell phones, internet, airplanes and all those great things we have now, go on hold for just one week. Maybe then the world will appreciate what we have and quit being so angry because the automatic key door opener doesn't work.......USE YOUR FREAKING KEY.
You know, I didn't really hear Louis at all talking about entitlement this first time around. But now that you mention it I can see it. But here’s the catch, we are entitled to a certain amount of things. If I pay my cell phone company $100 a month, I am entitled to have service and the “3G” network. If I pay $400 for a round trip ticket departing LAX at a certain time, and arriving at a certain time, I am entitled to it. I did my part and paid for this service, why should the company that is providing the service be let off the hook? That’s not being spoiled at all, that’s getting what you paid for. If you went to the grocery store and paid market rate for 50 pounds of shrimp, but only received 25, wouldn’t you be a little pissed?
Well, yeah, I suppose you can get pissed. Just keep in mind that the grocery store needs to take in this little thing called "profit." You know, that little thing that secures countless jobs throughout the world, and keeps them in business...
I'm sitting here at school in the food lounge and laughing out loud this is so stinkin true. We should be ashamed of ourselves for behaving in a way that would make someone make fun of us! Hahaha. Awesome!
Coming from a Seppo its ok for him to say all this I suppose. Americans are the most spoilt and overly expectant group on the planet. The next 10-20 years in the US will 'reset' their expectations well and truly. Like all aspects of life, they will have to go through this cycle of loss and deprivation before continuing any further. Enjoy the show; I know I will. :]
As a 30something who works with youth I have to say: it's the Boomers. Stop whining already! My gen and the one after me doesn't sit around and gab--we go DO. Sorry if you don't like what we're doing, but that's called PROGRESS. And if people were always content with all the stuff we already had we'd still be hunter-gatherers. Sorry you're old and the world has changed. Remember when you didn't trust anyone over 30?
LOL This confirms my belief that the baby boomers AND their children are the worst generation in human history...bougthoff, coopted, shallow. I guess this was the result of the 60's. me
He is great! I have said many times if people from the 1800's could come back they would think we are all a bunch of whiney babies. Just watch Oprah and you'll see all these women crying about how life is so hard and they have to go to work then come home and cook and clean, try riding in a wagon across 5 states with 3 babies and another on the way and a man poking at you on the ground for more sex.....whiney whiney
Yes it often is. There are satellite links in the network
i'm not sure who you're replying to here, liti03jtemple. if you'd like to quote someone (so we know who you're replying to) all you have to do is click the "reply" link to the above right of the comment you want to quote from. then either click the box next to "quote original message" to quote the entire comment, or highlight the bit you want to quote first then click the box. :-)
LOL This confirms my belief that the baby boomers AND their children are the worst generation in human history...bougthoff, coopted, shallow. I guess this was the result of the 60's. me
i don't think that's the point of what CK is saying. we're all spoiled, not just the boomers.
i don't think he was trying to point fingers at a particular generation, but to point fingers back upon ourselves, all of ourselves. i think it's common that we get caught up in what we Should have and forget to be thankful for what we Do have.
Well, yeah, I suppose you can get pissed. Just keep in mind that the grocery store needs to take in this little thing called "profit." You know, that little thing that secures countless jobs throughout the world, and keeps them in business...
You have obviously never bought sea food. "Market Rate" is a term used to price food. Not just seafood, but it is the average cost of an item after mark up. It's like saying the "Market Rate" for AA batteries is $0.250 or something like that. So what I was trying to say is that it's like paying for 50 pounds (or kilos for our metric oriented friends) and then only getting 25 pounds. You’re paying for it, but you not getting it. Does that make sense grangechef92?
it seems in our society that wisdom has been exchanged for speed.
no time for reflection of consequences of our actions.
back 'in the day', process took longer and some of the madness we do in haste was weeded out. fullness of time and patience produce a quality of life that is missing today--this guy allows us to give our head a shake
thanks to technology I: have seen a lot of the world and now live on the other side of it, found and fell inlove with a long lost friend, can visit and easily communicate with friends and family all over the world, and be in and develope a relationship with someone on the opposite side the world... how lucky are we?! yes, good on ya Louis, for giving us that little reminder, to be appreciative.
.......hang in there....with this administration planning to play kissy-kissy, smoochy-smoochy with Ahmadinajad...and the financial rape of the American people via this "economic stimulus' package.........we may soon be drawing closer to each other from another 911 and the return of soup kitchens........no joke.
as a product of the "older generation" one who took their first flite to college (and missed it as it took off as I was standing by the gate.......not knowing where to go) I has been fortunate to be part of this generation. I am still thrilled when the phone rings (well really not, mostly annoyed at telemarketers) but appreciate all that has been reaped technologically. however, it is the greed and fraud that upsets me. most people are honest, have good value and just want to live a fulfilling life........and then there are the others who want to rape us. but whatever is happening we have done this to ourselves. its time to wake up and take care of ourselves first and then help our fellow man
Crazythang, you have hit the proverbial nail on the head, with an analog hammer, no doubt! We can only breathe at the rate we breathe, still need 7+- hours of sleep....the seasons are still within a year's time-frame....these things will remain fairly fixed, much as we humans attempt to condense and compress our world! I am 53, grew up with rotary phones, little air-conditioning, black and white TV, vinyl records, etc...and am grateful to have the technology around me, BUT I know that when I run around impatiently expecting the world to behave outside of natural boundaries, there is a price! Yes, we are increasingly spoiled, and the more we remember natural rhythms, contained within time and space, the more balanced beings we'll be. Peace Out......Sooz
I really relate to this guy! I lost my job over a year ago and we have changed our lifestyle significantly. I have started to realize how much our children does not appreciate what they have. They have this huge entitlement attitude. "Because I want..you should give." I never really noticed it so much until I had to start limiting their activities. They look at me like I am from out of space when I say "Do you have the money to pay?" I remember what it was like to work really hard for something when I was growing up. I had to work summers to get my clothes for back to school. My children would pass out if I asked them to pay for their own clothes. This time off from work has really opened my eyes to the level of responsibility that I need to make happen in their lives so they do not go out in the world expecting something for nothing!!
He remembers the rotary phone, but I guess he doesn't remember how incredibly efficient,civilized,and comfortable flying was--with real glasses, silverware, linen napkins and food that was actually cooked during the flight--even in the economy class.We paid for a wonderful flying experience and we got it--on time!
I lived through the times he is talking about. What a great commentary on our spoiled Americans. Don't get me wrong I love this country and I am so proud to be a citizen of the greatest nation in the history of the earth. But What CK says is true ....we need to step back and look at what we have...We are a very lucky people indeed. Even our poor have plasma tv's and cell phones. God Bless the USA, but remember it is our people who make this country great, not the government...Take stock America , the next time you use your cell phone , take a minute and be happy that you no longer have to walk around with a pocket full of change for pay phones.
He remembers the rotary phone, but I guess he doesn't remember how incredibly efficient,civilized,and comfortable flying was--with real glasses, silverware, linen napkins and food that was actually cooked during the flight--even in the economy class.We paid for a wonderful flying experience and we got it--on time!
When was that? When I started flying back in the 70s the meals were pre-prepared hot meals like at schools: nothing was cooked *on* the flight, just heated there.
He had a show on cable called Lucky Louis and it was cancelled because *some people* couldn't handle the raunchiness, and they didn't know how to change the channel on their t.v.
This is wonderful, wonderful wonderful. Between this guy and Mrs. Hughes, Demetri Martin, and the Daily show crew and his cohorts, I am making it through this economic crisis.
He's making a bigger statement than air travel. We live in the best country in the world ever! And everybody complains! Its not perfect, but it is still the best! Other countries that don't like us are just jealous and their citizens all want to come live here. Stop the doom and gloom, and appreciate how lucky we are to be here in this time and place!
So frikkin true it's beyond belief - ESPECIALLY the part about the present generation of spoiled idiots. No truer words have ever been spoken. This generation knows how to win at the games on their cell phones and that's about it. You ask them a simple question, and they have to consult their computers in order to answer it. Ask any of them to break a $10 for you and they need a calculator. The dumbing down of America has happened, no question and we're into the second generation of it.
Well... in time we have come up with REGS and they cost a lot of $$$. So whatever the time... there is problems... now! they are the on-board laps. He is saying how dare we bitch. Who needs to WAKE-UP?
I don't know who the guy was talking but agreed with him completely. I'm 56 now and I have seen more innovation in my life than most civilizations saw in 1,000's of years. Not only has the population of the earth doubled in my life, people live in space! For those alive now that never had to get up and change the TV for their parents to one of the 4 channels available, they probably also have no idea that there was no refrigeration, seat-belts, or even color TV. How do you make people appreciate that which they cannot understand?
This site was e-mailed to me by a friend. I'm glad she did because I like what this guy has to say.
I know there are some in this generation that have their ducks in order, but my seventeen-year-old stepson isn't one of them. We had to make him fill out applications for scholarships and even for college. He will be looking for a summer job, and he said he needs the internet to get the applications - my husband asked him why he couldn't go into these places and get them, and he said "Because they're on the internet".
The boy is spoiled and it can be traced back to his parents. We never made him work, we encouraged him to excel in his classes and do sports if he wanted to (he didn't - they were too hard). If we didn't tell him to come downstairs for lunch on the weekends, he would stay glued to his computer. We unplug the internet during the week, and the minute he's home on Friday, his first question is when can he have the internet.
When I was a kid, I went outside. It was hard keeping me in. Now we can't even get the boy to walk the dog (he doesn't like the dog - too much work). This summer he's going to move into the other side of our duplex and it's sink or swim time. He says he will get a job (but how will he get there when he doesn't even have a driver's license? He sees no reason to have one - he's got his mountain bike). We don't see him leave his bedroom unless we tell him to.
I have a thirteen-year-old daughter, and two years ago, she pointed at our 1950's rotary phone and asked, "How does that work?" She knows how to use a cell phone and a computer, but didn't know how to call someone on a rotary phone. We also have a touch tone phone and she was amazed that it worked when we had a black out since the cordless phone/answering machine unit didn't. My husband tried to explain it to her. She said, "Oh".
As my five-year-old keeps growing, I brace myself for her questions. I know I won't have the answers.
ah yes the good ol days, I remember as well as the people above do, but as the pendelum swings the roads have been and always will be bumpy,but give me the future, as it is getting better in the world of surgery, man is know beginning to not judge by the color of the skin, which to me was always stupid and cruel but by the man or woman themselves and live it better and will continue to be so. I hate the aging process physically, but love the wisdom that comes with it. We have come along way and yet more to come. Can hardly wait til everyone has a flying car parked in the driveway, hope I live long enough to own one of those babies!
This man is so so right on...we take so much for granted..but that's all our young people know because they are spoiled and don't know the hardships of getting to what they have....They always say in The Olden Days..soon it will be the OldenDays for them.
I agree... you should. However, you might want to edit it first. This guy is absolutely hilarious, but plays a little blue for the younger kids. Fair warning!
Im a little curious how old these "kids" are that are so crappy and unappreciative and whose fault you would blame that on if you feel you can make that assumption.
Real point of view. To bring it home, when you lay your head down on your soft pillow and pull over the warm clean sheets and blanket, when you close your eyes, be sure to thank the good lord for everything you have, and pray for those who have lost their jobs, their homes and their dignity as they try to find a warm place to wait till the sun comes up and try again to survive another day. Pray for their hope and recovery.
well, he can kiss my rosy ass for pigeonholing my entire generation as 'spoiled idiots.' if flying was free, i wouldn't be upset about delays. if mobile communication didn't require the $100 data plan i have on my cell, i wouldn't bitch when it bogged down or froze altogether. modern innovations and conveniences are supposed to work, so as the person paying for them, i absolutely have the right to get pissed off when they don't. i don't have to reflect on all society's developments, standing in awe and wonder at how far we've come. i just expect it to work when i need it.
"aaronkgreen" you just made his point ;) I know it is hard for you to understand because you are spoiled and the world owes you big time! Maybe the recession will sober you up.
tximenes1 wrote on Feb 18, '09, edited on Feb 18, '09
I agree with flyaw. It is easy when you are young to feel like life sucks. I think that is called, "teen angst." There is a point in life though when you need to grow up and reallize the world doesn't revolve around just you. This world wouldn't exist if it weren't for the Industrialization and Depression Era Generations, most of our Grand- or Great- Grandparents, who helped build this and other nations by the sweat of their brow. People who at such young ages knew they had to be bread winners as well as their parents in order for them, and their families to survive. It is vital to "reflect on all of societies developments and stand in awe." If it weren't for those fabulous and hard working individuals you, aaronkgreen, wouldn't be able to gripe about your $100 dollar data plan. I am a a "Generation X-er", have two brothers in "Generation Y", and two daughters in "Generation Z." I have a unique perspective on this. I try everyday to get my daughters to see how blessed they are. I want them to want to be a part of this world, not just on it. For those who take offense at this. Get prepared. This new economy is going to rock your world. I hope it helps you to see the value you can provide and allows you to take pride in what you can accomplish, not what you think you deserve. What does that mean anyway?
A big thank you to all of you, and especially my friend who emailed the original Louis CK....I will be 78 this week...and have probably seen and heard and complained about more or less than most of you whiners. I have raised 8 children who are responsible, loving, caring, appreciative..at least to me...and have raised their children in the same manner....in most things. No drug addicts, alcoholics, homeless or unemployed...If I can do it, anyone can! I am not a fan of computers, but have one and enjoy some of the games....it is not, but has been a source of communication with my scattered family and friends. I also have a cell phone, which I only use when traveling or in case of an emergency...and " remember when" is always part of my conversations. I am not ashamed of being "old" and have many, many things for which to be thankful...the first and foremost is my loving, living God who has been there for me every step of the way. Life is good. Today the sky is really blue. I have a roast in the crock pot and the kids are coming to dinner....That's life!
"A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that a third of students surveyed said that they expected B’s just for attending lectures, and 40 percent said they deserved a B for completing the required reading."
... nevermind expecting your grade to match your level of achievement or anything silly like that. :-P
That's the way to go, crazylady3! Each generation will forever blame the last for the upsets of this country and the way of life. I am 67, and loved growing up in the 40's & 50's, but some youngsters today think that was 1000 years ago, back in the dark ages. My grandchildren, 12 of them, often say they wish they had been born much earlier and could have experienced the 50's.
Anyway, our biggest problem today is our "wonderful"? government spending and taking from other funds to do it. I think the video is really funny and gave me a good laugh for the day, which I thank God for giving me.
YEAH! It was much easier "back then". Kids could be kids, they could play out doors, they could ride a bike without a helmet, they could eat REAL food, they could go to their friends house without fear of being "snatched" up by some "perv". Yes, I too remember the "rotary" phone, I can even remember the phone number of our rotary phone. I can remember. even in the 70's when gas was $.34 gallon, geeeeeeez can we go back to then................Pleeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzz!
I too,am a "baby boomer", and I have seen a considerable change so far in my life. Maybe I'm thick, however I fail to understand exactly what the panic is to do everything at once. Technology has brought some amazing advances, but remember that this is a two edged sword. The concept of confidentially and privacy seems to have gone by the board in that one can not expect anything travelling through the "air" via radio waves to be secure. What an insidious way to keep tabs on the populace than encouragement to use "wireless" communication devices. GPS is being sold as a protection package, where as it is nothing but a locater for others to find you. I have a land line, I expect my communications there to be reasonably secure, I do NOT consider the internet in the same light. I refuse to be held hostage by marketing gurus who try to convince me that I must have the latest device to further complicate and rob the little "quality" time left in my day. Why can't we collectively tell these giants, including "big brother" to stop intruding into everyday life? Why should we allow ourselves to be sucked in by Madison Ave when there is NO benefit to us, generally, in instant gratification. Wake up and smell the coffee, slow down, life is too short to be bullied by large corporations. Forgive me for my rant, touched a sore spot.
howru2001 wrote on Feb 19, '09, edited on Feb 19, '09
nice vdo.. but i still feel this urge in human "to strive to seek to find and not to yield" (words of Homer from his epic ODYSSEY - story of King Ulysses) has kept the human beings to not to be contented with scientific advancements.. i mean, they NEED MORE..THAT KEEPS THEM GROWING.. IF WE WERE HAPPY WITH MERE FLIGHTS, WE MAY NOT HAVE SUPER SONIC FLIGHTS OR ROCKETS.. or IF WE WERE HAPPY WITH BULLOCK-CARTS, we MAY NOT HAVE BUSES OR CARS OR TRAINS...IF WE HAVE SETTLED DOWN WITH A OIL-LAMP WE MIGHT NOT HAVE ELECTRICITY...THIS URGE KEEPS US GOING..but at the same time we need to always feel lucky for what we have and also we need to thank the technology..
"We live in an amazing, amazing world, and it's wasted on the crappiest generation of spoiled idiots."
This is so unfair and rude. The older generations have created such a financial burden on these younger generations. The older generation’s poor judgment and lack of fiscal responsibility will be felt for generations to come. This statement is appalling and untrue. This generation works extremely hard to get through college just to find that that isn't enough to get a job. Forget time for a social life, love and enjoying life. We work and go to school just to have so much financial baggage that we are put in a financial abyss for decades. The older generation is crap. I'll take rotary phones and no internet to have a moment of peace. GET A GRIP and try putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. We are a product of your generation, we are a product of you. Your are insulting yourself indirectly!
I had such a great laugh! Too bad some people take it so personally and so seriously. Lighten up. I sent this to my son -- who, at 30 and recently divorced, with nothing to his name but a student loan @ $35,000/yr. -- thought it was hilarious.
"They are the most advertised to generation ever...EVER."
That's completely wrong. Advertising misses GenY because GenY doesn't get it's information in traditional advertising ways. There's just more advertising now and GenY happens to be here too.
I can't believe so many people are so AWE-STRUCK by what this guy says...Funny, but whats so amazing!!! With all the things wrong in the world today and...........it must be the disconnected generation.
His skit touched a nerve. Instead of using sarcasm to merely draw attention to our inclination to whine, he first points out the absurdity of a recent obsession with instant gratification and then whams us with a reality check: We’re in a chair in the sky. Take a spoiled zero, devoid of grace or gratitude or both, encumber pseudo-sophisticate with the latest bells and whistles, and the upshot is that said idiot doesn’t grasp the wonder of it all. A lecture, soliciting appreciation for all things great and small -- carping on our lack of wisdom -- wouldn’t have elicited the self awareness his humour did. That’s the only effective way to see ourselves for what we are.
The 25 year old and under generation; the generation that know knowthing, hasn;t produced anything and likely to be the most useless when it comes to existence....this clip fits them like a glove!
Whatever...ONANISLAND! He's making a reference to a specific idiot and if touched a nerve, you likely fit the profile of dependancy on technology without capability or capacity. That profile likely has you in your mid-twenties and unsure of what you can contribute other than occupying yourself with gadgets, widgets, devices, conveniences and everything else invented by previous generations, because generations X, Y and whatever this one is, let's go with Z...yes Z....for Zombie.
hey, folks. i think it's great that everyone's sharing their thoughts on the vid. but let's try not to throw mud at people, especially people you've probably never met before in your life. that's just, well, rude.
also, it looks like a lot of you are new to multiply. if you'd like some tips on how to use the place, check out these tutorials: http://mtutorials.multiply.com and if you want to quote someone, click on the "reply" link over the comment that you want to quote and you'll see a little box you can click to quote. just highlight the part you're replying to and click that box. :-)
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
Comment indicates the likelihood of making an accurate assessment sans sufficient data, although the bit about being dependent upon technology without full knowledge of the hydrahead is bang on. Nobody has a thorough knowledge of the intricacies of all the tech advances that have been made, not even a polymath. Louis CK didn’t allude to our comprehensive deficiencies, just our complacency. This tech simpleton is in her 60s, and has admittedly always been unsure of the merits of her contribution to society, whether it has been worth the space she takes up. Gadgets, widgets et al … well, mostly I’m grateful for the printing press, indoor plumbing, a septic system, electricity, radio, the telephone (it’s a rotary), the laptop my daughter gave me, the piggy-back ride on my neighbour’s sat internet service, the wood stove that heats my house, a nifty wood-splitter and chain-saw, and the horse that gets me to the nearest village. Just kidding about the horse. Jeez, there sure are a lot of people out there who take offence to the least little comment. I’m glad my neighbours aren’t so touchy. Point is, staying on track, Louis CK reminds us to see the wonder of it all.
jkopetic wrote on Feb 22, '09, edited on Feb 22, '09
Meg, I couldn't agree with you more. That's kind of how I have always interpreted Billy Joel's song "We Didn't Start the Fire". Life will unfortunately never be problem free. Problems evolve as the result of changing times. We cure one illness and another arises (possible due to new toxins in the environment from the latest technology). And so on...... On a lighter note, I'm surprised Louis didn't mention "Pong"!!!
sorry have to paraphrase here while Im laughing soooo hard "did you participate in the miracle of flight, you non contributing zero!" This man was GOOD!!!
We are getting to the point where people are getting so use to technology now, that if it doesn't perform twice as well as it should, its too slow, too clunky, and too annoying. I am one of those people who is constantly frustrated by dealing with technology as it is versus where I want it to be. To me nothing is EVER fast enough, easy enough, smooth enough, or has enough cool features. But I know my own insanity and I try not to be one of those people that acts spoiled and takes it out on others. I've done tech support, and I've heard things that blow my mind. I actually had a customer once claim that I was destroying her family by not getting her satellite TV up and operating quickly. She asked me what her family was suppose to do? I told her, "Whatever families did for 5000+ years before the creation of TV".
As a society we have come to rely on conveniences so much, that when a convenience falls short, it is considered EXTREMELY inconvieniet. We really need to lighten up and realize that there are always fallback plans, even if they take a little longer or more effort.
Someone commented on the work day shortening as the result of technology. Maybe some day, but as of now, being able to complete work faster just means you have more work to get to, and if it doesn't it means you have to find more to do to justify your pay. Basically, if you ran out off work to do in a given day, before long, you'd be out of work all together.. Many of these corporations can't sell enough product fast enough, and claim they can't afford to hire enough people to continue to sell or support the products. This is whats really starting to cause all of these layoffs.. That plus the fact that America doesn't make half as much as it use to, and is becoming a service based country. People may like services, but when you buy a service you are basically getting no real product, and spending money on it. The Cell phone industry is big on that..Oh..you want to text..ok...so many cents per text..You want internet on your phone? So many more dollars a month.. Who needs it? Unless you are a high end business, people that use these services are abusing technology and wasting money on services they don't really need. Then everyone wonders why they are broke all the time. Same with credit cards. I have to admit, I learned this lesson the hard way, and in many ways I'm still paying for it.. Credit cards are a wasted.. They just cause you to buy more and stuff you don't really need..and then they charge you rediculous amounts of interest. Go into a bank and tell them you want 27% interest on your checking or savings account and see their reaction. Its criminal. Stay away from credit cards. Just save up the money you need to get what you want, and avoid owing anyone anything.
OK..I know..I'm ranting. So enough..And I just hope things turn around and get better. And I agree..realizing how cool technology is to the extent that we need it is definately a good thing to keep in mind when you are going to show attitude of occasional setbacks.
your son, who is thirty, is not in the generation he was reffering to. It would have been very funny if he didnt refer to our generation as crappy and spoiled. Everything else was funny! i may have come off as a bit harsh, but you have to understand that it gets really frusterating to hear how terrible this generation is.
Hey, you've got to have a sense of humor about this. How would you like to be the generation that followed the "world's greatest generation" -?? Boomers have been berated as spoiled, have-it-all-now, non-saving, hippies who ruined the world. I frankly think the 20 and 30-somethings are a terrific bunch of people, able to relate better to those in other (older) generations than any other I've experienced, even though a certain amount of reverence has been lost along the way.
My Boomer generation referred to our parents' as "the establishment", railed against convention, burned our bras, held Woodstock -- you name it and we rebelled. Now we are the bankers, the homeowners, the retirees with vacation homes and have become grandparents, buying into the lifestyle we thought would never represent us.
I gotta tell you, if you take this stuff too seriously, your life will indeed be too short.
This man speaks more truth than we really want to admit. People today think society owes them everything: not now, but right now. Please keep up the comments, and we, as citizens of the world should follow your example, and speak up and be heard.
I've done tech support, and I've heard things that blow my mind. I actually had a customer once claim that I was destroying her family by not getting her satellite TV up and operating quickly. She asked me what her family was suppose to do? I told her, "Whatever families did for 5000+ years before the creation of TV".
*snicker*
if their family is so fragile that only the television holds them together, perhaps it's time to throw out the TV and deal with life, eh? that's really sad.
I've noticed that technology doesn't work cuz there are a bunch of lazy, disaffected rich kids in today's workforce who'd rather be playing "Guitar Hero" as they sullenly surf the Web on company time, looking for a better gig that doesn't suck as much, and communicating to their network in realtime how it all sucks. In their defence many are actually sporadically aping their parents' feeble attempts at Deep Thought now and then. I don't know how many times I've heard kids "spew" that current times are "worse than the Depression", and "Bush was worse than Hitler" and the oil cabals "global warming will kill us all", and..... uh...
With everything so high-tech these days its actually getting increasingly harder to "git 'er done" anymore. Micro this, nano that - even if you consistently score within the top 5% playing "Guitar Hero" if the gizmo craps out, often the only way to fix it is to send it back. Throw money at it and hope the kid in India fixing it doesn't think his job sucks, too. And there goes the entire weekend.
I would challenge any super-savvy kid who claims pencil and paper are sooo lame to build me one pencil and piece of paper completely from scratch. A caveman could do it, I'm told.
The observations on the traits of your children is a certainly similar to the behavior of today's middle class Amerian youth. The similarities to my family and children is somewhat amazing.
The only solution I've found is forced interaction. Spend time with kids, and they will come around to relating to you and the rest of humanity. Each instance of interaction may be unpleasant for the first hour to forty eight hours, but it is worth it to regain our children and their generation.
It's important to distinguish here between appreciating the marvels of modern life and backward wishing for "a simpler time." There is a certain level of hypocrisy in wishing we could go back to rotary dial phones and no internet while presumably making no concessions on health care, food safety, and civil rights. This kind of selective wish-thinking is ALSO a realm of people who feel entitled to things they do not appreciate. In a way, it is even worse- to claim that the reality YOU want was better simply because you lived through it and understand it, is Narcissism of the highest order.
wow--you've got your blog hoppin around the e-mail internet...how cool is that?! i hadn't seen this interview. i should have my 4 teenagers watch this!! lol. so quickly we take for granted those miracles that take place in our life. good for him for presenting this in such a humorous in your face way!! thanks for sharing. :D
Brilliant. Next time my computer is slow, I am going to take that time to relax instead of throwing a fit. Thanks for the reminder!!!! We certainly do have it easy and we need to be thankful.
I was born in 1947, twenty years earlier. I remember when they broadcast live pictures (but grainy ones) of both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. PEOPLE ... WERE ... TOTALLY ... OVERWHELMED. Last summer we watched the opening of the Olympic games in China -- and no one said a world, crystal-clear photos from the other side of the world (forget the other end of the country) ... and no one said a word. We are so incredible spoiled. What an amazing world this is to be able to do such things.
We work and go to school just to have so much financial baggage that we are put in a financial abyss for decades. The older generation is crap. I'll take rotary phones and no internet to have a moment of peace.
Too bad we can't make you live that life, you'd have such fun. Until the early 50s, we had polio -- you think AIDS is fun. It was such fun worrying about that disease, never sure if we'd get it and have to live in an "iron lung" FOREVER. Like I said you'd love it, you spoiled little brat.
Two things,Just because it happened to you ,dosen't make it interesting, and people have to die to make life important. Be thankfull, count your blessings, and unless you are the Pilot make friends, have conversations and enjoy the ride
....i always look up when a plane flys over, always. doesn't matter what kind it is. it never fails to interest me. i just marvel at it. i was born in 1953. i miss some of the old stuff but i like some of the new stuff too. i guess i am stuck somewhere in the middle
me too................they should replay this , i think everybody should see it he should show up on dr phil or ophrah and the evening new and give his point of view on daily issues
Classic!! I love the comments at 2:00 and 3:20. Our smart homes are incredibly convenient and STILL we hear comments like this every once in a while. Great stuff.
Trying to conceptualize an economy without growth of consumption is mind boggling, but where we have to go. More stuff isn't sustainable, or even satisfying as stuff often is just a poor substitute for meaningful human contact. I keep hearing the message: "Give the best that you have to give and take what you need." I think this is a gentle nudge back to a basic system of bartering. Maybe our financial structure is going to completely de-structure so that we can truly be in the moment and find the depth of the moment where the possibility exists to give the best that you have to give. Stuff is a false God.
What video did YOU watch? Not this one, clearly, or you don't understand English. YOU must be the spoiled one. One of the complainers he speaks of. One of the "entitled" bunch that thinks the world owes you something. Shame on you. The other comments are spot on. Not yours. Try smiling. Life isn't all that bad, kid.
Shouldn't we then also be constantly excited about the amazingly complex nervous system in our bodies that is constantly letting us do our daily functions? Everyone takes something for granted, even this man who speaks about a generation that you all live in. You, too, take these things for granted. He's not as wise as you all think.
sunny, it's hard to tell who you're talking to here. it's helpful to quote the person so we can track the conversation. to quote, click on "reply" to the upper right of the comment that you'd like to quote. then highlight the part of the comment that you want to quote and click the "Quote original message" button. thanks!
Reads right out of "Brave New World", consumerism to the nth degree, responsibility for our actions: zip, zero, nada. America was founded on freedom and responsibility not endless "rights and privileges". In the current definition these endless entitlements (i.e. titled, nobility, inherited privilege, etc get it) were "awarded" by the Government to the nobility. We fought for the rule of law, freedom of worship, freedom of speech which means we can actually disagree of something government is doing, and responsible ownership of results of our work, tools, and property, etc. You have no right to the labors and creative efforts of someone else...it has to be taken by force of arms, and then redistributed by government hacks like Obama, Reid, Pelousi, Schummer, et al to buy votes. This is mob rule democracy and has nothing to do with a self governing representative republic. The Brown Shirts are right behind and fascism will be the result. If you thought Nazi Germany was a good model for government-you will be quite happy. Note: the minorities will not be on top in the end. It has been tried and will not work...RussRamey6 Lima, Ohio
where has this bald fatass been? frozen since the neanderthal era? most of us were born with this technology already in existence and expect better every year and yes we should do better get with it or go back to the freezer. mike rangel, rio rico az.
When my students tell me how lucky i was to live through the 60s and 70's (i was born in '56), i tell them that it wasn't so great. Nixon, Vietnam, the "America: Love it or leave it" bunch, the suffering of minorities and the violence created by/and because of the civil rights movement. Sure, i look back at those times with fondness because i was YOUNG and at the top of my game. But great times, no. Do i think that the younger generation lacks gratitude for what my generation gave them? Hell, yeah! Would i want to be in their shoes, young and inexperienced and living in these 'interesting' times? No way! I feel gratitude because i was taught to.
It is true we take many things for granted. My kids watch telly or talk on the phone without even asking how life was before. I believe it's always been like this for them so probably they never thought of another possibility...
You're right. People NEED time to think. Attention & diligence are necessary for education & wisdom. Technology, helpful, & useful, esp. in emergencies & in research, need judicious use socially; not just constant, empty babble. Education needs to be stressed nationally as the necessity it is for survival. People need to turn off their TVs, esp. for children. TV is usually entertainment or distraction; it is not crucial. Priorities need to be set--education, exercise, hobbies, friends. Budget your time to have som of each daily. Solutions for more meaningful, less complacent lives, start with instilling good values in one's head. We are our own solutions. Sure, people can guide us & help somewhat, but basically, the decisions are all our own. Have credit card debt? Check your priorities--manicures: not necessary, dinners out--not necessary; gym membership--not necessary(exercise at home or outdoors), wide screen TV--not necessary. What you want is not always what you NEED. Appreciate the better parts of life, which are not things! For the record, I grew up in the 50's & 60's in Calif., middle class, had a good not extravagant upbringing; good education. No flashy vacations; had lots of homework, time to bikeride w/neighbor kids, go swimming, play, etc. I felt safe, content, cared-for. We learned not to ask for too much & we learned most of what we asked for, we didn't really need. The best things in life aren't things!
daffycat wrote on Mar 2, '09, edited on Mar 2, '09
Hmm! I reflect back over the years , that telephones broke the silence, and took away my time more often then being a blessing... And for me. to see a person with a cellphone . I wonder . Is that as good as it gets Do they not ever talk to an actual person. face to face. because it seems . that even if they're with some one. they're talking on a phone to someone else... How rude... There is a time and a place and for me. I pick it.
I loved this bit! He is so right - but we had a phone that we had to crank and ask the operator to connect us to our friends! (I guess I am a little older than Louis CK.) And we went outside and actually enjoyed nature. We were not constantly connected to some electronic device. We had conversations face to face with real people - what a concept. I will watch for Louis on TV now. This is the first time I have heard of him.
I kid you not but one day as I was walking downtown behind two young guys both on their cell phones. They were talking pretty loud so I couldn't help but listen in. Well, guess what? They were talking to each other on their cell phones.
All of this instant connectivity is stressful. Do we need it. No.
This guy has it right! And the children of today have no idea. I couldn't find the band-aides and had to use gauze gauze and tape. Immediately my grandson asked "Is that the old timey way?" I remember a pump in the kitchen, out houses, and NO TV. We went outside to play with dirt and dogfennels to build a playhouse. We used homemade lard biscuits and vaseline to polish patent leather shoes. Oh, and I never heard of brand name clothes, unless you meant Grandmomma Penny, Grandmomma Ruth, and Momma handmades. And my memories are very happy and life was filled with love for family and your neighbors. You did wrong, you were spanked. You do the crime, you do the time, and not at the Luxury Hiltons we now call "Prison", Excuse me, prisoners get free room and board-no stress to meet bills, TV and TV games, gyms with no fees, and a free education. Make them earn theri keep and no extras. Let them not want to come back. Oh, and by earning, I don't mean telemarketing. Maybe we do need to go back. Sorry, but maybe we should go back to no business on Sundays but emergency services, turn the satellites off, get out and visit family and friends. Works for me! D in SC
OMG! Luis is absolutly hysterical! He's 100% RIGHT! We don't appriciate what we have at all. I love that quote, "we live in an amazing, amazing world,and it's wasted on the crappiest generation of spoiled idiots." I think it's graet somebody finnaly sees the world this way!
Here, here! I am a child of the 80's yet I think, know and feel that what you say is true! What does it take to SWITCH OFF the " I'm so all important and all mighty that a human connection is less important than a connection with something with a battery pack attached." What would happen if we dropped all the distractions (switch off facebook + the remote control) & took time to sit with ourselves / others and contemplate who we are without all that stuff. Appreciate the basic fundamentals of what we truly need & often times already have. We can find the joy and wonderment and delight in the little every day miracles that grow around us. Children wonder, laugh, cry & play. They want to know they are cared for, provided for. Not that they have designer threads and a pram that costs more than some people will earn in a lifetime! Moreover, what was the opportunity-cost for the time it took to earn the cash to have those fancy things? Do they really matter? Sure some things might be nice - but get educated on what's going on in the world around you! Not everyone gets to have the extreme luxury to decide what sort of food they want to eat that day....some truly wonder if they get to eat at all!
Do children need to be connected to their I-phones to distract themselves from what's really going on around them? Get present. Get real. Get used to the idea that the world is an amazing place (even without the increasingly complex technologies around us). Sure those things are helpful - they give us better dwellings, better chances of survival and hobbies and art etc which give us pleasure. But, all we really need in it is our basic needs met (food, water, shelter) and one another (community, support, shared experiences). Not that we have to be so primitive - but why all the unecessary spending of time, energy and resources over a bajillion different things? Why not take a moment to get back to the basics: you, your breath - your life force. Let that remind us of who we really are and what is most important during our precious existence.
So true when I tell my kids grandkids that when I was growing up we did not have a T.V. untill 1955 when I was 8 years old. That we only had three stations and everthing was in black and white. They say that gradpaw is making up bed time stories again. Kids now days have everthing and you know what they do not play with any of it all they want to do is set infront of the T.V.. I remember we had to make up our on games as we did not have a lot of toys to play with or make our on toys like the ruber ban gun to play cowboys and indins Mike
iamold Remember what you wish for; it is happening right now. Soon all will appreciate what we had and it will be to late for them. My great-grandchildren will experience what my generation did in creating all the good things now in the process of being destroyed.
Ah, the good old days - Watch Mad Men. In the good old days moms worried about polio while their kids played outside, neighbors were kind and courteous as long as your skin was the same color and you went to the same church, we dumped polluting chemicals into the environment at a rapid rate, and children did "civil defense" drills in school in case they dropped the bomb on us (as though hiding in the school basement would save you from nuclear fallout).
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
I love this! I think we all need to learn to be appreciative of the awesome world that is right at our fingertips. We, as a society, take a lot for granted. But that's not just today's society....it's been happening for generations. However, I think the world would be a more pleasant place if we all just took a moment from time to time to truly be thankful for the gifts we've been given.
ziggycooper wrote on Mar 21, '09, edited on Mar 21, '09
the only way to teach/show our frighteningly stupid, self-absorbed, unprepared, unconcerned, inactive younger generation is by taking everything away from them....which, in our current declining economical state, may happen. It would also be helpful for our older generation to set an example by taking a stand against the immorality of our government and the absurdity of our media, whom are married to each other and seek to keep us ignorant thus pacified.
I agree with what this man has to say and I find it very entertaining and funny even though I am a part of Generation Y. I can take enjoyment out of him making jokes about our Generation - I do have a sense of reality and humor. I just ask that people who are stereotyping our generation as being entitled, spoiled, idiots.... take into consideration that you can not put everyone in Generation Y into these categories. Yes the majority of our generation can be labeled as such but don't assume we are all this way. Many of us are smarter thanks to the internet and many other inventions that some of us take advantage of, work faster and more efficiently that most older Generations due to new technologies we took the time to learn about and are just as hardworking as other generations but in different ways. I ask only that you take the time to educate yourselves on what Generation Y is really about. I am currently writing my thesis on this topic and it is my hope that older generations can become educated about Generation Y and appreciate the things we have to offer instead of tossing our fresh ideas aside and labeling us as un-appreciative idiots.
I work in IT, and it cracks me up when users complain their computers are slow or the internet connection is crawling. I think if I offered to replace their computer with a pencil and paper....they might appreciated what they DO have. On second thought....no...they won't!
onanisland wrote on Mar 26, '09, edited on Mar 26, '09
It's wonderful to read how impressed people are by Louis CK’s comments and his terrific sense of humour. (His tone reminds me of the character who played Adam on Northern Exposure.)
Many of us contemplate our escalating need for instant gratification, an obsessive addiction to communication devices, etc. without a commensurate sense of wonder and appreciation. (At least the old geeks among us have pondered this for awhile.) But maybe 'wonder' and ‘appreciation’ aren’t the most applicable words.
It’s obvious, at least to an early baby boomer born into a comparatively simpler world in terms of material possessions, that technological advances resulting in a proliferation of handy gadgets have morphed into toxic garbage at an alarming rate. It was alarming when I was a kid, but we were as ignorant and dismissive of our cumulative effect then as we are today. Compound that ignorance with a tripling of the world's population since I was born, and you have a recipe for ... what? Should we be awestruck by the wonder of it all? Or should we be friggin scared? Either way, it is amazing.
I agree Louis, and don't forget about that magic box we have now that kids have to wait an entire 5 minutes to get a dinner from China, Mexico or Italy. Imagine if they had to eat the same thing as everyone else or wait a whole day for the meat to thaw for dinner! Thanks for the laughs
The thing is the generation before him thought his generation took all the new technology for his time for granted. When he was growing up he didn't have all the new things as we have today so of course it is amazing to see and experience all these new things. He is just being a cynical a-hole. When generations get older they like to look at the new one and say they are not as good. As people get older they look down on younger people. Just think back to high school....
dude, half my closet is brown. (does the uni-bomber wear brown? ... you know what his problem was? he didn't take off his shoes enough and feel the dirt beneath his feet. so he took it out on others.)
dude, half my closet is brown. (does the uni-bomber wear brown? ... you know what his problem was? he didn't take off his shoes enough and feel the dirt beneath his feet. so he took it out on others.)
Well, it was kind of cold where he lived. I would have called him Barefoot Blacktoed Ted once his feet were frostbitten enough.
it seems to be a blip. there was no mention of this page for several weeks on twitter, then i saw two mentions a few days ago. viewing is down from 55,000 a day to about 1500 a day. either the message is less poignant now or everyone that would be interested has seen it already.
skwerl1966 wrote on Apr 20, '09, edited on Apr 20, '09
I agree 100% - "spoiled idiots" How many of us could go back to the days of no cable or satellite tv, no video games (which is in my opinion a big waste of time and money), no cell phones (or even cordless phones for that matter), no computers, one car per family, phone service where you had to share a line with someone else, no riding lawnmowers, no central air and heat... shall I go on? A man's life doesn't consist of the things which he possesses.
The most curious thing is that we, spoiled idiots, laugh and agree that he says the truth, and we say smth like "More, more, call us idiots more" :) I like this video and I managed to find the whole story, which includes the beginning and the end. If interested see it here: http://www.wordhord.com/humor/everythings-amazing-nobodys-happy-video/
Man, I can't imagine any topic requiring that many different responses...
from what i've been able to piece together, it sounds like groups on MSN were used mostly to play games and share flashy images.
from what's been explained to me, the games consisted of copying out the previous person's reply, altering it slightly and reposting. theoretically, that could go on indefinitely.
i'm kinda impressed (not necessarily positively) with the pull that games have on people. they like to play games with people, so it's technically social networking, sorta, but it's the game that's the big draw, not the people. i played on neopets a fair bit when the kids were little and i was losing my mind. (explains a lot, doesn't it?) but now that i have enough mental space to think, the games aren't that appealing to me any more. they were perfect when i wanted a bit of a puzzle, but not so much that i couldn't do it between cries of "mom! help me with this!"
This is the definite example of what society has been recognized as....just this! The definity of what is to come in the future....children won't be as social..if they use more electronic devises and become dependent on just that. The way the world will run is on video and text instruments. People will have lost alot of interaction and social skills. I find it almost disappointing. The world our parents and grandparents grew up in will be no longer.
dude. let is slide off your inbox. you don't HAVE to keep coming back here.
do you really check in on everything on your inbox? there's no way i could keep up with that many posts.
... i'm in too many groups. i finally cut the multiply.design posts out of my inbox feed because they were driving me nuts. 60% of them were titled, "i need help." grrrrrr.
dude. let is slide off your inbox. you don't HAVE to keep coming back here.
do you really check in on everything on your inbox? there's no way i could keep up with that many posts.
... i'm in too many groups. i finally cut the multiply.design posts out of my inbox feed because they were driving me nuts. 60% of them were titled, "i need help." grrrrrr.
I only check when it's my friends. For groups, if I'm not interested, I just block it from my list.
this post has started showing up on twitter again. it was there for awhile (several times a day at the peak) and then it stopped altogether for a bit. i've just recently seen it popping up again. so we may be moving back to a multiple-times-a-week commenting speed again.
this post has started showing up on twitter again. it was there for awhile (several times a day at the peak) and then it stopped altogether for a bit. i've just recently seen it popping up again. so we may be moving back to a multiple-times-a-week commenting speed again.
Have we validated the record holder for most replies yet?
Have we validated the record holder for most replies yet?
i don't know. have we? (i know i haven't bothered to look. i'm busy being geeked about multiply 4.0. well, that and getting the movies made for the end of the year class parties at the kids' school.)
i don't know. have we? (i know i haven't bothered to look. i'm busy being geeked about multiply 4.0. well, that and getting the movies made for the end of the year class parties at the kids' school.)
If nothing else, you've now set a personal record. And among any group/contacts I have it's the most replies to a single post.
Hello, Nice to meet you, how is everything, hope all is well with you. My name is Madam jeneth marthin,I picked interest to contact you. I've something very important which I would love to share with you privately,kindly write me back on: (jeneth_marthin@cantv.net) so that I'll give you details.
Awesome. As someone who flies a lot, I agree with him. I'm going to have to start acting excited about it.
Hello, Nice to meet you, how is everything, hope all is well with you. My name is Madam jeneth marthin,I picked interest to contact you. I've something very important which I would love to share with you privately,kindly write me back on: (jeneth_marthin@cantv.net) so that I'll give you details.
Hello, Nice to meet you, how is everything, hope all is well with you. My name is Madam jeneth marthin,I picked interest to contact you. I've something very important which I would love to share with you privately,kindly write me back on: (jeneth_marthin@cantv.net) so that I'll give you details.
So, is it Dan or Trance that you're interested in contacting? Or is it you want to play them both against each other? Kind of a battle to the death for your affections?
Does Multiply have a record for the most replies to a single personal blog entry?
i've been trying to find a thread with a lot of replies ever since you said this. i just noticed this morning that this staff blog post is nearing 1000. ok, so it's not a "personal blog entry" but still....
i've been trying to find a thread with a lot of replies ever since you said this. i just noticed this morning that this staff blog post is nearing 1000. ok, so it's not a "personal blog entry" but still....
I think you own the record for personal blog entries: a staff or site blog for Multiply couldn't really count since that's expected to have a lot of traffic.
I think you own the record for personal blog entries: a staff or site blog for Multiply couldn't really count since that's expected to have a lot of traffic.
i still think there are other people with longer.
i'll keep watching.
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
I'm always amazed on a plane. The business trip, something we should be grateful for, today it can be a 'quick business trip' NY to LA, there and back in a couple of days. People can go to Europe for a couple days on business. Back a while ago Cornelia, might be waiting for 8 or 9 years for Cesar to come back from a business trip. In that time you could forget who your husband is altogether.
You guys need to listen to this youtube clip of Louis CK explaining the video. He specifically mentions how lame it is that Mark posted this, and there are some dumb Republicans tried to spin Louis' comments as Republican, anti-liberal propaganda... pretty sad really.
Please don't spam the youtube channel with MORE propaganda please, just know what the original video was about. I know you guys don't always get the full story when you listen to biased media such as this radio show... so feel lucky I helped you this time.
I just have a feeling no one knows what Louis is referring to, and hopefully the link I posted (which is his personal response) clarifies that.
Also, I went on go.com, then typed in Louis CK Mark Levin, and your page is what came up. I don't know why that is... I don't want people to think Louis CK is some die hard right-wing Republican, which he clearly is not if you watch any of his stuff.
My first response wasn't directed at YOU personally, either, Meg. Just anyone in general who was confused about the video.
the link is actually interesting. louis says the video was down for december and january. but this post was up during that time. (info. on the number of hits i was getting then here) he says it didn't pop back up on the scene until it came to some other site. too bad he didn't realize it was on multiply. it would have been a really nice mention for the site.
your page is what came up. I don't know why that is...
i happened to grab the video the day or two before it got pulled from youtube. for a couple of months this post was the only place the video could be found online.
I could be wrong... I mean I really don't know what's going on for what's linked to what or why.
But the video I think was up in December of '08 originally, then taken down. Then people kept putting it back up, it would get taken down, etc.
The Mark Levin site is linked to yours, and that how I found yours.
And since I looked up Mark Levin (because Louis mentions it in that Opie & Anthony interview), that's what I searched for. I was trying to see how it was spun. Mark Levin is a Republican radio talk show host, and I didn't realize I was brought away from his site in the first place and to yours.
He could've linked to any youtube video he wanted.
Oh yeah, in the interview he was getting all kinds of praise for "telling it like it is" and how they thought "he's one of us". He was invited to big-time conventions for it. It's all in the interview. It has 2 parts if you're bored enough to listen to all of it.
Luckily Louis is funny all the time, even in interviews, so it's not that hard to listen to it :D.
Anyways, thanks for listening to me, and thanks for posting the video on your site so people could see it. That is cool!
i'm sure it's related, D. almost 110% positive, in fact.
today we have an expected high of 66 degrees. i'll try to blow some of our koolness your way.
So, what, you're only 105% certain now? :)
I'd love 66F right about now. It's 99F outside and yesterday it was about the same while I was at the swim meet. Man, the kids were so lucky! They just had to SWIM while the parents did all the work! :)
thank for you once again for write to me after viewing your profile which really interest we can get to know each other if you can write me through my email (jorissa1nobia@yahoo.com)
Which part of the profile was most interesting? The zedonkabyte or the harzadyne drive?
I don't agree. I certainly agree that technology is amazing, and that we should appreciate it. However, it's not nearly true that "everything is amazing," as there are plenty of problems to be unhappy about. I bet good money that this guy was unhappy when his radio service went out, just as kids today are unhappy about lack of phone signal. This is just another iteration of an old man with his "back in my day" stories, complaining about the effect technology has in society. This is nothing new, nothing original.
Besides, there's no good reason to think that people should be especially grateful simply because we have great technology. Compared with starving Africans, we sure as hell should be grateful. But compared to people that didn't have iPods, well, we're on pretty equal footing. The only reason to call someone with an iPod more blessed than someone with a Walkman is pure elitism: to feel superior because you somehow "did more work."
to clarify: I'm not saying we shouldn't be grateful. I'm saying we have no less reason to be frustrated simply because the technology is more amazing. Being cramped into a tiny space doesn't suck any less simply because you're "miraculously" flying through the air. If you are promised that technology will work, and suddenly it doesn't, that's unpleasant. The only reason it would seem spoiled is if someone has no reason to expect it, or has lived much longer without the promise of that technology. That is, it's easy for middle-aged Louis CK to call someone spoiled because their magic space phone doesn't work, but only because he never had to expect to rely on a magic space phone. It's ignorant to think one generation is spoiled simply because you're able to cope without things they rarely have to cope without.
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
Comment deleted at the request of the thread owner.
1. How cool that this thread is still going! 2. I'm a working class mom who was fortunately able to buy my son an xbox for Christmas. His dad and stepfather got him games for the xbox. Another friend gave him an xbox live 3-month subscription. He's now giving me 'tude because he "needs" xbox points. A few months ago, he was giving me 'tude because he's not entitled for an upgrade for his cell phone for another 6 months, all of his friends have smartphones, and he "needs" a new phone. As much as I'd like to punch him in the jaw, I refrain and instead try to teach him to be grateful for what he has, and remind him that there are kids not just in Somalia and Bangladesh who go to bed hungry every night, but right here in the US. How freakin' blessed are you that you have enough food that you can eat 4 times a day plus have dessert, a refrigerator to keep the food from spoiling, a microwave so you can eat that food in minutes, new weather-appropriate clothing, a roof over your head which also covers your very own room, clean running hot water, indoor heating in winter and air conditioning in summer, THREE video game systems, your own color tv with cable in your very own room, a cell phone, enough toys to open your own Toys r Us franchise, enough books to open a children's library, vacations twice a year--I could go on but I needn't--and you're STILL bitching?! I frequently threaten to give him less, but I want him to be entertained and comfortable and to have the same things his peers have. It is a quandry. Perhaps our next vacation should be to somewhere where he can interact with kids who are happy that their village finally has a communal water spigot and they no longer have to take their chances getting eaten by a crocodile while fetching pails of water from the river. Maybe after that or a similar experience I won't have to hear about how he "needs" xbox points and a smartphone. And maybe if we spoiled adults had a similar experience, we wouldn't get so PO'd when our cell takes more than 2 seconds to connect a call or when our flight on a jet-propelled airplane is running 45 minutes late.
Perhaps our next vacation should be to somewhere where he can interact with kids who are happy that their village finally has a communal water spigot and they no longer have to take their chances getting eaten by a crocodile while fetching pails of water from the river.
I think that's a pretty good idea. It's all fine hearing the grown-ups go on about things, but when you actually see it for yourself it's bound to impact you.
And as you say, it's not just the kids, it's also "we spoiled adults". I've known people in my church to come back from trips to Africa with a changed attitude.
who is this guy? He is awesome. He speaks exactly what I would like to say to people. "We are sitting in a chair in the sky" everyone should see this.... 
