In response to: http://blog.weflyspitfires.com/2011/01/16/i-finally-figured-out-why-wows-community-sucks/#comments
I could go into a long detailed explaination, citing precedence, but I don't have the time nor energy at the momment.
In reality it isn't an under 25, 18, or even 14 thing. It's the way the past few generations have been brought up, including my own. The video game developers are seeing a demand for a specific set of rewards and game features and they are providing them. It is in no way their fault.
I can't believe I'm actually about to say this but... it is the way the last 2-3 generations of people have been raised. The parental ideal that you want your kids to have better than what you had has been mutated into the spoiling of your children. I deal with 18-28 year old people entering the US Army every month. A large majority of them have an 'entitlement' complex where they feel I owe them. I've seen it online as well, as most have you had. The whole "it's my $15 I'll do what I want" mind set.
In the noble effort of parents to give their children better than what they have many have simply given them everything without teaching them what earning something is about. Self esteem is learned by overcoming challenges such as working for a toy, car, or cell phone.
Compound that with the new social media devices and you have a recipe for disaster. Between Facebook and Twitter the last few generations have been taught that their voice is just as important as everyone elses... when in reality it isn't. Someone at the age of 12, 13, or even 19 doesn't have the life experience to form an educated opinion on alot of things. It's not their fault, they will in time. However with the new social media they have been told they do they have a valid opinion.
I know every aging generation blames the one following them. However take a good look at our culture and tell me if it is really going to a better place. While the '60s may have had hippies pushing solcialism they also fought for equality, peace, and love. Idealistic but atleast they worked for something.
I'm fully aware that I fall with in the generation of self indulgent entitlement however I acknowledge not everyone falls victim to it.
Humility must be learned in order to function as a part of society. You must understand that ever society has a social and financial structure and you must come to terms with where you fit within that structure. Once you have identified your place you can then take steps to improve your standings. The problem is that many people simply want to skip all the steps and feel they should be the ones with an improved life. Everyone can’t be the best or the most successful. There is a finite amount of resources in the world be fought over and no one is going to give you them simply because you think you deserve them. Everyone thinks they deserve them.
ReplyDeleteThe same could be said about applying for a job. Do I necessarily think someone with a college education is smarter than another person? No, I do not. However the person with the college education has shown they are willing to work to achieve goals, while the person without one hasn’t shown me anything.
The subject of entitlement is very interesting although I have a slightly different take on the situation. I think the behaviour of younger people online is related to a consequence and reward mindset.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, in real life, we often learn how to interact with others through simple steps of punishment and reward. Some kid acts like a jerk so they (should) get punished by their parents. Likewise if they act nicely, they will get what they want and rewarded as a consequence. It's through these mechanics we learn how to be sociable, how to interact with others, how to work as a team and co-operate etc.
My wife works in childcare and this is a hugely important factor in a child's development and a big responsibility of the parent. Of course it doesn't just end when someone goes to school though and throughout our entire lives we are constantly adapting and learning. Working life is a great example of this too as you often have to learn how to behave or risk being fired otherwise.
The problem with the Internet is that there's no consequence to unsocial actions, especially in a game like WoW. I can jump around and act like a dick all day long in WoW and nothing would ever be done against me. It won't effect how I play or who I play with thus I would never learn the negative consequences of bad behaviour and never change. If I did that in real life though, eventually I'd get fired or a smack on the head...
That makes sense, and I am sure adds to the problem. My experience comes from alot of the young adults I get joining the army. I have one person who stands out in my mind. He came in at 18 with 2 kids, and he is a private. He got mad and threatened me because he felt I wasn't talking to him like a man. I explained that I indeed wasn't talking to him like he was a man, I was talking to him like a private. If he wanted me to treat him different he needed to change the way he acted.
ReplyDeleteI've been working at getting this guy to hang out with better people and pushing him towards more responsibilty. He is starting to act more responsible and I'm treating him as such. It has taken alot of work though. Most people don't get this kind of attention in changing their behavoir. As you said you would just get fired form your job if you acted this way. Well in the Military I can't fire people, so I have to change them.