Are Teens Lacking in Respect? (You opinion ;D)

[Zomplode]

Well you can’t expect them NOT to be right? Its not like it used to be were teens got their butt whooped for getting a low grade in class, or for getting in trouble at school, as well as talking back to their parents. In those times the kids were more...Obedient. We’re totally out of those years and now the kids get their leniency and they expect to get their way. Its how the world works now I guess.  

[RyuShikyo Yagari]

Well in today's times it's hard to punish children-teens because if you do anything that is considered not OK to their parents you have a lawsuit coming your way. Perhaps we have gotten to overboard with what we consider abuse?  

[Miss_XxAriaxX]

Yes some teens are very rude and others aren't.

I was a very shy girl when I was a teenager. I did not cause any sort of problem.

I have to admit that I am rude. Because I never learnt to say please and thank you. Never learnt how to be polite. Therefore, some people that interacted with me find me impolite.

I learnt at school that I have to greet adults saying Sir or Madam,
that's all about it.

I don't want to put all the blame on my parents. I mean I could have learned this by myself ... Now I am more careful in the good etiquette and to be polite.  

[Scorned Nightmare]

My mother would have kicked my a** if I'd acted like that as a teenager. Probably still would, actually, and I'll be twenty-five next month. I'll gladly admit I can be bitchy when I want to be, but I've always treated my elders with respect, even if they don't exhibit any themselves. When I was working as a student aid at SJCCS, I noticed that most of the early college high school kids didn't even treat their teachers with respect, especially not our sound teach and tutors (I worked in both the Fine Arts building and the Writers' Center). Hell, they didn't even show me respect, and I was only a year or two older than they were, and working two jobs while going to school full time. Several pointed this out to me - in front of members of our school board, our dean, my DOM, and the woman our building (I was in the Fine Arts building at the time), no less. Politely as I could - I'm a good Southern girl, from the Lone Star State - all I said was, "You'll be singing a different tune once Mommy and Daddy stop paying for everything, and you're the one keeping up with your bills, rent, and your school costs all on your own. While help and support from others are nice, you'll learn real fast that the only one you can count on is yourself." Then I walked away to continue my work. The dean actually pulled me aside later and complimented me on diffusing the situation without violence, and added that if I wanted to "deck the idiots in the parking lot behind the building later" she'd turn a blind eye. But only that once.  

[ChiffaniChan]

hello gaijin

x-Rainbow_Alpacaz-x

chesiregirl

Well, where do you live? Teenagers have respect across the country, but at least the adults set a positive example (although it is not followed) where I come from...Texas.
In NYC, people have NO manners. I've heard such from numerous people who visited the city.

I'm from Georgia.
People in the south (like here) are supposed to be known for their Southern Chaam and Hospitality... I wanna know where that went >.<

I'm from the south as well. This "southern charm" stereotype is definitely not always true.

I'm from the south and "southern charm" is alive here, especially within my family. There are a lot of people who forgotten what that is though. My other family is from Georgia, and it's not really southern there anymore.

Teens and respect....
I've seen a lot of teen with and without respect.
I know I learn respect at a young age by parents who were there, and cared. While, it isn't always the parents fault the kid's and teens are the way they are, most of the time it is. A lot of teens are disrespectful these days, because they need parents who will actually be there and care about them.  

[Aquatic_blue]

Sadly, when teenagers act this way - it can be a product of how they were raised, too. Some parents anger their kids or have shown their kids that they can't be trusted. It isn't always the teenagers fault. There are times when teenagers want to be independent, do their own things, and be jerks about it without any real just cause and at that point, it may not be the fault of the parents. Although, when I see a lot of teenagers that have issues with rebellion - it's because their parents were too controlling so they always would see what they could get away with and not get in trouble or didn't agree with the parents rules because they had no real basis or purpose to them.

Honestly, I could not live saying, "Ma'am/Sir" to everybody. I can't operate like that - it's weird to me. I know some people grow up to say, "No/Yes, Ma'am/Sir." but I never was and I feel it weird. Once in a while I do say "ma'am" or "sir", and I have gotten, "Don't call me sir/ma'am." I remember at a restaurant the manager held the door open and my husband and I said, "Thank you, sir." and he said, "Don't call me sir. I work for a living." and some people flat out hate it. I don't care for being called "ma'am" because it makes me feel old, I guess. If someone calls me "ma'am", I can deal, but I don't care for it. For the same reason, my husband hates being called "sir" xD

The behavior of teenager's can't completely be blamed on the child, and can't always be completely blamed on the parents. This is more of a circumstantial issue because people usually act the way they do with some reason or purpose in mind while doing it.

I was mean to my parents some of the time because they were often unfair to me because I was a woman - I didn't have a voice. I was supposed to do what the church told me to do. I wasn't supposed to question everything because my parents and the church knew everything, supposedly. If I ever asked, "Why?" I would get, "Because I said so." and that was never good enough for me. I would keep pressing the issue until I got in trouble. That's because they wouldn't ever give me a good reason to do something. They said I'm supposed to obey them, but I need to know their reason for it, too.

Anytime I said, "Could I get a ride (destination here)?" My Mom would say, "What for?" Then I'd explain and she'd say, "No." a lot of the time and I would ask, "Why?" and she'd flat out tell me, "Because I don't feel like it." I usually got rides from friends or other people because of this. The only thing that was keeping her busy when I asked was the television. She was a "plan" type person, which I hated because life itself can be unpredictable. One time I planned on going to a friends house on a certain day and I was planning on that and so was my mom. Well, that person changed their plan to be a day earlier or later and I told my mom to let her know and she said, "Then you're not going." I said, "Why?" Then she'd say, "Because we planned on this day. You can't go." She did it to my siblings a lot, too. If it wasn't on the original day they had planned - she would say no. It was stupid!

I've seen some teenagers that are downright mean. I remember this kid that was mean to a lot of people and had a icky sense of humor. Their sense of humor involved crude jokes and they thought it was funny when others got hurt. I later learned that they were in trouble a lot with the law, but they lived in a bad home.

Another teenager I knew that was rude had a father that got them into drugs at a young age and both of them were hooked so the kid was never really in their right mind as it is. They were often fleeing from the law.

Then there are teenagers that do mean and stupid stuff for no apparent reason - even though they have great parents.

If teens are getting snarky and rude - I would the majority on the parents because that affects a child growing up a lot and influences their decisions. On the smaller end of the scale, I would say it's only the teenager and their choice of the crowd they hang out with that influence them to do certain things or act a certain way even though they have good parents.

I remember reading a phrase that said, "It's hardest to be a teenager because you're expected to act like an adult, but treated like a kid," and I find that a completely true statement because society see's you young and as a kid - give you pep talks on, "Act like an adult," and you try, and people see you as a kid anyway so why give the effort if it goes unappreciated? After all, if a teen bad mouths an adult - there could be a reason at times. After all, no one is right all the time.

Sometimes, teens know when someone is doing them wrong and aren't afraid to say it loud and proud.  

[Kitalpha Hart]

high school cliques
not as bad at my school, since it's so small (1000 staff and student body k-12), but it's still there
plus, i'm not one of the 'popular' kids, i'm one of the 'ignored' kids
i'm not exactly the nicest myself, especially when my mom says to do something when i'm doing something (like the other day i was doing my laundry and she was sitting on her laptop playing Facebook games and watching TV) and when i say 'no' cuz i'm busy and am not dropping my stuff to get the remote that's three feet from her.
then she complains about having three jobs (teacher: seasonal. local park: seasonal. Kmart: this year only, also seasonal) and how she's always working her butt off...
what, i don't have school? cat_stare
and somehow, she managed to get it in her head that i don't mean it when i say no. wtf emotion_donotwant
so my manners suck cuz i learned from her.
plus, i get pissy when i'm tired. family trait.

 

[luna-spiritu-solis]

Agreed. I'm 16 and I resent my generation, the ones after mine, and a few before mine. They never even try to be respectful. Not only towards adults but towards children, kids their own age, EVERYONE. Chivalry is a lost art I'm afraid to say. No one says "Ma'am/Sir/Miss" anymore. It's shameful. I very rarely see someone holding open a door for someone else, especially kids around my age. Whenever I'm at my friends houses and they are disrespectful towards their parents, especially unnecessarily, I scold them as though I was their parent! This is what happens when you don't punish your children. They run rampant like little demons. It's terrible. /shakes head. I hope that one day, it will change instead of just getting worse. I fear my generation reaching adulthood. I don't want to know what they're going to do with this world.  

[Mx Kris Kringle]

Testicular Diabeetus

I see a lot of teens that are disrespectful, and if I ever acted like that my mom would whoop my a** to kingdom come.
It really pisses me off when I see punks acting a fool, especially to their elders.
I try to act right and do the right thing even if I don't want to do it. D:
XD I'm eighteen too.

My mom would've done the same  

[Mx Kris Kringle]

x-Rainbow_Alpacaz-x

I myself happen to be fifteen (sixteen in October), and I ashamed to be considered a teenager! I see it all the time. No one says "Yes Ma'am/sir" or "No Ma'am/sir", they always want to argue with their parents (They can't take "No" for an answer. They always have to show their arse off until they get a "yes".) No one opens doors for adults or even other teens or kids! It's every person for themselves. Kind of selfish if you ask me. A lot of them never even consider that their parents might be too busy or too sick or too whatever to go out and do something or go and buy them something... it's sickening. Especially the way I see a lot of teens treating elderly people. My bus driver is gettin' pretty old.. and all the kids seem to think they can just destroy his bus which he has to go and clean. He's in his seventies for Christ's sake! I offer to help before I get off since I'm practically the last student but he won't let me.

I'm not saying all teenagers are like this (I'm not), so please don't assume that I classified you in here if you're between the ages of thirteen and seventeen.... I'm just saying... it's starting to make me mad. I mean... it makes me want to yell at them.

So. Your opinion... Do you think Teens are getting a TAD snarky and rude?

Yes, I am 15 myself, and I have a job.
When I wait for somebody to pick me up I open the door for every single person who comes up to it.  

[Beth Phoenix23]

Not every parent raises there children to say "ma'am" and "sir". Some teens are disrespectful, and I know a lot of adult who are just as disrespectful than some of the teens I know. I think the main reason some teens are disrespectful is the fact that some parents don’t discipline there children and let them do whatever they want.

If you spoil your teen and let them do whatever they want I wouldn’t be surprised that’s why they're disrespectful. If at home a teenager could do whatever they want, when they get into the real world they're going to do the same  

[Commander Sigma]

Beth Phoenix23

Not every parent raises there children to say "ma'am" and "sir". Some teens are disrespectful, and I know a lot of adult who are just as disrespectful than some of the teens I know. I think the main reason some teens are disrespectful is the fact that some parents don’t discipline there children and let them do whatever they want.

If you spoil your teen and let them do whatever they want I wouldn’t be surprised that’s why they're disrespectful. If at home a teenager could do whatever they want, when they get into the real world they're going to do the same

At a certain point in time, doesn't it become awkward to call people "ma'am" or "sir"? I'm 23 and I feel weird saying it because I'm not sure if it's proper for someone my age to be calling someone that - in my mind, someone my age would only use that term followed by a statement of fact (or myth) such as "Ma'am, everyone has ADHD nowadays."

Edit: It seems to depend where you live. Yes/no ma'am/sir is more common in the southern states. Here where I live in the northern states, it's considered rude because apparently it implies a large age difference. I guess it's like asking "how old are you?" which is considered a faux pas just about anywhere in the US.  

[Beth Phoenix23]

Super Fightin Prototype

Beth Phoenix23

Not every parent raises there children to say "ma'am" and "sir". Some teens are disrespectful, and I know a lot of adult who are just as disrespectful than some of the teens I know. I think the main reason some teens are disrespectful is the fact that some parents don’t discipline there children and let them do whatever they want.

If you spoil your teen and let them do whatever they want I wouldn’t be surprised that’s why they're disrespectful. If at home a teenager could do whatever they want, when they get into the real world they're going to do the same

At a certain point in time, doesn't it become awkward to call people "ma'am" or "sir"? I'm 23 and I feel weird saying it because I'm not sure if it's proper for someone my age to be calling someone that - in my mind, someone my age would only use that term followed by a statement of fact (or myth) such as "Ma'am, everyone has ADHD nowadays."

Edit: It seems to depend where you live. Yes/no ma'am/sir is more common in the southern states. Here where I live in the northern states, it's considered rude because apparently it implies a large age difference. I guess it's like asking "how old are you?" which is considered a faux pas just about anywhere in the US.

I agree with you, I wasn’t raise to say that (also in a northern state) but I think it would sound awkward to call people ma'am and sir, I would rather say miss if it was a woman if I had to. I know some people feel offended when they get called that. I never knew it was still common to use ma'am and sir  

[oTrissa]

They seem to get worse with each passing generation. They seem to get more ignorant and helpless as well, it's quite sad. I have a bunch of friends older than me and I'm dumbfounded at the things that come out of their mouth but the younger generation says even worse things. I'm in disbelief!