[QUOTE]Originally posted by dlq04

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dlq04

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dlq04

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Legal Bill
I get the sense that you really believe that every kid has the ability and potential to succeed in school and in society and I guess that is a very positive attitude; very "Will Rogers."

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Smokee
Geez, you sound like old fogies lamenting your lost youth. Personally, aside from the useful technology it developed, the lunar missions didn't do much to make my life any better or my future more bright.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tenblade2001
I disagree.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tenblade2001

 

That's an interesting point, dlq. It just seems to me that the opportunities are just different, not necessarily in shorter supply. It's really mindset that's completely different. Back in those days, people thought that American labor and products were the ultimate in quality. I think these days, with globalization of industry, that hubris is gone. It affects the kids' outlook, even if the work possibilities are there.

I've said this before, but my belief is that America needs to continue to lead in innovation and new technologies. This is what will fire up the American youth. This gets back to the education issue, by the way...

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RED MX5

 

No, it seemed to be a direct attack on the person of everyone he was disagreeing with. A WMD type "personal attack."

Just my reading. How is saying "you all sound like old fogy's" any different than saying "you all sound like you have lost touch with reality" or "you all sound uneducated and stupid?"

I guess I just don't understand what is meant by a "personal attack." I though if it attacked persons rather than statements, then it was a personal attack, See Dlq, I told you a while back that I knew nothing. At least I got that part right.

I don't even know how to tell someone that they are wrong, without also explaining why they are wrong and tying my objections to something they have said that seems incorrect. I've never seen that done before, and don't know how to respond when it is done to me. Apparently, I am wrong to think that misconceptions based on misunderstanding and ignorance need to be corrected. That apparently IS seen as a personal attack. I really don't understand it all, and so I probably need to turn in my badge. In spite of the good conversation available here, there are elements that I don't seem to be able to address. It's my own shortcoming, but I can't see where the source is, so I can't do much about it.

Prolly better for me to stay out of the conversations, since I apparently can't comprehend the ground rules.

Before I give it up entirely though, I want to address the matter of opportunity today, as compared to my experience as a kid. My parents defined responsibility as holding a job. The longer you held a job, the more responsible you were. Their idea of success was to spend their life in a secure job, making good money, and achieving the American Dream. I cannot speak for my generation, but only for myself. I've had so many different jobs that it's not funny. Throughout most of my life there have been a host of opportunities to choose from, and I've picked the ones that looked appealing, and some that seemed to need picking, and I've left the rest. I am always inclined to make the argument that it is all just a matter of luck, but I know someone will say, "luck is what we have when preparation meets opportunity," and I can't find a flaw in that logic. I have "worked hard" but I have rarely felt like it was work, because I've always picked the opportunities that allowed me to feel good about what I was doing (thus making it enjoyable). I have in fact been beat with so many opportunities that at times just making a choice has become stressful. The number of opportunities has NOT decreased, at least not the number of opportunities I'm offered. Many of the kids I've worked with share the view that there are fewer opportunities, but consider this. We build on a base, elevating ourselves on the shoulders of those who have gone before. The base grows at an exponential rate, so the number of opportunities increases at an exponential rate. All good, except for the fact that today we face competition from the world rather than just from our neighbors. Japan has problems too, but they are doing some remarkable things with their children. These are among the children our own children will have to compete with. The Japanese I have worked with have been not only bright and in possession of a well rounded education, but they have also been such hard workers that I had to stay on my toes to keep up. I actually loved the environment, but competing against people who are so different from our people is somewhat daunting. We have more opportunities, but there is also more and stiffer competition, and if any kid isn't a little concerned about it, then I'm a little concerned about that particular kid. China is going to amaze most people. Though I also enjoyed working with them, they don't play by the same rules we do. We had to teach them almost everything. At times, it seemed that even the plant managers didn't have a grip. Simple things, like the fact that a counter-sunk hole in one part has to line up with the threaded hole in another part, totally eluded them. We spent a year teaching them how to make components, and they not only learned to make the components, but how the device worked, and why, and they then made good use of what they'd learned, by offering our product to competitors, assembled, at a lower price than our parts cost. China seems to be doing something very similar to what Japan did, taking any technology available, and making it cheaper. When they also start making it better (than Japan) they will represent a formidable economic power. Many kids don't understand all this, but even many of those who don't, still sense that they will never have a job that they can count on carrying them for the rest of their lives (like my parents wanted) and they believe (probably correctly) that they will face some very stiff competition for any opportunity that might become available. I think it worries some kids, perhaps many kids. I know the kids I have worked with have often expressed concerns, and they often express them better than most adults. Anyway, I think there is a ratio involved. The ratio of available jobs to the level of competition has changed. Anyone who isn't concerned about the change *might* be overlooking a potentially serious problem our nation is facing.

Did I mention that I agree that kids see less opportunity, whether there is less opportunity or not? Hokey smokes, when I was a kid, we were all going to the moon, and Kennedy said we'd be walking on Mars by 1980. More than just the world was presenting us with opportunities. The moon and Mars looked like opportunities too, when I was a kid. We lived in a time of national pride and optimism, and most kids today don't see that same sense of pride and direction that was given to me when I was young. I do not envy the kids, but there will be plenty of opportunities for those with the will to go after them.

RED