Today I Saw The Future

[Pr0]

It was midnight, I was at a local convenience store grabbing some vapor fluid and as I went up to the counter I ran smack dab into the future.

There were two women, mid to late 30s, they were both at the counter together, they were quite obviously very into each other, they were kind of hanging all over each other and taking up as much counter space as possible as if to declare....look at us, we're here and we'll take as long as we want.

Then the shorter of the two giggled and laughed and kissed her companion right there, in front of like 10 or 15 other people standing behind them. And I was like, that's really cool that they feel so comfortable with themselves and they can express affection to each other in public. I was not phased by it at all, I was happy to see it really.

The younger one then pulled out her smart phone and was flipping through..something, then suddenly she made a really weird face, I guess it was like a crazy duck face, she flashed a peace sign, and the flash on her phone went off...she'd taken a selfie. Because apparently #conveniencestore might be a thing...I don't know.

As she did that the shorter of the two had moved to the side as well, leaning back on the counter with a very definite attitude of "I really don't care if you're waiting in line, we're still buying stuff" and thats when I saw the future.

Between them, the entire time, had been a ten, maybe eleven year old girl, obviously the daughter of one of two women...and she had the most apologetic and uncomfortable look on her face as she handed her soda up to the guy behind the counter.

And before anyone screams at me that I'm anti-gay/anti-lesbian or anything...this has nothing to do with the obvious sexual preference of the two women, I really thought it was cool that they were so comfortable with themselves...this is about parenting. And this is gave me a moments pause....literally a reason to memorize and remember the scene as compared to everything else I see every day that I generally don't store in in the wetware and dump as meaningless.

The argument could be made that I simply saw a bad parent being especially bad at being a parent...but this felt like more than that.

Are you concerned for the upcoming generation at all? I think I might be.

 

[FalloutJack]

The upcoming generation will be afflicted with the same affliction the LAST generation had: I-Hate-My-Parents-Itis.

There's nothing wrong with their life preferences. They were just both self-absorbed pains in the ass with no regard for other people. That's all personality, and the kid will hate it and strive not to become it, an ordinary healthy child.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

So since this isn't about being anti-gay, what exactly is it about?

You just found out that some parents can be inconsiderate jerks who hold up the line? You just found out that certain people take unnecessary amounts of selfies?

 

[Zontar]

What you saw was just a bad parent who either doesn't understand or doesn't care for social edict who just happened to be a lesbian and who just happened to have a daughter who was embarrassed by the way her mother was acting (though this is true for all of us really, though usually it's within the privacy of our own homes and not in public).

As someone who spends pretty much all of his time in rural and suburban areas I'll admit that would be an odd sight to see, but only in-so-far as the parents being lesbian is a rare sight in these parts more so then people being asses in public or being bad parents in public, both of which could be considered a national pastime.

 

[Pr0]

So since this isn't about being anti-gay, what exactly is it about?

You just found out that some parents can be inconsiderate jerks who hold up the line? You just found out that certain people take unnecessary amounts of selfies?

I felt like I was looking at the next super confused generation just waiting to happen.

We have a huge culture of kids that have been raised by kids, that were also raised by kids. And I don't specifically mean kids as in "Mommy was 14 when she had me" thats common enough...what I mean is its not just young people raising children, its mentally arrested people raising children and its been compounding generation after generation now for almost 40 years.

Society changes, peoples social mores change over time, but raising children right....isn't something that I feel changes all that much.

I didn't really look at that eleven year old girl and go "Whats with your lesbian mom?" the first thing that went through my head was "Why does your mother have you at a convenience store buying a Pepsi at midnight on a school night?".

I'm cool with Lesbian Mom. I was questioning her priorities.

 

[MHR]

Assholes are gonna be assholes.

Count it as a positive. The little girl, obviously embarrassed as she is by all this shit, is going to grow up to know not to be an asshole and do annoying things everyone hates.

There's no problem here.

 

[Phasmal]

So.... you saw some parents embarrassing their kid?

You realise that happens literally all the time, right?
I had to re-read your post to see what the big deal was, but it seemed to be `parents acted dumb, embarrass kid`.

In other news, water is wet and the sky is blue.

That's just what parents do. Especially when their kid is pretending not to be with them. When my mum wanted to embarrass us she'd just go around singing the Monty Python Lumberjack song at the top of her lungs.

Spoiler: I know every word of this now

EDIT: And to be honest, you don't know what was going on. The girl may have not been their daughter, but a sister of one of the women or something like that. There's a 16-year age gap between two of my siblings, it's not uncommon.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

So since this isn't about being anti-gay, what exactly is it about?

You just found out that some parents can be inconsiderate jerks who hold up the line? You just found out that certain people take unnecessary amounts of selfies?

I felt like I was looking at the next super confused generation just waiting to happen.

We have a huge culture of kids that have been raised by kids, that were also raised by kids. And I don't specifically mean kids as in "Mommy was 14 when she had me" thats common enough...what I mean is its not just young people raising children, its mentally arrested people raising children and its been compounding generation after generation now for almost 40 years.

Society changes, peoples social mores change over time, but raising children right....isn't something that I feel changes all that much.

I didn't really look at that eleven year old girl and go "Whats with your lesbian mom?" the first thing that went through my head was "Why does your mother have you at a convenience store buying a Pepsi at midnight on a school night?".

I'm cool with Lesbian Mom. I was questioning her priorities.

People have been concerned that civilised society is on the verge of collapse from the moment there was a society. Sorry to bring up a rather cliché argument, but it wasn't all that long ago that people were busy lynching black people in "civilised society". While inconsiderate people like these two parents can be a pain in the arse, I don't really buy the idea that they are evidence of the "moral decay of society".

 

[Pr0]

So since this isn't about being anti-gay, what exactly is it about?

You just found out that some parents can be inconsiderate jerks who hold up the line? You just found out that certain people take unnecessary amounts of selfies?

I felt like I was looking at the next super confused generation just waiting to happen.

We have a huge culture of kids that have been raised by kids, that were also raised by kids. And I don't specifically mean kids as in "Mommy was 14 when she had me" thats common enough...what I mean is its not just young people raising children, its mentally arrested people raising children and its been compounding generation after generation now for almost 40 years.

Society changes, peoples social mores change over time, but raising children right....isn't something that I feel changes all that much.

I didn't really look at that eleven year old girl and go "Whats with your lesbian mom?" the first thing that went through my head was "Why does your mother have you at a convenience store buying a Pepsi at midnight on a school night?".

I'm cool with Lesbian Mom. I was questioning her priorities.

People have been concerned that civilised society is on the verge of collapse from the moment there was a society. Sorry to bring up a rather cliché argument, but it wasn't all that long ago that people were busy lynching black people in "civilised society". While inconsiderate people like these two parents can be a pain in the arse, I don't really buy the idea that they are evidence of the "moral decay of society".

Where does moral decay begin though? I agree that society has been less enlightened in the past in regards to racial and sexual issues but.....what does that have to do with raising children in a manner that ensures they know how to raise children when its their turn?

My mother never once took us out of the house after 11pm, there were a few very rare occasions where we'd end up home late after a movie or something (this being, of course, back when you either went to a theater or you waited two years for HBO to have the movie), or some kind of school function...but just buying garbage junk food and snacks at a convenience store at midnight? Never once, ever.

Hell we rarely ever even had soda in our house and it wasn't a financial issue it was a decision my mother made to ensure we ate right as we grew up. No sugary cereals either, very few sweets/candies whatever. Ice cream on rare occasion.

I feel like thats the right way to raise a kid, making responsible decisions and specifically ensuring you give them the best possible start at life they can get. Of course because thats how I was raised....I think its right. And because of how this young girl appears to being raised...shes going to think the way she was raised is right.

Social decay starts somewhere, and I think we're well into it really. Idiocracy is the end result of it...though I doubt I'll be alive to see it in its full and horrifying glory.

 

[Phasmal]

Where does moral decay begin though? I agree that society has been less enlightened in the past in regards to racial and sexual issues but.....what does that have to do with raising children in a manner that ensures they know how to raise children when its their turn?

My mother never once took us out of the house after 11pm, there were a few very rare occasions where we'd end up home late after a movie or something (this being, of course, back when you either went to a theater or you waited two years for HBO to have the movie), or some kind of school function...but just buying garbage junk food and snacks at a convenience store at midnight? Never once, ever.

Hell we rarely ever even had soda in our house and it wasn't a financial issue it was a decision my mother made to ensure we ate right as we grew up. No sugary cereals either, very few sweets/candies whatever. Ice cream on rare occasion.

I feel like thats the right way to raise a kid, making responsible decisions and specifically ensuring you give them the best possible start at life they can get. Of course because thats how I was raised....I think its right. And because of how this young girl appears to being raised...shes going to think the way she was raised is right.

Social decay starts somewhere, and I think we're well into it really. Idiocracy is the end result of it...though I doubt I'll be alive to see it in its full and horrifying glory.

Social decay?!
Jeezy chreezy I think you may need to have a lie down in a dark room for a little while.

Just because you think the way you were raised is right doesn't mean there is no situation in which this child could be being raised right (because seeing her with her parents on one occasion gives you enough knowledge to judge her entire upbringing...).

I would suggest maybe calming down a little. You saw a kid at a store at midnight, it is not the end of the world.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

So since this isn't about being anti-gay, what exactly is it about?

You just found out that some parents can be inconsiderate jerks who hold up the line? You just found out that certain people take unnecessary amounts of selfies?

I felt like I was looking at the next super confused generation just waiting to happen.

We have a huge culture of kids that have been raised by kids, that were also raised by kids. And I don't specifically mean kids as in "Mommy was 14 when she had me" thats common enough...what I mean is its not just young people raising children, its mentally arrested people raising children and its been compounding generation after generation now for almost 40 years.

Society changes, peoples social mores change over time, but raising children right....isn't something that I feel changes all that much.

I didn't really look at that eleven year old girl and go "Whats with your lesbian mom?" the first thing that went through my head was "Why does your mother have you at a convenience store buying a Pepsi at midnight on a school night?".

I'm cool with Lesbian Mom. I was questioning her priorities.

People have been concerned that civilised society is on the verge of collapse from the moment there was a society. Sorry to bring up a rather cliché argument, but it wasn't all that long ago that people were busy lynching black people in "civilised society". While inconsiderate people like these two parents can be a pain in the arse, I don't really buy the idea that they are evidence of the "moral decay of society".

Where does moral decay begin though? I agree that society has been less enlightened in the past in regards to racial and sexual issues but.....what does that have to do with raising children in a manner that ensures they know how to raise children when its their turn?

My mother never once took us out of the house after 11pm, there were a few very rare occasions where we'd end up home late after a movie or something (this being, of course, back when you either went to a theater or you waited two years for HBO to have the movie), or some kind of school function...but just buying garbage junk food and snacks at a convenience store at midnight? Never once, ever.

Hell we rarely ever even had soda in our house and it wasn't a financial issue it was a decision my mother made to ensure we ate right as we grew up. No sugary cereals either, very few sweets/candies whatever. Ice cream on rare occasion.

I feel like thats the right way to raise a kid, making responsible decisions and specifically ensuring you give them the best possible start at life they can get. Of course because thats how I was raised....I think its right. And because of how this young girl appears to being raised...shes going to think the way she was raised is right.

Social decay starts somewhere, and I think we're well into it really. Idiocracy is the end result of it...though I doubt I'll be alive to see it in its full and horrifying glory.

I'm not suggesting that there are no problems with the way these parents were acting, just that I don't believe there is evidence to suggest that society as a whole will end up like these two. You've seen these two, and you've probably seen other inconsiderate parents, that's not exactly a strong case.

And not to defend the actions of these two, but the idea of what is an isn't good etiquette changes from generation to generation. Either way, I don't see this as any reason to be concerned. People see what they want to see, and a lot of people want to believe that the present is the peak of society, and it's only down hill from here. It's a very flattering thing to believe.

 

[Pr0]

Where does moral decay begin though? I agree that society has been less enlightened in the past in regards to racial and sexual issues but.....what does that have to do with raising children in a manner that ensures they know how to raise children when its their turn?

My mother never once took us out of the house after 11pm, there were a few very rare occasions where we'd end up home late after a movie or something (this being, of course, back when you either went to a theater or you waited two years for HBO to have the movie), or some kind of school function...but just buying garbage junk food and snacks at a convenience store at midnight? Never once, ever.

Hell we rarely ever even had soda in our house and it wasn't a financial issue it was a decision my mother made to ensure we ate right as we grew up. No sugary cereals either, very few sweets/candies whatever. Ice cream on rare occasion.

I feel like thats the right way to raise a kid, making responsible decisions and specifically ensuring you give them the best possible start at life they can get. Of course because thats how I was raised....I think its right. And because of how this young girl appears to being raised...shes going to think the way she was raised is right.

Social decay starts somewhere, and I think we're well into it really. Idiocracy is the end result of it...though I doubt I'll be alive to see it in its full and horrifying glory.

Social decay?!
Jeezy chreezy I think you may need to have a lie down in a dark room for a little while.

Just because you think the way you were raised is right doesn't mean there is no situation in which this child could be being raised right (because seeing her with her parents on one occasion gives you enough knowledge to judge her entire upbringing...).

I would suggest maybe calming down a little. You saw a kid at a store at midnight, it is not the end of the world.

Avalanches begin with snowflakes. Yes I am doing very heavy extrapolation and yes I'm making assumptive potentialities based on one visual instance...its not science, its philosophy.

I'm also not angry? So I'm not sure what I need to calm down about. I am simply expressing a philosophical concern in this thread.

 

[Phasmal]

Avalanches begin with snowflakes. Yes I am doing very heavy extrapolation and yes I'm making assumptive potentialities based on one visual instance...its not science, its philosophy.

I'm also not angry? So I'm not sure what I need to calm down about. I am simply expressing a philosophical concern in this thread.

I wasn't implying you were angry, I was implying you were over-reacting.

Still, it seems every generation thinks the one after them will be worse, it's nothing new or special.
Personally, seeing as we were okay when our parents freaked out about us, and they were okay when their parents freaked out about them, I think kids are gonna be just fine.

 

[Pr0]

So since this isn't about being anti-gay, what exactly is it about?

You just found out that some parents can be inconsiderate jerks who hold up the line? You just found out that certain people take unnecessary amounts of selfies?

I felt like I was looking at the next super confused generation just waiting to happen.

We have a huge culture of kids that have been raised by kids, that were also raised by kids. And I don't specifically mean kids as in "Mommy was 14 when she had me" thats common enough...what I mean is its not just young people raising children, its mentally arrested people raising children and its been compounding generation after generation now for almost 40 years.

Society changes, peoples social mores change over time, but raising children right....isn't something that I feel changes all that much.

I didn't really look at that eleven year old girl and go "Whats with your lesbian mom?" the first thing that went through my head was "Why does your mother have you at a convenience store buying a Pepsi at midnight on a school night?".

I'm cool with Lesbian Mom. I was questioning her priorities.

People have been concerned that civilised society is on the verge of collapse from the moment there was a society. Sorry to bring up a rather cliché argument, but it wasn't all that long ago that people were busy lynching black people in "civilised society". While inconsiderate people like these two parents can be a pain in the arse, I don't really buy the idea that they are evidence of the "moral decay of society".

Where does moral decay begin though? I agree that society has been less enlightened in the past in regards to racial and sexual issues but.....what does that have to do with raising children in a manner that ensures they know how to raise children when its their turn?

My mother never once took us out of the house after 11pm, there were a few very rare occasions where we'd end up home late after a movie or something (this being, of course, back when you either went to a theater or you waited two years for HBO to have the movie), or some kind of school function...but just buying garbage junk food and snacks at a convenience store at midnight? Never once, ever.

Hell we rarely ever even had soda in our house and it wasn't a financial issue it was a decision my mother made to ensure we ate right as we grew up. No sugary cereals either, very few sweets/candies whatever. Ice cream on rare occasion.

I feel like thats the right way to raise a kid, making responsible decisions and specifically ensuring you give them the best possible start at life they can get. Of course because thats how I was raised....I think its right. And because of how this young girl appears to being raised...shes going to think the way she was raised is right.

Social decay starts somewhere, and I think we're well into it really. Idiocracy is the end result of it...though I doubt I'll be alive to see it in its full and horrifying glory.

I'm not suggesting that there are no problems with the way these parents were acting, just that I don't believe there is evidence to suggest that society as a whole will end up like these two. You've seen these two, and you've probably seen other inconsiderate parents, that's not exactly a strong case.

And not to defend the actions of these two, but the idea of what is an isn't good etiquette changes from generation to generation. Either way, I don't see this as any reason to be concerned. People see what they want to see, and a lot of people want to believe that the present is the peak of society, and it's only down hill from here. It's a very flattering thing to believe.

Well its not just these two. My fiancee, who I've so eloquently outed as a gigantic self centered 12 year old girl in a 36 year old assistant district attorney's body, recently moved from the Public Defenders office and went to the District Attorney's office...and she works with deprived juvenile cases and the stories she brings home are a hundred times more horrifying than what I saw at this store. Granted once a parent or a child ends up at the attention of the legal system one, or both of them have already messed up so badly that their stories couldn't be anything but scary...but combine that with what I saw and I have to say I have a genuine concern.

Most of these kids will be emptying my bedpans as I slowly check out of this planet, a few of them might actually be running the planet as I leave.

That'll be a weird planet. Not that its not already really fucking weird.

 

[Pr0]

Avalanches begin with snowflakes. Yes I am doing very heavy extrapolation and yes I'm making assumptive potentialities based on one visual instance...its not science, its philosophy.

I'm also not angry? So I'm not sure what I need to calm down about. I am simply expressing a philosophical concern in this thread.

I wasn't implying you were angry, I was implying you were over-reacting.

Still, it seems every generation thinks the one after them will be worse, it's nothing new or special.
Personally, seeing as we were okay when our parents freaked out about us, and they were okay when their parents freaked out about them, I think kids are gonna be just fine.

I don't know if I agree with that.

I'm not half the man my grandfather was. I can say that with a fair amount of certainty. My life has never been more than lower middle class but I've lived a life of absolute privilege in comparison to him.

My father, as well, was a slight better man than I am. Even though he did abandon the family, socially and personally hes worked harder in his life than I have or will simply to have what he has.

My mother, as well, a much better person than I turned out to be despite her best efforts and she did really try hard as a mother. She worked 80 hours a week sometimes to raise my brother and I....I turned out to be an artist and creative type and we all know that "work" and "creativity" aren't always mutually inclusive.

Simple facts are the Great Generation, my Grandfather and Grandmothers generation, built the entire world that Lesbian Mom was busy sitting around being a generalized nuisance in. And slowly but surely since then...we've de-evolved down to people actually thinking that taking pictures of themselves to satisfy their own vanity is normal, sane behavior.

And right below them...is the next generation, and I really worry about them. They're going to be inheriting one hell of a mess after all. I'm not sure they're going to be prepared for it adequately.

 

[AT God]

I feel your story actually gives me hope for the upcoming generation. I really hate the social media culture that has people taking pictures of themselves doing faces and from what you described that child seemed to be upset by that behavior as well, leading me to hope that maybe the next generation will not exhibit the same behavior as this generation. Sadly one examples like yours isn't at all indicative of the population as a whole but I can still at least hope that maybe that's how things will go.

That said, if the child was uncomfortable because the women were being gay in public, then I can see how you might be afraid for the future generation and would agree but also take comfort in the opposite stance because 1 example isn't indicative of the population.

 

[Bobic]

So since this isn't about being anti-gay, what exactly is it about?

You just found out that some parents can be inconsiderate jerks who hold up the line? You just found out that certain people take unnecessary amounts of selfies?

I felt like I was looking at the next super confused generation just waiting to happen.

We have a huge culture of kids that have been raised by kids, that were also raised by kids. And I don't specifically mean kids as in "Mommy was 14 when she had me" thats common enough...what I mean is its not just young people raising children, its mentally arrested people raising children and its been compounding generation after generation now for almost 40 years.

Society changes, peoples social mores change over time, but raising children right....isn't something that I feel changes all that much.

I didn't really look at that eleven year old girl and go "Whats with your lesbian mom?" the first thing that went through my head was "Why does your mother have you at a convenience store buying a Pepsi at midnight on a school night?".

I'm cool with Lesbian Mom. I was questioning her priorities.

People have been concerned that civilised society is on the verge of collapse from the moment there was a society. Sorry to bring up a rather cliché argument, but it wasn't all that long ago that people were busy lynching black people in "civilised society". While inconsiderate people like these two parents can be a pain in the arse, I don't really buy the idea that they are evidence of the "moral decay of society".

Where does moral decay begin though? I agree that society has been less enlightened in the past in regards to racial and sexual issues but.....what does that have to do with raising children in a manner that ensures they know how to raise children when its their turn?

My mother never once took us out of the house after 11pm, there were a few very rare occasions where we'd end up home late after a movie or something (this being, of course, back when you either went to a theater or you waited two years for HBO to have the movie), or some kind of school function...but just buying garbage junk food and snacks at a convenience store at midnight? Never once, ever.

Hell we rarely ever even had soda in our house and it wasn't a financial issue it was a decision my mother made to ensure we ate right as we grew up. No sugary cereals either, very few sweets/candies whatever. Ice cream on rare occasion.

I feel like thats the right way to raise a kid, making responsible decisions and specifically ensuring you give them the best possible start at life they can get. Of course because thats how I was raised....I think its right. And because of how this young girl appears to being raised...shes going to think the way she was raised is right.

Social decay starts somewhere, and I think we're well into it really. Idiocracy is the end result of it...though I doubt I'll be alive to see it in its full and horrifying glory.

I'm not suggesting that there are no problems with the way these parents were acting, just that I don't believe there is evidence to suggest that society as a whole will end up like these two. You've seen these two, and you've probably seen other inconsiderate parents, that's not exactly a strong case.

And not to defend the actions of these two, but the idea of what is an isn't good etiquette changes from generation to generation. Either way, I don't see this as any reason to be concerned. People see what they want to see, and a lot of people want to believe that the present is the peak of society, and it's only down hill from here. It's a very flattering thing to believe.

Well its not just these two. My fiancee, who I've so eloquently outed as a gigantic self centered 12 year old girl in a 36 year old assistant district attorney's body, recently moved from the Public Defenders office and went to the District Attorney's office...and she works with deprived juvenile cases and the stories she brings home are a hundred times more horrifying than what I saw at this store. Granted once a parent or a child ends up at the attention of the legal system one, or both of them have already messed up so badly that their stories couldn't be anything but scary...but combine that with what I saw and I have to say I have a genuine concern.

Most of these kids will be emptying my bedpans as I slowly check out of this planet, a few of them might actually be running the planet as I leave.

That'll be a weird planet. Not that its not already really fucking weird.

And do you think district attorneys working with deprived juvenile cases reported none-horrifying stories to their spouses 40 years ago? Or do you think that may not be the best way to get a good non-biased sample of average parenting level?

And that even applies to your own OP example, if we're talking decay of society, we need something that speaks for the majority of society, because, again, I'm pretty sure 40 years ago you'd have found examples of parents being a tad silly too. Sure, not selfies (or open lesbians, but that's a sign of growth), but some other trivial thing. It's always been there, and probably always will.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

So what, social media[footnote]I kind of kid, but I thoroughly dislike both Facebook and Twitter as mediums of communication[/footnote]is the devil?

I've been banging that particular drum for a good long while now, and I'm part of the Millennial generation >_<

One thing that makes the kids of today seem somewhat hopeful is that I can hear more and more kids talking about Minecraft instead of Call of Duty on the bus, which makes thing look slightly better. However, this might mean that in lieu of retro platformers, the games of tomorrow will instead be retro sandboxes with crafting elements, and that's a scary thought.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

So what, social media[footnote]I kind of kid, but I thoroughly dislike both Facebook and Twitter as mediums of communication[/footnote]is the devil?

I've been banging that particular drum for a good long while now, and I'm part of the Millennial generation >_<

You're not alone in that one. I've been looking for a way to quit Facebook and my personal/work lives are so immersed in it now that it would be more trouble than it is worth to get rid of it right now. Twitter? I won't even join it to get into contests.

One thing that makes the kids of today seem somewhat hopeful is that I can hear more and more kids talking about Minecraft instead of Call of Duty on the bus, which makes thing look slightly better.

The fact my nephew loves Minecraft and Lego more than any action hero is a relief for me. I'm sure he'll eventually get interested in gunplay games but at that point I hope he is a lot less impressionable. My sister knows how to manage that stuff though, I have faith in her. I just wish I could have faith in all parents of the next generation. <.<

 

[EternallyBored]

So since this isn't about being anti-gay, what exactly is it about?

You just found out that some parents can be inconsiderate jerks who hold up the line? You just found out that certain people take unnecessary amounts of selfies?

I felt like I was looking at the next super confused generation just waiting to happen.

We have a huge culture of kids that have been raised by kids, that were also raised by kids. And I don't specifically mean kids as in "Mommy was 14 when she had me" thats common enough...what I mean is its not just young people raising children, its mentally arrested people raising children and its been compounding generation after generation now for almost 40 years.

Society changes, peoples social mores change over time, but raising children right....isn't something that I feel changes all that much.

I didn't really look at that eleven year old girl and go "Whats with your lesbian mom?" the first thing that went through my head was "Why does your mother have you at a convenience store buying a Pepsi at midnight on a school night?".

I'm cool with Lesbian Mom. I was questioning her priorities.

People have been concerned that civilised society is on the verge of collapse from the moment there was a society. Sorry to bring up a rather cliché argument, but it wasn't all that long ago that people were busy lynching black people in "civilised society". While inconsiderate people like these two parents can be a pain in the arse, I don't really buy the idea that they are evidence of the "moral decay of society".

Where does moral decay begin though? I agree that society has been less enlightened in the past in regards to racial and sexual issues but.....what does that have to do with raising children in a manner that ensures they know how to raise children when its their turn?

My mother never once took us out of the house after 11pm, there were a few very rare occasions where we'd end up home late after a movie or something (this being, of course, back when you either went to a theater or you waited two years for HBO to have the movie), or some kind of school function...but just buying garbage junk food and snacks at a convenience store at midnight? Never once, ever.

Hell we rarely ever even had soda in our house and it wasn't a financial issue it was a decision my mother made to ensure we ate right as we grew up. No sugary cereals either, very few sweets/candies whatever. Ice cream on rare occasion.

I feel like thats the right way to raise a kid, making responsible decisions and specifically ensuring you give them the best possible start at life they can get. Of course because thats how I was raised....I think its right. And because of how this young girl appears to being raised...shes going to think the way she was raised is right.

Social decay starts somewhere, and I think we're well into it really. Idiocracy is the end result of it...though I doubt I'll be alive to see it in its full and horrifying glory.

I'm not suggesting that there are no problems with the way these parents were acting, just that I don't believe there is evidence to suggest that society as a whole will end up like these two. You've seen these two, and you've probably seen other inconsiderate parents, that's not exactly a strong case.

And not to defend the actions of these two, but the idea of what is an isn't good etiquette changes from generation to generation. Either way, I don't see this as any reason to be concerned. People see what they want to see, and a lot of people want to believe that the present is the peak of society, and it's only down hill from here. It's a very flattering thing to believe.

Well its not just these two. My fiancee, who I've so eloquently outed as a gigantic self centered 12 year old girl in a 36 year old assistant district attorney's body, recently moved from the Public Defenders office and went to the District Attorney's office...and she works with deprived juvenile cases and the stories she brings home are a hundred times more horrifying than what I saw at this store. Granted once a parent or a child ends up at the attention of the legal system one, or both of them have already messed up so badly that their stories couldn't be anything but scary...but combine that with what I saw and I have to say I have a genuine concern.

Most of these kids will be emptying my bedpans as I slowly check out of this planet, a few of them might actually be running the planet as I leave.

That'll be a weird planet. Not that its not already really fucking weird.

As someone who works with such cases, that's not new, I've heard stories from the 60's and 70's about kids in horrifying situations.

You are making the mistake of thinking that those things didn't happen back then, but they did, there just wasn't any government agency or private charity out there monitoring when it happened, so we have no clear picture on the nature of such crimes compared to today where we actually do monitor these situations.

Things like DCFS, CPS, and the modern system didn't spring up overnight out of a vacuum, they've existed since the 1800's, under different names, but they were founded to combat the very real very screwed up things that were happening to kids. That's totally forgetting the other horrific things that took place within the system, like using the orphanage system in urban areas during the 1800's to source child labor in dangerous factories.

Looking at the old pictures of orphan children missing fingers and hands because they were being forced to work in early industrial factories, children who were beaten to death without the parents ever facing criminal charges, and story upon story of children being put on trains and shipped out of urban areas with no followup monitoring on how they were being treated or cared for. I'm not saying things are perfect nowadays, far from it, but through what I know on the history of such organizations, and the history of social work, it was even worse a century or more ago.