The Internet Generation is our Future? Oh hell.

One thing that I have noticed since being a member of AF and a couple other message boards is that today's youth is lazy and uneducated.

If anyone has any dispute to this I encourage them to go to ANY of the hundreds of sub-forums located throughout right here at AF. Every single time on the first page you will find at least one kid that barely has a license begging for information on everything from how to change oil to how an engine works.

Now, I realize that being 30 years old, I have some years on these children and things have changed since I was in school. But, doesn't most EVERY school district in the nation have at least one school with an Automotive Education Class? A place where kids can practice "hands-on" (a very difficult concept for many of the "internet tuners" around here) and learn general automotive knowledge? Also, to gain something much more valuable... problem solving skills! Something you will never have until you put wrench to cast aluminum and figure crap out for yourselves IN THE REAL WORLD! The funny thing is that even when I tell people that they should go to an automotive class or vocational school they all act like they have never heard of such a thing. The response I get when I recommend a book, such as an Automotive Service Manual or even a freakin' Chilton's is ANYTHING BUT funny.

And speaking of school... if the children that frequent these boards are any type of indicator to the overall education quality that students are recieving today, we are ALL screwed in the future. People that cannot express themselves in their written language are usually one of two things, stupid or uneducated. I know that AF among other places has their share of morons but I try to simply assume that people are undeducated before assuming they are stupid. Now, who am I to criticize you ask? Nobody special of course but if you think that I am alone if feeling this way you are gravely mistaken. The funny thing about using the internet to communicate as opposed to speaking verbally is, that if you don't know how to spell or have the education of a 3rd grader, IT SHOWS IT TO THE WHOLE FREAKIN WORLD!! And what's more pathetic than that? These people don't seem to even CARE that they are illiterate. I don't know if the educational standards that schools are adhering to are less than they were 14 years ago but I remember being able to spell "Transmission" when I was 16. I just saw it spelled "transmiccion" in another forum tonight. And it's not just spelling, it's grammar, punctuation and even coherance.

If you are looking for a point to this rant there really isn't one to be honest. (Hence it being a rant, rather than a complaint) And if this offends some youngsters out there, GOOD! Get off the internet and get an education and some real life experience! If you have a car and you want to learn about it... Go to your local parts store, and spend small sum of money to buy the service manual for your car and buy a set of tools if you want to work on it.

I'll say this one more time (it won't be the last I'm sure) for those of you still without a clue and I promise to keep it simple.

The internet is great for quick reference. YOU CANNOT, AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GAIN PRACTICAL, MECHANICAL KNOWLEDGE FROM THE INTERNET ESPECIALLY ON MESSAGE BOARDS. Many of the people that answer your questions are either as uneducated or as clueless as you. If you refuse to believe that then you're an ignorant idiot and there's no helping you.

i partially agree with you (mainly on the typing thing), but i don't agree on your assumption that every kid has access to an auto shop.

my high school was the only private school in northeast ohio that offered an auto shop class. several of the public schools offered a class like that, but my parents wouldn't allow me to go to a public school, and i'm sure a majority of parents wouldn't send their kid to a school because it had an autos class.

the internet is the next best place for kids to learn about cars. if it isn't offered to them at school, how else are they going to learn?

my point is, you can't fault a kid for trying to find information/get help through one of the only sources offered to him/her.

Some of the blame should be placed on the parents (to an extent).

It seems these days, especially in suburban areas that people rely more and more on mechanics to do their dirty work. They won't bother to learn how to do it themselves and save them some grief later.

As a result they bring up children who couldn't change their own tire if need be. And when they see movies like the fast and the furious, all of a sudden they're legendary street racers. A need for speed combined with a lack of knowledge is a very dangerous thing.

I agree with you...except my school district had no access to an Auto. mec. class at all, unless we wanted to go to the Community College.

I agree that people who post on public forums should at least make an effort to use the education they learned in grade school and apply it when posting. I don't get pissed when I see a typo or a mispelling (hell I'm sure there may be a few here) but I hate it when someone decides to just forgo any use of grammar. Right now I could post a link to a poster who, for whatever reason, uses absolutly no periods in his sentences. Worse part is, he doesn't seem to care. Anyone else agree that its difficult to read a paragraph with no periods? I hate trying to figure out where a thought ends and one begins! Its these people that seem to think that when they post on a public message board theres absolutly no need for grammar. I've seen them use it as a defense. "its just a mesagee bored, i dnt ned 2 use gramer!" I'm not perfect but at least I try to use grammar as best I can.

Now about the mechanically challenged, don't get down on them. I too fall into this category. Just like 93rollaracer said, most schools today don't offer an auto shop. My school geared and prepared its students for college. My father was a mechanic but never showed me how to work on cars. He didn't want me following in his footsteps. I do know how to change my oil though!

I wish my HighSchool had offered an auto shop class, but being how it was it expected people to be smart and go to a good school or you were not smart enough. I personaly have trouble spelling. Which is why I use a spell checker, but that does not always help me when I'm posting online. Though I do agree about kids being lazy, it does not take that much more time to add periods and capital letters when needed. It also makes the post much eaiser to read and makes the poster seem more intelligent and wil be less likely to be flamed/banned for being an idiot.

I don't mind helping if someone is stuck, if you like your car, buy a book and learn about your car!!!

Well I never realized that so many schools across the country didn't have an automotive education program.

Now to address some of the points that were made.

First off, the internet is NOT the second best place to look for information... books are.

Second, I don't fault anyone for making typos, I know that even I make typos on occassion.

Lastly, I not only don't mind helping out someone who is stuck, I really enjoy it. I have always loved to teach others especially if it's something useful. I feel good about being able to help out here and there when I can. BUT..... I don't like it when people take no responsibility for getting information for themselves out of sheer laziness. You have all seen them, they are the ones asking questions that are in the stickies and are incapable of using a search function. Then, when you give them the answer, they tell you that you are wrong because they read it on some website or their brother's, uncle's, cousin's, daughter's, former classmate told them something else.

Yeah, i've accepted that most people nowadays are lazy idiots. Hell most of them aren't even worth your time, just ignore them and let them be ignorant, because if Darwinism is true then they wont last long anyway.

I don't know if the educational standards that schools are adhering to are less than they were 14 years ago but I remember being able to spell "Transmission" when I was 16. I just saw it spelled "transmiccion" in another forum tonight. And it's not just spelling, it's grammar, punctuation and even coherance.


It's spelled COHERENCE.

A passage from the Analects of Confucius:

Adept Kung was forever comparing and criticizing people. The Master said: "To have time for such things, Kung must have already perfected himself completely! As for me, I am not so lucky." :evillol:

And no, the hypocrisy of my own post is not lost on me...

It will balance out. Later on, it will be the mechanics, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and all the trades that will have the high-paying jobs. A computer doesn't DO anything. We can do without the geeks, but can we do without the garbage collectors? BTW, my son is a college graduate and spells and writes worse than I did in the third grade.

Hell i am 18, i understand where you are coming from, but you have to understand that alot of these kids really have no clue how to do this shit. Todays youth is so interested in University, computers and all that stuff. i have 8 people working for me right now with ages ranging from 19-34, and as of late i have had several problems with the younger crowd, showing up hung over, or showing up still drunk, calling in sick 3 days in a row. all kinds of dumb shit like that. its not everyone, but it seems to me that the average student seems to have the brain power of a snail. I am having trouble finiding reliable workers in the younger age demographic.

I refuse to hire anyone in their late teens to mid-twenties. I've had people fill in only their names on applications, people that don't know their home address even though they've lived there since birth, People that tell ME when they are going to work, etc. Arm-long bad-driving records, past drug arrests, etc. They say without a blink, "drug offenses shouldn't count." Tell that to my insurance agent, Pal. This is the next generation of have-nots, unless their parents never die. It's discouraging as all hell. I've seen a few homes that were passed on to the "kids" and within months the homes are in foreclosure because no-one pays the utilities or mortgage. I guess they think living is free, the spoiled asses. Then immigrants buy the home, put all their kids to work, and pretty soon the house is paid. Americans make lousy Americans. The work ethic is long-gone.

I refuse to hire anyone in their late teens to mid-twenties. I've had people fill in only their names on applications, people that don't know their home address even though they've lived there since birth, People that tell ME when they are going to work, etc. Arm-long bad-driving records, past drug arrests, etc. They say without a blink, "drug offenses shouldn't count." Tell that to my insurance agent, Pal. This is the next generation of have-nots, unless their parents never die. It's discouraging as all hell. I've seen a few homes that were passed on to the "kids" and within months the homes are in foreclosure because no-one pays the utilities or mortgage. I guess they think living is free, the spoiled asses. Then immigrants buy the home, put all their kids to work, and pretty soon the house is paid. Americans make lousy Americans. The work ethic is long-gone.

Well, lets blame the parents. If these kids have no work ethic its the parents fault. If these kids are actually stupid, its the parents fault. Sure the schools may have failed but the parents know they're raising retards.

This pisses me off cause I fit into this generation. We are not all lazy and incompetent. I betcha every generation had its elders saying the same damn thing.

I can't agree that it's the parents fault, at least most of the time. People know right from wrong and make their own choices. I've know some losers whose parents are losers too, but that's usually the crowd that says "Pot doesn't affect ya." But most are from families that work hard, and the kids just thumb their noses at it all, preferring to not take anything that their "stupid" parents say seriously. Normal for a younger teen, but not in your twenties or even thirties. I had one guy tell me that he was gonna be 15 for as long as he lived. Now he's twenty-eight and in prison for 15 year-old shit. And he's not uncommon from what I've seen. I see plenty of thirty-year-olds still riding kids' bikes around here, LOL. They've lost their license and take their kid sister's little bike to go "hang out". I even had one teen tell me he wanted to make some money. I said wash my truck for ten bucks and he got a wierd look and said, "I'd really like the ten, but really don't want to work for it." Fuckin LOOZER. I see it ALL the time, every day.

I refuse to hire anyone in their late teens to mid-twenties


This as an employer, i dont like to hear. the average person that fits into the age group seems to be a moron. i agree i have tons of people ask for ridiculous wages, fill out half the aplication,
hell i had one resume that had "Attended hockey camp in 1996" under experience. considering its 2004, i really could care less.

But to say you wont hire anyone that age is bad, you are just making things worse for this agegroup, how do you think an 16 year old that is a good honest kid would feel if he applied there, and then read what you just posted.

But to say you wont hire anyone that age is bad, you are just making things worse for this agegroup, how do you think an 16 year old that is a good honest kid would feel if he applied there, and then read what you just posted.

He'd feel fine applying, provided he could fill out the app. A good honest kid wouldn't have a problem. I'll take it further too, I won't hire a person referred to me by the welfare office. I HAVE TO take the app, but it goes to the bottom of the file, never to be seen unless I'm audited. The government checks to make sure I'm following their rules, but I refuse to be a dumping ground for no-loads just because some liberal jerk-off polititian says I need to be "sensitive."

yes. they way i hire is i look at refrences, look at past employment and availability and then interview. you dont need to be sensitive, you just cant discriminate against someone. being on welfare doesnt mean that a person is no good. it may be that they were surviving the only way they could.

EVERY young female I've met that is on welfare and living in section 8 housing is a fraud. They move their boyfriend right in, along with all their no-load friends, get taxpayer-paid car insurance and let the boy-friend drive the car that she is supposed to use to look for work. All this is done with money that is supposed to feed her and her kids. Not only do I hate paying for these no-loads, I actively retaliate by getting them evicted, arrested, or kicked off welfare as soon as possible. Hire one? NEVER. Welfare calls me and tells me they have a girl that will answer the phone, WTF? That's all she'll do? Let some-one else deal with their bullshit.

When I was looking for a job over the summer I had trouble because I used to drive a truck for a race team and work at a small barn. Apparently they didn't get that was actually tough difficult work. But needless to say I quit lookin for a third job. Then someone asked me to work for them. It was actually where we keep the horse in the avatar. Its not a good idea to work for a friend.

Young people are our future. Hell, I learned how to use a computer from my son and another "young" person taught me how to use e-mail. If you're talking about young people who are not up to your standards of excellence, well, just look at their parents as an example.

I refuse to hire anyone in their late teens to mid-twenties. I've had people fill in only their names on applications, people that don't know their home address even though they've lived there since birth, People that tell ME when they are going to work, etc. Arm-long bad-driving records, past drug arrests, etc. They say without a blink, "drug offenses shouldn't count." Tell that to my insurance agent, Pal. This is the next generation of have-nots, unless their parents never die. It's discouraging as all hell. I've seen a few homes that were passed on to the "kids" and within months the homes are in foreclosure because no-one pays the utilities or mortgage. I guess they think living is free, the spoiled asses. Then immigrants buy the home, put all their kids to work, and pretty soon the house is paid. Americans make lousy Americans. The work ethic is long-gone.

I know a very honest 16 year old kid who would really be disappointed in hearing someone say that. :disappoin He knows the reputation that most teens carry today is negitive, but he works hard and tries to reverse this thought that enter's most people's minds.