Let me ask you this: since much (but certainly not all) of the bad behavior you cite is generational, do you think that the under-30 crowd is more reckless today than in the past?
Let's take them one at a time:
Unintended pregnancies - certainly the under30 crowd is less concerned than were those of us now in the Golden Years - but two added factors come into play: the relative ease of abortion and the lack of social stigma (add to this a welfare system that abets teens who
want to be Mommies).
STDs: a major problem in the AARP crowd!
STDs Running Rampant In Retirement CommunityDoctor Blames Viagra, Lack Of Sex Education
Doctors said sexually transmitted diseases among senior citizens are running rampant at a popular Central Florida retirement community, according to a Local 6 News report.
A gynecologist at The Villages community near Orlando, Fla., said she treats more cases of herpes and the human papilloma virus in the retirement community than she did in the city of Miami.
(Since the Villages received the brunt of today's storms, I suspect Jerry Falwell will say it's God's punishment for their reckless behavior)
Drunk drivers - I suspect that the under 30s crowd is no more reckless than the rest of the adult population.
Teen age smoking - mainly attributable to teens' sense of invulnerability (Which all of us shared to some degree) and to poor parental examples (My son-in-law still puffs away!)
Not wearing helmets or seat belts - probably
less common in the under 30 crowd
Driving while phoning - again probably not generational (except that a larger percentage of under 30s have phones); again, the sense of invulnerability comes into play.(I used to shave while driving to work regularly) - after the advent of portable electric razors)
Actual I think socio-economic class also comes into play. Teens from economically deprived urban areas have little expectation of ever reaching 30 and so act with careless abandon
It is tautological to suggest that teenagers act immaturely.
It is also the case that learning drivers will always have more accidents than experienced drivers and that novice drinkers will have problems learning when to stop - these facts are true regardless of the "starting" age.
In conclusion - there is some fault with the under 30s crowd, but I think the over 40s crowd needs to shoulder a lot of the blame
In summary - blame Jose.
der Brucer
