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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Why I Do What I Do

I should be taking it easy, not spending hours researching, writing and posting articles and attempting to answer the lies with the truth. There are so many of them out there – people who bite the hand that feeds them, people who enjoy prosperity bought by others, people who enjoy freedoms paid for by courageous men and women who believed in “duty, honor, country”. They make me sick, but, for the sake of my grandchildren I have to confront them. If they are allowed to tear down their country even more, if they are allowed to force a surrender to the Islamists who want us all dead, they will drag down my grandchildren along with them.

What is wrong with people who hurl obscenities and death threats at the president of their country or who work to undermine his policies as so many have done? So, they don’t agree with a decision made by the Congress and the President to try to prevent weapons that can kill millions and oil resources that fuel the free world from coming under the control of terrorists. They have a right to disagree, but they don’t have a right to obstruct and undermine the policies of a legally elected government.

What is wrong with people who still want to argue about a decision made by the UN in 1947 that Jews in the Mideast since the dawn of time and those still alive from the holocaust should have their own country? After four wars that were unsuccessful attempts by Arab countries to invade and exterminate the Israelis, after thousands and thousands of barbaric terrorist atrocities carried out by Islamists against Israelis, what is wrong with people who see some kind of moral relativism between the parties, and say that Israel has no right to exist? And after the fiasco of Oslo, who can ever believe anything a Palestinian leader has to say.

What is wrong with the American media that they see some kind of moral relevancy between countries like Iran and Syria – and the free world? For more than 1000 years the Islamists have been trying to spread their religion by conquest. After World War II the renewal of that effort started again with the hostage taking in Tehran in 1979 and went on to many acts of terrorism against non-Muslims over the years. Just since 9/11, the Religion of Peace website has documented 7978 major acts of Muslim terrorism as of this writing.

I think a recent study of American college students goes a long way in explaining why so many young and middle age Americans have failed to grow up and see the world as it is, rather than as they wish it to be. Not only have they been fed a diet of multiculturalism nonsense by their teachers and professors, their parents have also failed to raise emotionally mature adults.

For today's kids, everything is all about them
One study blames parents for a failure to say, 'No'
By Barbara F. Meltz
THE BOSTON GLOBE (Excerpts)
Sunday, April 01, 2007

“With a recent study showing that today's college students are the most narcissistic and self-centered in decades, a small chorus of professionals is offering a bold response: We have no one to blame but ourselves.

"Things went too far," says psychologist Jean Twenge, lead author of the study and a professor at San Diego State University.

What she means is that parents overcorrected for the harshness of a previous generation that preferred children to be "seen and not heard." She points to the soccer trophies that coaches hand out to all team members just for showing up rather than to a few for outstanding athleticism, and to a song taught in a colleague's daughter's preschool to the tune of "Frère Jacques": "I am special/I am special/Look at me."

"If you're that child, it's not surprising that pretty soon you start to believe it," says Twenge, whose new book, "Generation Me," examines feelings of entitlement among young Americans…..”

“Today's college kids are in the ditch called narcissism in part because the popular culture glamorizes the drive for pleasure above all others. " 'More! Fast! Easy! Fun!' " Walsh says. "That translates to parents as an allergic reaction to our children's unhappiness and an inability to say no for fear it will destroy their self-esteem."

Discipline deficit disorder — a term he coined — is the result. "The symptoms include impatience, disrespect, inability to delay gratification, self-centeredness and rampant consumerism. Guess what? Those are also the characteristics of narcissism," says Walsh, author of "No: Why Kids of All Ages Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It."” Boston Globe

I guess we’ve made a fine mess of things. When the greatest generation returned from World War II, they were obsessed that their children should not suffer the hardships they suffered as children of the depression. They forgot that overcoming hardship builds character, and making things too easy results in adults that act like children. We’re paying an awful price for this in the vulgarization of our society and of our political discourse and in the disintegration of our political relationships. Please add your voice to mine in attempting to reverse this terrible direction.

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5 Comments:

At 9:21 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with you on this, and yes, we do need to reverse this, but the biggest problem today Ly's with the Republican Party as a whole. They all don't stick together. There's a few that always go along with Liberal Democrats. Some are pro Gay Marriage, pro abortion, and ant-gun. Of course, the Liberals, Humanists, and the SPs are totally to blame for this, but if the GOP stood together, we wouldn't have to worry about these wackos that are running our schools and universities. The GOP should all be together on the issue of immigration and protecting our borders, and they're not. I think that some of them are worried about being branded a racist by the Liberals. I also think that some of these GOPs only think of themselves. If Mitt Romney had helped Kerry Healey out with her campaign, we may not have got stuck with this fool that we have for a Governor of Mass. Then, good ole Mitt joins the NRA last year back in August. He never hunted in his life, I don't think. So that makes him a big phony like John Kerry who never had a Massachusetts hunting license, but he was a hunter! Just ask him. He'll tell you, but he'll never admit that he rated an "F" with the NRA for Second Amendment Rights protection, and voted in favor of over 50 ant-gun measures. If my memory serves me, Mitt rated a C- with the NRA, and now he's a member? The fact of the matter is; if it came down to Mitt Romney in 08 and any of those Democrats, I'd have to go with Mitt, but we'd still be stuck with the same problems with these Liberals.

 
At 12:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

think it is good you aren't taking it easy as you have something important to contribute. I agree with you here that this generation of parents have really sheltered and babied their kids, me included. However, I think life experience teaches them what to believe. Usually when they work for a paycheck they become more interested in the world around them. Right now most people have lost interest in politics, me included for the first time in my life, as both democrats and republicans have done nothing to change the dangerous way our country is headed, especially with illegal immigration from Mexico, Brazil,and China. I think standing by Bush is the wrong way to go. He is putting us in a horrible position by putting us in huge debt to China whom is funding the Iraqi war. And he has done nothing to stem illegal immigration. sharon

 
At 8:18 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

although i agree with your assesment of today's young students you could also use many of the same adjective's to describe our unelected-supreme court installed president! the man admittedly made it through college half drunk and and by today's standards could not pass the drug test's that I have to pass to drive a truck. during the war in vietnam, the boston globe has him as being awol from his post in the texas air national guard. let's see- 3000 american dead -approx. 35000 maimed and wounded american soildures's. and approx. 600,000 dead citizens of Irac. we did all of this for non-existant weapon's of mass destruction. I would think that the man who put forth the policy that set these calamity's in motion could at least be considered self- involved!

 
At 8:57 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Grampa Wilcox,

Through marriage, I am one of your grandkids. (Marleen is my grandmother).

Alt5hough I can always appreciate any text that is noteworthy and well written, such as the post I am now placing in question, I can't help but be a little offended. No, actually, not so much offended, just up in arms.

I disagree with your opinion that states "college students arespoiled brats". Mind you, the only reason our president was accepted into Yale was because "daddy" was rich and powerful.

Another thing is, I would think someone as wise and brilliant as you are would think twice before writing an opinion that is largely based on a general sweeping statement.
You see, I am at the age now where I would be a college student. I am quite worthy of college, although it is not in my cards at this particular point in time. I instead chose to protect the "spoiled brats" and join the Navy.
So - I guess we can agree that I don't fit the mode. I applaud you for saying that college students should be held to a higher standard, but, then again, shouldn't everyone?
I believe college students should always be heralded and praise3d for going through college. At this point in thier lives, they have never faced challenges as lofty as the ones college present, and these challenges are a great way to built character, and yes, the moral fiber you are saying these kids lack.
You also site the poor upbringings of this massed group, which is unfair. If you want to blaim the parents, you should also blaim the grandparents for letting those crazy 60's and 70's happen. Lord knows they tried to stop them, but failed.
And that's just the thing. The times cannot be changed by anybody; only time itself brings about change. We as people have a smaller role than we might think in our effects on domestic and global affairs. Time is the ultimate master.
Lastly, attempting to categorize college students along with the youth of today could be likened to me categorizing old people as racist bigots who are uptight and are opposed to change. That simply would not be true at all.
Appaerently, the grey area is much thicker than you percieve it to be. You have to understand that you grew up in different times than my generation did. If you had spent more time holding intellegent conversations with collegiate level students (even as a college professor) however, you would bge surprised at how much that grey area can be thinned.

Love your compassionate grandson,
-Craig S. Bonin

P.S. I still have that silver dollar you gave me when you visited my mom's house in Pawtucket. It is one of my prised posessions and I will carry it with me on all my travels.

 
At 9:31 AM, Blogger RussWilcox said...

Dear Craig, You don't know how delighted I am to hear from you, even if you disagree with me, and that you are serving in the Navy. Please ask your Uncle John to give you my email address and email me.

However, I do stand on what I said in the article.
Love, Grandpa

 

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