Does it hurt your feelings when young people are mean to you?

[Squishdiboo]

I had a college aged kid make fun of me for being up at 2am and posting on the Internet, like grown ass adults can't be up at 2am and on the Internet and that's reserved for college kids who are doing homework

I'm not gonna get too upset though, cuz they'll get theirs when they discover how shitty life is when you're out of school and have to have a job and can't find one because they're all taken by older people


I mean, sure, I'm unemployed and fairly useless, but I don't think I have to feel bad about it. At least I'm not doing homework at 2am! I'm watching Forensic Files and contemplating eating potato chips. People wish they could do that. I'm livin the damn dream!

Thanks, chronic illness, for helping me to realize my potential as a time-waster and stuff-watcher. At least I'm not a confused young person under the impression that life has meaning and purpose.

[Keith Stack]

I was taking driving lessons from a driving school a while back, and we were having that five hour course thing. During a smoke break, I talked to some teenage girls from the class, and they were very amused that I was in my mid-twenties and didn't have a driver's lisence. I tried to explain how driving cars is really, really scary, but that didn't make me seem much cooler at all.

[yaj]

not anymore for some reason. i've been too distracted to care. when i first started my current job certain coworkers  would throw stuff at me, and record me on their phones without me knowing it for shits and giggles. they were mostly in their late teens and early 20s. now it's just verbal quips from a couple of them who think they're funny.

[Squishdiboo]

Young people sure are the worst! I didn't even like that age group when I was one.

Keith Stack we can just be car-phobic best pals forever

[AnKylo]

I have sixteen year old coworkers who caught me buying condoms a year ago and continued to laugh about it. When I reported it when it was starting to happen in front of customers, they swore they would get me fired.

[BlazeHedgehog]

I had kids yell shit at me when I was out walking my dog a few years ago.

Some high schoolers blew past me once and one of them yelled, "FUCK YOU, YOU FAT IRISH PIECE OF SHIT!"

No idea who they were, and I don't even know where they got the idea that I was Irish. I don't have red hair, and I don't think I specifically look irish. And they weren't talking to anyone else -- I was the only person there, it was near a stop sign, and they specifically slowed down just long enough to yell that and speed off (laughing about it, no less).

Then, like, 6 or 9 months later, I was walking past the elementary school near my house and some 13 year old kid and his friend were like, "Hey, look, it's a furry." in a really snide tone. They were looking right at me when they did it.

Nothing like that's ever happened since then. Partially because my dogs died so I don't walk anywhere anymore, and partially because I've started exercising regularly in the last year (lost 20lbs woooo)

It hurt my feelings a little bit, sure. But I take solace in the fact that mouthy assholes willing to say awful things like that to total strangers probably have had their shit punched in by now for mouthing off to the wrong people. You don't get to act like that and not get taught a lesson eventually.

Fuck'em. Kids are stupid. But then, so were we all.

[Squishdiboo]

Blaze's story reminds me of the time a few years ago that a bunch of 11 year old girls yelled out the window at me from a passing school bus.

"LESBIAN!!! YOU'RE NOT EVEN PRETTY!!" They shouted, totally unprovoked.

It didn't hurt my feelings, but it made me so upset that I cried when I got home. It wasn't because it bothered me being called an ugly lesbian. I just couldn't understand why little girls are so mean and angry these days that they take it out on random adults on the street. When I was their age, I didn't even really know what a lesbian was, and I never would have been disrespectful to someone older than me, especially if I didn't know them.

My self-esteem was fine, it was my faith in the general goodness of children and humanity that was shaken.

[Vexiss]

blaze you're a real downer with the "my dog died" line

:/

[Southbird]

I just couldn't understand why little girls are so mean and angry these days that they take it out on random adults on the street. When I was their age, I didn't even really know what a lesbian was, and I never would have been disrespectful to someone older than me, especially if I didn't know them. 

If it helps any, they probably don't really know what a lesbian is either. Most likely they're picking up some kind of hate from their parents, which is usually where this kind of garbage originates. You figure one thing that's been changing fairly rapidly is the actual discussion of gender issues in general society, and it's becoming increasingly volatile depending on what end of the spectrum your parents come from.

Also I remember being in 5th grade or so and a bunch of peers laughing at me and calling me a virgin. Going to believe they all were too, and it's questionable if they had even "gained functionality" yet that they wouldn't be themselves. (Though if they had actually managed to lose their virginity that would be a whole other set of questions...) The greatest likelihood is they had older brothers or fathers or someone else in their life that somehow got this word in their head that they find to be a great insult even though they don't really understand the implications of their curse.

Point is, kids are stupid sometimes, and it unfortunately usually starts at home. You can only hope when they get older and start really being able to think for themselves that they find their way out of prejudicial way of thinking.

Not exactly related, but my upbringing was a religious one, and right up until college I didn't much question it. But then I had a "World Religions" class that showed me belief systems completely contrary and/or unrelated to the one I had been brought up with. At that point I had this sudden epiphany that if there was this much disparity, perhaps no one had it figured out, and, much to my mother's chagrin, I very promptly decided I didn't want to associate with any religion. I also felt a lot more open to hearing about new belief systems and societies. Education can be a very perspective-opening experience.

[BlazeHedgehog]

I got in trouble once because in the 4th Grade, I called another kid "a lesbo" and he started crying (yes, he)

The teacher called me in and had me admit that I didn't know what a lesbo even was

[Squishdiboo]

Oh, btw Blaze, congrats on losing 20lbs.

I think I caught it.

[BlazeHedgehog]

Oh, btw Blaze, congrats on losing 20lbs.

I think I caught it.

Thanks. I've been exercising for probably about a year solid right now, so it's not like the weight is flying off, but as long as its going down, I am happy

Slow and steady wins the race

[Fadflamer]

I never really had problems with kids or people in general, but I think they all thought I'd burn their houses down or something.

[Vexiss]

I got in trouble once because in the 4th Grade, I called another kid "a lesbo" and he started crying (yes, he)

The teacher called me in and had me admit that I didn't know what a lesbo even was

you're a villain

[BlazeHedgehog]

I got in trouble once because in the 4th Grade, I called another kid "a lesbo" and he started crying (yes, he)

The teacher called me in and had me admit that I didn't know what a lesbo even was

you're a villain

Me and that kid ended up kinda being friends later

Which made me feel a lot worse about making him cry that one time