Kids these days

Last week, I was on the subway for the commute home. There were two kids, probably 12 or 13 year sold, standing by the door. As we neared a stop, the older of the two casually leaned forward and spat on the door. No reason, just wanton disregard for public propriety, property and hygiene. I caught the kids I and glared (okay, I may have mouthed "you little fucking shit" at him), which much amused the little fucker to no end. Now, this morning, I read about some guy getting assaulted at random by a mob of tweens in Washington, D.C., while no one lifted a finger to help. It got me thinking:  are kids shittier today?



Usually, this kind of thing is brought up by moralizing old-timey conservatives who bemoan the decline of traditional values,  who cluck their tongues, stroke their beards, and talk about "What's to be done with the youth of today?" It's ripe stuff for parody and people on the other side like to point out that these concerns are as old as the generation gap itself (often they'll throw in the obligatory Plato quote about fourth century Greek youth "riot(ing) in the streets inflamed with wild notions.") and, as such, aren't valid. But that's a terrible counter argument.  The fact that generations past fretted about the recklessness, disrespect and immorality of the following generation doesn't negate the possibility that each generation is actually worse than the one that came before. 

The way I see it, the history of humanity consists of two arrows on a chart. On one hand, we have progress as measured by technological advancement, health and well-being, lifespan, and economic prosperity. This measure just keeps going up and up. On the other, the arrow measuring happiness, kindness, empathy, good manners and fundamental human decency starts low and just plunges down from there in a relentless and inevitable race to the bottom. At this point it's almost a given that the increase in one measure directly contributes to other's fall;  that our drive for sucess, our consumptive nature and near total reliance on technology contribute to the decline of civility. It really can't be a coincidence that the loudest, rudest, most obnoxious kids I see are always texting or wearing iPods. I almost pity those poor parents who have to try and raise decent human beings, but face the prospect of spawning tech-obsessed, narcissistic, ignorami instead.

Not for me. My kant is summed up by poet and misanthrope Philip Larkin in "This Be The Verse":

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.