Generation Waaahhh!!!!

I expect a certain amount of whining from teenage girls because of the hormonal nature of being a adolescent female in today's world.  Seriously, the hair, the clothes, the Dudes....it's all big Drama and stress for nothing really...... Now how do I know this?  No you Pervs I'm not one of THOSE guys...what I am is the Step-Dad of a 14 year old girl.   My point?  Well it has to do with my dealings with some of my Step-Daughter's friends and "boyfriends" and also some of the doofuses that post and play at the field I play Airsoft on.  Here's my take on what I call "Generation Waaahh!" and the future I fear for me in my old age.

 

Generation Waah is the generation that grew up with parents who parented by whatever scare tactic TV threw at them.  These kids had to wear a bike helmet to ride bikes, and had parents who hovered in the background, full First Aid Kit at the ready and armed with a jumbo sized bottle of Purell.  They did this because our increasing Nanny State Country decided that it was best for "the children".  I'll tell you what's best for "the children".....let them be freaking Children!!!!!  Generation Waah has never been told no, has never had a wooden spoon broken across their ass, has been grounded but it meant nothing, has never had to sit in the dark and finish their meal because food shouldn't go to waste, has never had their mouth washed out with soap for cussing, etc etc.  No they've been given "Time Out".  Go sit on your special little brightly painted "Time Out" bench (even the bench for punishment is cutesy......!?!?!?!?).  Sure they were grounded and sent to their rooms; their rooms with a computer, video games and their Cell Phones.  Some punishment..... They were never spanked because that was "violent and abusive".  Really?  I know my Dad cracked us across the ass with his belt ONCE....and if we ever screwed up enough to require a repeat performance, all he had to do was touch his belt buckle and we straightened our asses out;  Real Quick!!!  You ate what was put in front of you at dinnertime.  If you didn't like it, the rule at our house was "at least try a bite.  If you still don't like it then you don't have to eat it."  Sounds fair to me, and it was.  If we wanted something REALLY bad and Mom/Dad didn't agree with it; we wer told NO......sure we'd whine and plead but we were told "keep it up and you won't get anything ever..."  We accepted the no decision and moved on.  We were also told "if you really want it, start saving your allowance for it."  Wow....what a concept....you saved the money you earned doing chores and then got to buy what you wanted with it.  Even if it took forever to accumulate enough fundage to purchase said item.  Our folks didn't do battle with other folks in the stores or pay exorbitant prices for some stupid toy from someone selling them out of their car.  If there were no more Toy XYZs left, we didn't get it.  Sure we threw a fit, but our parents would just let us sit there in the middle of the store making fools of ourselves, then cracked us in the ass for embarrassing them afterwards.  I know some of you may think I'm condoning child abuse, but a spank on the ass is not child abuse.  Especially when there is a good reason for it.  The child grows up learning what is considered polite social behavior and what isn't.  This generation plays sports where "everyone's a winner!!!!"  What's the point?  In a contest of wills/skills there is a winner and a loser; always.  It's how life works.  The Coyote chases the Rabbit....sometimes the Rabbit gets away and the Coyote goes hungry or sometimes the Coyote catches the Rabbit and the Rabbit becomes sustenance for the Coyote to live one more day.  Sometimes you get the job, and other times someone else gets it.  You get used to it, that's how the world works.  Generation Waah doesn't know this.  The "Team that was successful more times than the others" (God forbid we call them the Winners) gets the main trophy while the other teams that weren't as successful (you know, the Losers) get Participation trophies.  Thanks for showing up.....hey look Mom!  We got a trophy for mediocrity!!!!!!! Yay!!!  We are professional Sheep now.  I remember when I was playing Baseball as a kid.  You got to at least play one inning......they figured your folks are paying for the uniform, etc Jr might as well get to get it dirty for doing something other than warming the bench.  Yes, I was that kid.  I sucked at baseball.  Did I cry about it?  Did my parents get so outraged they went to the news media and wrote their Congressman and tried to get the rules changed just for little Ranter Boy????  Hell no.  My folks said try harder or quit; it was my option and they were prepared to support either decision completely.  I opted to quit as it wasn't really that important to me.  It was Win Win all around.  The team lost a player who really wasn't interested in getting any better and I didn't have to waste my time going to practice or waste my folks money on fees every year.  Do I regret it?  Hell no.  I wasn't good at baseball.  Period.  I practiced my ass off, but I wasn't that guy.  See Generation Waah would never understand that.  One must be honest with one's self.  I liked watching baseball....I miss my Giants....but playing it, meh whatever.  As I got older I got into Fencing.  A sport better suited to my Geekesque nature.  I mean when you've played D&D alot like I did, you tend to gravitate to the more archaic sports.  Ask anyone that does Archery for a sport (and not just for hunting) or fences...odds are they have either played some of the games I've played or read some of the stuff I've read or seen some of the same movies I've seen...or a combination of all of the above.  Knowing one's limitations is knowing one's self.  Yes you can always strive to overcome those limitations, but sometimes it's not worth it.  Should I have spent my energy learning to be a better ball player?  Why?  Playing the sport didn't interest me in the first place.  Generation Waah would have Mommy and Daddy get trainers, and videos and spend countless amounts of money on their training just so they could be a good ball player, "just because".  

 

What prompted this latest rant on the "Instant Gratification Generation" or the "I want it now Daddy" or the "I wanted the Blue one Daddy!!!" generation is the most recent blur of posts on the BK Airsoft boards.  Bad Karma likes to mix things up a bit and usually holds one game as a "Mid-Cap Only" event. For those that don't play Airsoft, Mid-Cap refers to Middle-Capacity Magazine.  Airsoft guns ammo is loaded into Magazines that resemble the real thing; thus the appeal of the Airsoft Gun.   A Carbine series airsoft gun, M4's and M16's...the scary black Assault Rifles.....has it's bb's loaded into a magazine that fits into the place on the airsoft gun that an actual magazine loaded with actual bullets would fit on the real deal.  For the sake of it being "just a game" there exists such things as Hi-Caps or High Capacity Magazines.  They hold 300+ bbs and have a winding mechanism on the bottom of the mag that keeps a constant stack of bbs loaded in the feed chamber.  These are easily reloaded by dropping the mag out of the gun, opening a fill hatch on the top of the mag and pouring more bbs into the mag.  With two or more of these magazines, you would rarely have to bring a bb bottle/bag on the field with you.  As you progress in this sport, you either love or hate the Military Simulation, MilSim, aspect of the game.  For those that love it, we buy radios, tactical vests, knee pads, harnesses etc etc...everything that helps you look and feel like a real soldier without the pesky 5am jumping jacks and multiple mile runs in 70 lbs of gear.  Seriously, real soldiers=badass!!  I'm a pale little paramecium compared to their physical prowess.  I relate this MilSim phenomena to playing Army as a kid.  You know, you had your plastic army helmet and toy gun with a strap and you and your buddies marched around and pretended you were soldiers.  That's MilSim airsoft but with real world accessories.  Those of us that like the MilSim aspect gradually work our way up to using Mid-Cap magazines.  It makes you a better player because there's only 130 shots per mag and you have to pick and choose your targets instead of "spraying and praying".   You end up carrying a lot of mags on the field with you as well as a bb bottle and some kind of hand loader (they are shaped just like the mags and have a hand operated feeding mechanism on them).  It's fun and more realistic as you have to change out mags in the middle of an intense firefight.  Alot of the big MilSim events, Operation: Irene and all other Lionclaws events, are MidCap only and Hi-Cap users have a tendency to be looked down upon by the Veteran's of the sport as still being Noobs.  This coming Saturday is a Mid Cap only game at BK.  For the past several weeks, the posts in the section regarding this event are from Generation Waah trying to beg, plead, insult, whine, throw a tantrum and basically be as annoying as possible until they get the rules changed for their benefit.  Just like they do with their parents.  These morons don't care to play with Mid Caps, nor will they ever after this game....they just don't like being excluded from something because they feel they are entitled and special.  After all they are precious little Snowflakes who have been padded and Purelled and coddled and handed awards for "just showing up".  I finally had to tell them "look, not everyone wins nor do you get to participate in every game out there....too bad so sad suck it up and show up next month."  This next Generation scares me.  They can't work as a team, have no sense of anyone else but themselves....Lord help us if they can't get their way as adults. 

 

I have a little saying for Generation Waaah:

 

"Remember, the world needs Ditch diggers and not everyone gets to be an Astronaut.  Someone has to do the job where you ask 'would you like fries with that?'  Try your best, but know your limitations.  If you can't overcome those limitations, then accept them and move on.  You aren't entitled to shit; work for it.  Earn it.  Don't wait for life to hand it to you, go get it.  We all can't drive Beemers, be happy with what you can get but always strive to be a better YOU.  When you have achieved another level in life then ask yourself 'just because I can afford do I really need it?'  You'd be surprised at your answers when you are honest with yourselves.  Courtesy and manners get you further in life than being an asshole.  Trust me on that one.  If you can't have, or can't go..too bad.  Don't expect other people to change their plans for you.  Either make yourself available, or go next time."

 

Now, read the words.  Commit them to memory.  Once you've done that you will be a better Generation.  But until you embrace these words of common sense I have this to say to you:  Get off my Lawn!!!