
The Fragile Generation - nocoder
http://reason.com/archives/2017/10/26/the-fragile-generation
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smallnamespace
I have a slightly different theory, which is that being constantly online (and
especially on social media, which is how all kids in high school seem to
interact at all hours of the day) causes tons of anxiety and stress.

It's not necessarily that social media is 'bad' per se, as it is very
unbalanced -- it triggers that dopamine rush in that part of the brain that
says 'be social, your life depends on it', but then the brain never gets back
the true feedback that it needs (eye contact, body language, tone, facial
expressions). It's like the equivalent of eating empty carbs.

Imagine a vicious cycle where parents see kids are stressed -> parents become
more protective and keep them inside -> kids spend even more time on
technology.

We know from research that exercise, getting into nature, spending time with
people in person all lower stress levels and are good for you, but it seems
like the trend is to go the opposite way.

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greggman
> We know from research that exercise, getting into nature, spending time with
> people in person all lower stress levels and are good for you,

could you provide some links? IIRC introverts do not always get lower stress
levels from such activities and I think you'd be hard pressed to find any
science showing "getting into nature" provide any benefits except bug bites,
sunburns, and hay fever

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lazyasciiart
There's actually quite a lot of research showing benefits of being in/around
nature - here's a newsified collection of links
[http://www.businessinsider.com/scientific-benefits-of-
nature...](http://www.businessinsider.com/scientific-benefits-of-nature-
outdoors-2016-4/#6-improved-concentration-6)

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Annatar
I see the type of behaviour and that sense of entitlement, the fragility,
here. Very often. It's chronic. It's systemic. I didn't grow up this way. In
Europe, growing up as a kid you fought your way through and you learned to
cope with the trauma and the stress or be left in the dust. No matter what
social class you came from. And it was often the case that if you came from
higher social class you'd land in trouble or in a conflict with kids from the
working class very quickly: "the trouble would find you" without you looking
for it and before you knew it, you had to fight for your right to be left in
peace. Blood splattered everywhere, literally. You broke their nose or a few
teeth and you were left in peace thereafter. If you didn't fight physically,
you fought mentally: outsmart or face the stigma. That turned out to be a key
ingredient later on in dealing with failure as an adult: fail. Fail harder!
Shrug it off. Succeed.

The sensitivity here is enough to make a person despair; things I'd just shrug
off and carry on growing up, essential for forming a psychologically healthy
and mentally strong personality often get labeled as uncivil or rude here. I
often roll my eyes in disbelief. This isn't good for you. As the old saying
goes: "grow some skin" (or a pair!) Learning to cope is an essential part of
being a normal person, instead of being a hypersensitive daisy. You can't just
label everything which you don't like as "uncivil" or "rude" and even it if
is, overcome it and internalise, don't institutionalise.

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neltnerb
It is interesting that they look at the impact on college student behavior
rather than society as a whole.

I am far more terrified by the idea that newly trained cops are so fragile
that they think perceived rudeness is a mortal threat.

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late2part
What a brilliant article!

Protecting populations from risk certainly feels good in the short term - but
at what long term cost?

Is our overapplication of antibiotics making us more at risk?

Is quelling disappointment encouraging more in the long run?

Is preventing skinned knees encouraging greater harm in the future?

So much of popular society seems to focus on the short term risk avoidance at
the expense of the long term benefit.

On the other hand, we do live longer with less crime and easier lives.

Where is the right balance?

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syphilis2
Are the claims made against children and parents of the current generation
true? Let Grow mentions particular examples, but how prevalent are these laws
and the culture? It sounds like any other piece of scary garbage news. "Check
candy for razor blades" is now the "dangers of participation trophies". I
believe it's good to empower free range parents to organize, and to change
unwelcome and unnecessary laws, and to promote cognizance of parents' own
behavior. But I'd like to see more evidence and less anecdotes and conjecture
about the damage caused by eighth place trophies.

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bufferoverflow
That's a bad analogy. Candy razors pretty much never happened. Participation
trophies are everywhere.

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lazyasciiart
Halloween candy is to participation trophies as razor blades are to the
dangerous consequences of said trophies.

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Animats
It's the "free range kids" person. She has a point, but she's made it before.

