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It really doesn't matter whether something has been around for years. Half the "news stories" that come up these days are about things that the news agencies, and pretty much everybody else, have known about for years. That doesn't stop the news from causing uproar.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shek
Adam L
Text messaging has its uses, but it is ridiculous the way kids are using it. Unless there is some reason you can't talk, why not just call the person. It's cheaper than texting. As far as IM goes, I have to say that it really made sense before telephone plans got so affordable. I've seen the Frontline thing, and I must say it is a little exagerated. It is true that many valueable social skills have been lost, but it is not solely because they are in a "digital" world. I saw an article a while ago about what they were trying to cover on frontline. I think it was in The American Journal of Psychiatry or the AMA Journal. I'll see if I can dig it up.Quote:
Originally Posted by bismark17
Quote:
Originally Posted by bismark17
I've experienced that myself, but I think this is because everybody is utilizing the technology not because anything is really different. Also, stay with the Walkman (Sony made a great product and still does. Pricey but a good choice!) The sound quality is much better. If you want a set of great earphones get yourself a pair of these. (They have unbelievable clarity and power. They also will stay on your ears without bumping around no matter what you are doing or the shape of your ears.) If you are planning to get yourself an mp3 player make sure that it can take high quality formats. If you don't your going to hate the quality. Most people who download stuff to their Ipods are losing up to 90% of the sound. As I keep saying, "People just do not appreciate quality anymore." Personally I think the Archos 605 WiFi is the perfect gym machine. It carries all the music you could want in any formate (it has 160 GB drive) and it will record TV shows (like Tivo) and DVDs to its hard drive so you can bring them with you.
Adam L
I was wondering that myself. Knowing what I was like, I'm not looking forward to my kids becoming teenagers. Maybe I should start saving for boarding school!:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Adam L
Adam,
The detractors against recruiting will be there and be critical no matter what the services do. I don't think the military and particularly the Army can afford to let these critics dictate where and how they recruit. Most of them are far out of the mainstream anyway and IMO a big anti-recruiting protest at a Mall would probably help the Army's image more than hurt it. That Berkely protest hasn't exactly gone well for example.
Text messaging is way more than one-to-one communication. It can be used to update status on a variety of social networking platforms. Take notes. Contact multiple people at the same time. Social networking. Social enhancement. Information retrieval. Information management. All through the SMS and more. Heck you can get the word of the day sent from the SAT/GMAT/GRE people.
To be honest I'm quite horrified to see the level of pedantic generational bile being spewed out of outright ignorance and stupidity.
Yes, text messaging has many wonderful applications, but too often it is used inefficiently and inappropriately.Quote:
Originally Posted by selil
I agree, it is unfortunate that the Army is in such a bad spot. I'm just concerned that the PR guys haven't inoculated the public enough about this stuff in order to prevent a backlash if some newsgroup decides to make a big deal out of this at some point. Plus, I'm concerned that this type of thing might be a little too attractive in some respects. I know that I am probably overly concerned, but unlike you I have no experiences with this on the inside. I am not able to gauge how much faith I should place in the systems ability to weed out problems and retrain those who lack the proper frame of mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Entropy
I think the trick is to completely skip the teen years. LOL!Quote:
Originally Posted by Entropy
Adam L
The one thing I think you can probably rest easy on the weeding process.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam L
Even in peacetime bad recruits do a pretty good job of weeding themselves out before they get too far. If you add in the fact that many of those training now have been there done that and are dead serious about their trainees capabilities, I somehow doubt too many total hopeless cases make it into the overall ranks.
Just my 1 1/2 though:D
My worry was more those with certain....psychological issues. The guys who couldn't become cops because they failed the psych exam big time. :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Humphrey
Adam L
I think history has shown us that occasionally it's not a bad thing to have those who "take that hill" first without having such things as concern for one's personal well being causing hesitation which might cost them or others more than they might otherwise pay.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam L
On another note having worked around and with law enforcement for quite a bit I could point out that many of those who run into the issue you mentioned wouldn't have been my first selections for not being hired or kept around. Quite often reality and PC don't necessarily coexist comfortably and therein lies the real issue:(
Well said. I agree. The guys I was referring are the guys who NOBODY wants around. I agree that this PC nonsense causes problems, but there are still a lot of nut cases and I'm sure you've met quite a few in your time and know exactly whom I'm talking about. It always seems that whenever I feel that psych screening uses and practices can't possibly get any worse, they do! :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Humphrey
Adam L
You say even in peacetime as if peacetime standards are far softer. My experience was the opposite. My last year in before I retired I was pushing trainees (2005) and standards that had been strictly observed in peacetime to weed out the unfit were relaxed or completely waived in order to pass more bodies into the system. Those who moved on who would otherwise have been discharged ranged from good, hardworking young'uns who just could not get rid of the fat and couldn't pass an APFT, to habitual troublemakers who were passed on with multiple Art 15s and borderline whackjobs who the base shrink kept saying just needed strong leadership.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Humphrey
In that particular situation, almost all the cadre NCOs had multiple operational deployments and were dead serious about trainee performance - but hands were tied by the CO - who had also received specific guidance about certain "waivers" from TRADOC. It was extremely frustrating to have to graduate and send on a trainee who was not, and never would be, a soldier. And I am sure their receiving units cursed the schoolhouse cadre who passed such garbage on to them. It was not a pleasant year.
Having been one of those more likely to have sev of the 15's:wry: I can only imagine how tough it would be as instructors who know that those they are passing on are probably not going to have the luxury of several years to "learn" better before being required to really step up. Another one of the many problems exacerbated by being at war.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedburgh
That said i would hope that most commands would have the wisdom to be able to tell the difference between those who are truly untrainable and those simply stupid in need of help growing up(another condition we can probably thank our education system and current plethora of familial issues for adding to). I still think that for the most part the military will get out of a soldier, what they put into them. For me the term hopeless just doesn't quite seem acceptable in America;)
As a recent graduate from the 21-and-under school, I'll wade in with my opinion on the conditions of my peers. Returning home from school with a degree (and commission :D), it's an eye-opener to see the life choices others have made so far. One of the things I see is that my generation is concerned more with living in the moment to the extent that any serious concern about the future is abandoned, and so they trap themselves in the pursuit of day-to-day excitement. I think there's an under-appreciation of consequences in my generation fueled by a desire to avoid judgment by any perceived authority. It's certainly more pluralistic; I think that's good and well in some regards (innovation, etc), but I think my generation is less inclined to balls up and meet threats and challenges head on (paradoxically stifling innovation). They rather retreat and hit the reset button (when there is one). There's an over-abundance of information, networks, etc without any effective means/authority to discriminate what's useful from what's useless. I think this runs deep in the American fabric, however, even entering into our religious and political beliefs (which is another debate :cool:).
As a result of that over-abundance, many in my generation get lost pursuing life choices that, while exciting from day to day, really has no substance, and in the end, leave them without ever approaching their potential. They're more concerned with the journey than the destination. I hear it almost on a daily basis (i.e. "college isn't for everyone", "I want to find myself first", "don't judge people", etc). I'd like to see a study that tracks how many non-traditional students there are today; students that enter school late, complete school beyond the normal 4-years, and students that quit school. How many students can't settle on a major until late in their second or even in their third year of school? Without any scientific basis, I'd guess that those numbers are increasing.
Gaming isn't a cause. It's a symptom of an underlying cultural development. The Army is required by necessity to tap into that demographic to appeal to a generation that's more into the excitement than the opportunities.