The RV space is on fire - Millennials Expected...

[Desert185]

In reality, today's younger folk are probably somewhere in the middle of what has been described. I will say that I never called my elders "dude" when I was a kid. It frosts me to hear that from some kid who could be my grandkid. Its always the younger generation that gives me the finger (and usually in Kalifornia) for some perceived reason that has offended their sense of whatever. Not saying there aren't exceptions, but times have changed since Dr. Spock wrote his book and the hippies took over.

[Javi]

Probably not 90%.... more like 89.9% if you include 50 and down...

Javi

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Javi

Probably not 90%.... more like 89.9% if you include 50 and down...

Javi

OK....probably 89.9% vs 90%


Sodfather brings up the example of his kids; his kids only. I believe the thread was initially about campgrounds. One set of behaved kids out of 50 leaves about 98% that aren't.....(see above - maybe not so "broad brush"?). Are there well behaved kids/young adults out there? Sure. Are they in the majority? No (just take a stroll through your local Walmart). Heck, my wife USED to love kids and teens; loved being a substitute teacher with the elementary kids; wanted to involve herself (and me) in helping/mentoring teens. No longer. The younger ones are too unruly and the teens are so rude/disrespectful (most) that she doesn't like to be around them in general.

I too had folks working for me (hundreds) from ages 19-72?. And I agree that the older folks could be hard to deal with; they are very set in their ways and trying to put out the work and keep up with a 19 year old is impossible - and productivity was a key measure for my folks. Throwing a cigarette butt down irritates me period, but, a 72 y.o. talking about respect from younger ones might have some merit; he's probably the one that takes off his hat when he enters the restaurant, treats the server with the utmost respect and replaces his hat upon leaving the restaurant - not carrying on, treating the server like a servant etc., plus I suspect he has encountered some of the same type of folks we have.

It does seem like a broad brush....and it's a shame because it's probably pretty close to accurate.....unfortunately. Maybe I'll drive into Utopia one day where kids say please and thank you, yes sir and yes ma'am and are seen and not heard (oh heaven's no!!).

[Johnny's Journey]

Those rude having more money (they think) than they can handle (credit) will soon enough neglect their already cheaply made trailer (as I've read) and won't be camping soon enough due to their own fate.

[the sodfather]

Interesting. So with these 90%+ numbers, it tells me that the "more mature" crowd is quit disappointed in the grandkids that children raised. Thank god my kids are in the top 10%! My parents (in their early 70's) adore and think the world of all of their great grandchildren. I guess I'm just lucky that they somehow "just came out good". Whew. I'm gonna be heading to a state park this weekend, I'd advise everyone staying away from my raucous crowd...

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by the sodfather

Interesting. So with these 90%+ numbers, it tells me that the "more mature" crowd is quit disappointed in the grandkids that children raised. Thank god my kids are in the top 10%! My parents (in their early 70's) adore and think the world of all of their great grandchildren. I guess I'm just lucky that they somehow "just came out good". Whew. I'm gonna be heading to a state park this weekend, I'd advise everyone staying away from my raucous crowd...

I think you are trying to read a lot into the comments made. My grandkids are 'great"! Aren't they all? But, they were raised by my kids which were raised by me. My kids weren't allowed to bother anybody, for any reason. They knew an elder and knew how they were to act. They knew when their "kid's play" interfered with other folks space - simply because DW and I were right in the middle of them ALL the time. We didn't think it was "cute" or "funny" that they ran through other folks yards, acted out at other folks or were smarta$$$d. Yelling and screaming were just forbidden. My kids raised their kids that same way.

Everyone has their way of acting and raising kids. The bar has just gotten much lower over the years. Yours may have "just came out good" but so many don't. In those parents eyes I'm sure they are....but then again, are those the parents blaring the stereo in the middle of the campground? The ones hollering and yelling drinking booze staying up till 2am with their poor kids watching and learning? When THEIR kids are doing unthinkable things according to us, those parents think their kids are doing great and "those folks complaining" are just "ahem, older folks" being grumpy. Hmmmm......just saying.

Edit: and if you think you actually have a "raucous" crowd, I can only imagine what other, more quiet folks, might think....... One has to put the shoes on of the other person every now and again to get a clearer picture of what's "real".

[the sodfather]

Aren't they all? ... Aparently not. I guess my beef is mainly with the 89.9,90,98% and whatever percentages now come up. Maybe 110%? It's pretty clear the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Who is responsible for allowing the bar to be lowered each generation? I'm just trying to do my part.

Yes, we love a quiet campground. Like I said, if reading a paperback in a hammock, throwing a football, going on nature walks, preparing meals outside, hanging around a campfire is raucous, than I'm guilty. Maybe we should figure out how to put DIRECTV in our TT and finally turn on that tv we've never even plugged in. I can install a bunch of those USB ports so we can charge all those devices. I digress, were not doing that. I'd bet money we are in bed (9:30-10:00 pm) long before most of the seasoned vets of campgrounds. Quiet time is 10:00 pm in the Texas State Parks that we primarily frequent. Everywhere we go, it's enforced. Maybe the concrete RV parks where campers are stacked in like sardines are where the problems are? Just asking.

Obviously this is just my opinion but I think the kiddos that grow up in campgrounds and outdoors in general have a leg up on the ones only knowing where the mall is.

One has to put the shoes on of the other person every now and again to get a clearer picture of what's "real".

I could not agree more.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by the sodfather

Aren't they all? ... Aparently not. I guess my beef is mainly with the 89.9,90,98% and whatever percentages now come up. Maybe 110%? It's pretty clear the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Who is responsible for allowing the bar to be lowered each generation? I'm just trying to do my part.

Yes, we love a quiet campground. Like I said, if reading a paperback in a hammock, throwing a football, going on nature walks, preparing meals outside, hanging around a campfire is raucous, than I'm guilty. Maybe we should figure out how to put DIRECTV in our TT and finally turn on that tv we've never even plugged in. I can install a bunch of those USB ports so we can charge all those devices. I digress, were not doing that. I'd bet money we are in bed (9:30-10:00 pm) long before most of the seasoned vets of campgrounds. Quiet time is 10:00 pm in the Texas State Parks that we primarily frequent. Everywhere we go, it's enforced. Maybe the concrete RV parks where campers are stacked in like sardines are where the problems are? Just asking.

Obviously this is just my opinion but I think the kiddos that grow up in campgrounds and outdoors in general have a leg up on the ones only knowing where the mall is.

One has to put the shoes on of the other person every now and again to get a clearer picture of what's "real".

I could not agree more.

You should go to Goose Island SP any week in March or after school lets out for the summer..

I don't mind kids playing but I do take exception to other people's kid or grandkids crawling all over my pickup, pulling my fishing cart over to use as a wagon, and I especially do not like being forced to listen to someone else's taste in music at any hour... Or being forced to "get my butt in the trailer" by the DW because I'm about to go unplug that damned stereo...


Now was that every person in the campground below 50 years of age... no but it was enough of them to make the DW and I decide to give up our favorite park during the times that the younger generation would most likely be there...

[the sodfather]

Originally Posted by Javi

You should go to Goose Island SP any week in March or after school lets out for the summer..

I don't mind kids playing but I do take exception to other people's kid or grandkids crawling all over my pickup, pulling my fishing cart over to use as a wagon, and I especially do not like being forced to listen to someone else's taste in music at any hour... Or being forced to "get my butt in the trailer" by the DW because I'm about to go unplug that damned stereo...

I think anyone would have a problem with that. Including me. I've seen the park rangers get all in a noisy camp sites business. It got ugly and the family left. Bliss the rest of he weekend. That was at Pegernales Fall SP. I could not imagine if 90%+ of the kiddos/raucous crowd were that unruly. I'd think it would get messy.

[rjrelander]

Oddly enough, we had almost the opposite problem last weekend. The campground was full but everyone was quiet and kept to themselves. The class A next door had a couple polite kids who you would see quietly riding their bikes once and a while. Most fires and lights were out by 10:00. No stereos, no yelling, no dogs barking ... it was almost too quiet.

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by Javi

You should go to Goose Island SP any week in March or after school lets out for the summer..

I don't mind kids playing but I do take exception to other people's kid or grandkids crawling all over my pickup, pulling my fishing cart over to use as a wagon, and I especially do not like being forced to listen to someone else's taste in music at any hour... Or being forced to "get my butt in the trailer" by the DW because I'm about to go unplug that damned stereo...


Now was that every person in the campground below 50 years of age... no but it was enough of them to make the DW and I decide to give up our favorite park during the times that the younger generation would most likely be there...

Reminds me of going to Shoney's (when I was on a trip and had no other options) to enjoy breakfast Sunday morning with the after church crowd. Never again...

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Desert185

Reminds me of going to Shoney's (when I was on a trip and had no other options) to enjoy breakfast Sunday morning with the after church crowd. Never again...

Yup, that "shrill, piercing" scream emanating from mom (or grandma) screaming across the room for the two 4 year olds to stop spilling their milk.....

Sometimes I think the adults are much more disruptive than the kids when they open the camper screen door (or just scream out the window) for the kids to stop making noise......

And a "pet peeve" of mine is the parent who is sitting in a lawn chair (or laying in a chaise lounge) and without raising their head to look, yells across the campground for their kid and continues laying there, yelling at the top of their voice until they get a response, and when the kid finally answers by yelling back at mom, just yells, OK, I didn't hear you and wanted to know where you were........

But, none of this is "age related or generational" it's much more a "lack of respect for anyone other than their "little circle of me".......

[cvin]

i agree with sodfather
what is the deal with every generation bashing the one that comes after it???...

it is ridiculous
i am 50 and totally disagree with all these statements about how younger people are lazy, loud and rude

there are some bad ones in every generation, including the older ones

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by cvin

i agree with sodfather
what is the deal with every generation bashing the one that comes after it???...

it is ridiculous
i am 50 and totally disagree with all these statements about how younger people are lazy, loud and rude

there are some bad ones in every generation, including the older ones

It seems the rudeness and lack of respect encountered these days is so much more refined and developed than when I was a kid. Evolution as a society sometimes takes the wrong path. There is no doubt that the 50's and very early 60's were a kinder, gentler time.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by cvin

i agree with sodfather
what is the deal with every generation bashing the one that comes after it???...

it is ridiculous
i am 50 and totally disagree with all these statements about how younger people are lazy, loud and rude

there are some bad ones in every generation, including the older ones

I think on this subject one thinks what they think. The older you get, the more you see and experience the more your views change. At 50 you still have a ways to go for the "seeing/experience" part, especially if you're still working.

"totally disagree with all these statements about how younger people are lazy, loud and rude". This statement tells me you probably haven't been out and seen much or your tolerance for rudeness and disrespect is higher than mine - because I've experienced all of the above from teens and pre-teens.

I also think there's a lot going on in this discussion. For one, I don't think one generation "bashes" the one behind it. I think things change. Some things the prior generation didn't experience so they are different. On the other hand, as we see today, other things change that the older generation DID experience. Courtesy; it's going out the window. Morals: the same. Respect: the same. These observations aren't "bashing" the newer generation; they are "observations/comments" about the decline that WE can see in what I consider the basics for human interaction. And they are there whether you choose to see them or not.

What do we do about it? I don't know. As our world increasingly becomes about "me"; my wants, my desires, my needs, MY happiness, the traits I listed above disappear - the "other" guy is irrelevant - "my want" takes precedence over any thing "they" may be doing. Heck, I was following a blog a couple of months ago and the newer generation (many comments from them) felt that those that had reached 65 or more held on to too much money and needed to die - THEY wanted it and needed it more - never mind they had never done anything in their lives to deserve it.

As one generation assumes the belief and lifestyle of "me" they teach it to their children; those children then fall further down the slope. It is a progressive disease and I don't have the answer - but my wife does; like Javi's DW mine just tells me to "get my butt in here" when she hears me fuming knowing I'm about to go do something....... Again, like Javi, we have completely done away with going to what used to be our favorite places at our favorite times in an effort to miss all of the noise and rudeness.

And no, I doubt that the culprits constitute 90% of the base, or that it's all those 50 and younger - but it sure seems like it when you just want to sit back, relax and enjoy the evening and then have to put on your shooting ear muffs to block out the noise.....

[Mandolin]

Originally Posted by Desert185

It seems the rudeness and lack of respect encountered these days is so much more refined and developed than when I was a kid. Evolution as a society sometimes takes the wrong path. There is no doubt that the 50's and very early 60's were a kinder, gentler time.

I remember hearing the same thing directed at me when I was a child in the 60s - my mother remembered hearing the same thing when she was a child in the 40s. Pretty sure every generation complains about the morals and manners of younger generations. Look at the flak the "flappers" got - short skirts! mannish haircuts! speakeasys! The horror!

Things change, manners changes. Not always for the better, true, but they do change and they always move forward, no matter how much someone would like them to go back in time. One of the things that is certainly true for human beings is that we change our physical circumstances faster than our social customs evolve and it always create problems.

[B-O-B'03]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

........
But, none of this is "age related or generational" it's much more a "lack of respect for anyone other than their "little circle of me".......

+1

I believe it all boils down to parenting, or lack of it.

Some parents today are more interested in being friends and buddies with their offspring than actual parents.

My parents "raised" me, I "raised" my kids... it is work and requires strength, they can make friends at school.

I will say that the circle of friends our "kids" (31 - 42) hang out with, some since kindergarten, were also "raised" by their parents, they are polite, courteous, hard working individuals... Look you in the eye when speaking to you, yes sir, no ma'am, the whole bit.

Kinda makes Dad proud.

-Brian

[the sodfather]

Well, well, well. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.

It seems as we are all coming to a little more rational discussion and probably think a lot more alike then we thought. I enjoy seeing folks have a good time and I enjoy my quiet time as well. I'm gonna do my best to visit more with other folks (older and younger) in the campgrounds and just maybe we will all become better people. It can't hurt. I'm not gonna wish away my life to get past the retired 50+ though. (Although at my ripe age of 46, I'm eligible to retire...ya, go figure)

And if I see someone wearing shooting muffs, I will bring a cooler of adult beverages and enjoy the quiet even with ya

[Campy]

The RV industry is living large right now like the boat industry did back in the late 80's and early 90's. We were selling 5-8 truckloads of boats a year back then and now.... we have not stocked a new boat since 2008! Also there is a Odessa auction house close to us and it used to be packed to the hilt with boats of all sizes and shapes, now it's packed with campers. 90 percent of these are repo's. We have also noticed a trend in campground not really taking care of the people that stay there since they know if you leave there is a list behind you for your spot.

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by Mandolin

I remember hearing the same thing directed at me when I was a child in the 60s - my mother remembered hearing the same thing when she was a child in the 40s. Pretty sure every generation complains about the morals and manners of younger generations. Look at the flak the "flappers" got - short skirts! mannish haircuts! speakeasys! The horror!

Things change, manners changes. Not always for the better, true, but they do change and they always move forward, no matter how much someone would like them to go back in time. One of the things that is certainly true for human beings is that we change our physical circumstances faster than our social customs evolve and it always create problems.

I used to rally my sports car when I was 18-19. A double date was two cars. We would meet across the Bay at Lake Merritt in Oakland on Friday or Saturday nights. That was 1962-63. Not going to see me in Oakland anymore...day or night. Its actually progressed beyond the historical degree of apparent or perceived rudeness. Its the actual degree of danger.