In all fairness, we can't really blame the younger generations for this malaise. WE gave them years of 'self-esteem' based education and childrearing. WE gave them the 'Just Do It!' mentality, WE gave up on generations of child rearing experience for 'time outs' and trying to 'persuade' our kids the error of their ways. WE got so self absorbed in our own venal greed and crass materialism that they could not HELP but pick it up from us (and when I say WE, I mean us Boomers and Greatest Generation types).

We sowed the seeds of this crop. Educators, advertising executives and television programmers from OUR generation started all this. We don't honestly have much moral high ground to criticize the inevitable consequences...