Epidemic: Young People Don't Know how to Socialize

Originally posted by darkshade Right, but she ordered coffee, which is a hot beverage. She should have been more careful. Now McDonalds has warning labels on their coffee cups "WARNING: HOT" or whatever it says.

ture, being careful would help. I think the problem was that they kept their coffee at substantially higher temperatures than most places, causing it to become a burn hazard.

The rising number of hikikomori is an interesting phenomenon.

Originally posted by darkshade Right, but she ordered coffee, which is a hot beverage. She should have been more careful. Now McDonalds has warning labels on their coffee cups "WARNING: HOT" or whatever it says.

It should say too much McDonalds food may be hazardous to your health and by the way, be careful with the scalding hot coffee.

By the way the compensatory damages portion ($200,000) was reduced by 20 percent, because they (the jury) ruled it was 20 percent her fault.

Edited by Slartibartfast - August 04 2012 at 12:42

Observing younger people or even my younger brothers (and they are only two (2) years younger than me), it seems to me that electronic communication is just one more tool for communication, and not the main tool for communication.

My brothers come and go at bars, clubs, friends' flats, etc... But they can use Facebook, e-mails or other things like to continue a conversation with the people they left just 10 minutes ago or yesterday.

Here, the article is really about people who don't even go out! I may not have a lot of friends and feel rather isolated, but I go out (after all, I have to work to earn some money...)

That's good Doug.  It was quite a few years ago and the wife and I were out at a restaurant and in the booth next to us there were four teenaged girls.  And like it was all like like like like.  Rather annoying.  This was like you know like before texting mannnn.  Unfortunately it seems verbal communication will go down hill before the new forms catsup. 

OMG

We didn't like it buy the way like.


Edited by Slartibartfast - August 05 2012 at 12:38

^^^^^In just the few hours between my last post, and this one, i went to a local shopping center, and noticed young people using "like" a lot on the bus, and in the shopping center.
            And you are right, Brian, it sort of, like, can get, like, annoying!

I wish I'd have that amount of free time xD

 Did you guys all, like, miss the Valley Girl phase 30 years ago?? 

Sorry I didn't answer sooner, I was too busy socializing with my friends.

Originally posted by presdoug What i have noticed as an epidemic among young people is a language problem i like to call the "Like" epidemic. I notice to an alarming degree (at least in Ottawa, Canada, where i live) are young people using the word "like" in their conversations with others, no matter what the subject, as a kind of crutch word, and it pops up every fourth or fifth word in a conversation. I am 49, and, yes, this did occur in the past, but nowhere near the rate i observe it now.

You and I are the same age Doug & speaking as a Brit, I can fully understand the irritation. That word now forms a large part of (it seems to me, anyway) young peoples' vocabulary, together with "absolutely" and "basically".

Damn them all!

For what I understand, Japan seems to be a special case here because of the special mixture of collective/individualistic culture and the high pressure put on "succeeding" or whatever is the right term. Of course there are cases elsewhere as well. As for social (real life) contact, it is very important especially in childhood/youth for the development of emotional intelligence and social skills. There's nothing wrong with internet contacts, of course, but if they completely replace all other contacts in one's life it can lead to problems. It seems there is also an overall problem in the modern society related to touching between people which you can't at least yet really achieve online (and I'm not really talking about romantic/sexual way). Touching other people improves mood, creates bonds and does a whole lot of other good things as well. I certainly wish there was more innocent hugging and good'ol handshaking etcö between people (starting to sound pretty hippie here  oh well). Absence of touch can be deteriorating, I have some experience here.