Generation Lazy

Have you ever been in your room and needed to speak to your mom in the kitchen downstairs, so instead of getting out of bed and walking about 20 feet, you decide to call her? I know I have done this: not once, but many times.

The youth of today (including me) are quite lazy compared to the youth of twenty or thirty years ago. Sara Broers, a teen examiner, says the teens of today “do struggle with pulling themselves off of the couch, just as much as teens did twenty years ago. But, in today's world, there is much more to keep them sitting” (2010). This reflects their laziness in terms of physical activity. The youth of today have many more temptations to stick around and not do much, such as a huge variety of television shows, online movies, addictive social media networks, etc. This is quite obvious since as time goes on, so does the advancement of technology.

Our laziness also comes in many shapes and sizes. According to a survey conducted by SDSU psychology professor J. Twenge, 39% of high school students that were surveyed between 2005 and 2007 confessed that they aren’t willing to work hard. This is quite an increase from the 25% that confessed such between 1976 and 1978. Again, this might be from the technological advancements made available to us at ease. With resources such as online encyclopedias, databases, journals, and simply the Internet in general, it becomes so easy for us to access information. When the previous generation wanted to gather some information on whatever they needed, they would actually had to leave their house, go to a library and read a book. To most of us, this seems like the biggest drag in the world.

According to the same study mentioned above, laziness may be explained by the fact that our generation is more narcissistic and self-entitled. Another study also found that 56% of youngsters said they want instant gratification. So teens want things now, now, now, but they only want to work later, later, later (or never, never, never).

The laziness that is on the rise in teens today does not make me feel optimistic or enthusiastic about my generation. Kids are expecting more and more for less and less work. We are so lazy that we are always procrastinating, waiting for the last minute to do something. I personally find it sad to see how hard our grandparents and parents worked when they were our age, and this is how we turn out. Let me ask my mom how she feels about our generation. But she is in the kitchen and I’m in my room, so let me phone her.