General

[pyrodragon]

Originally Posted by stevedavidson

"People have been saying 'kids these days' since the beginning of time. Generation X was critiqued by being a bunch of slackers and it disturbs me when we do the same to the millenials. We create our kids - and they act like we train them to act."

Did you ever stop to think that maybe the reason people have been saying this for generations is because it is true?

I went to a fine university AND college - received two degrees in the process, one in English lit.

My personal experience is that many kids graduating from the public school system in the US can't spell, can't write, can't read with any decent amount of comprehension and have not a clue as to where to find Viet Nam on a globe.

I know there are many fine teachers and professors out there, but they seem to be pebbles in the stream; they barely have any discernable influence on the flow of idiocy being 'graduated' from the system.

Truth to tell, the problem may not be due so much to bad teaching as it is to lowered entrance standards. Schools have to make money too, so the natural solution is to simply let anyone in who can pay, regardless of qualification.

That 'girl' is either writing in a casual style that she thinks is appropriate for the context - or she can't write and has been woefully misled by her instructors.

i did have my senior english teacher say she was nothing more then an overpaid babysitter. and i really wonder what's wrong with our school districts?

[Moose13th]

Originally Posted by Listessa

After reading that I'm somewhat embarrassed to be female. Written tongue in cheek or not, it's still leaving me cold.


Somehow I truly disagree. Getting grazed stings, getting shot isn't that bad, generally speaking either.

i think its fair to say that gettin plowed over by ur teammate over an inflatable bunker then becoming #1 open target on a xball field hurts about da*n worse

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by Al Ray

Im a young person and in general cant stand my generation. The real differance between mine and say 5 generations ago is simple. People in general will ony do/think just enough to get by. Technology is simply the few people (compared to the whole population) who have the abbility to build on the knowledge of previous generations. Now because the knowlege that was needed to build the technology is generaly not needed to operate it the knowlege is lost by those who dont care to learn it. look at cars, how many of you can drive stick, and of those that cant why cant you? And to those who can drive stick how many can double clutch? And to those how many know what the pedels do an a model T, or how to adjust the engines timing, using timing controls found on steering wheel no less, while driving? Out of those people, how many know the prooper care and feeding (pun intended) of say a horse or mule, Its endless folks. To put it simply, man grows wiser and yet weaker every day.

It's not that they don't care to learn it, it's that it's not relevant to to society

Double clutching? Why bother? Most manuals have had synchros in them for at leat 30 years, if not 40 - no need to learn it.

Stickshift? How many cars today are stick? Not that many - few enough that if someone wants a particular model, they can get one with an automatic.

There's knowledge lost to the general pop, but it's still out there. There are always individuals out there that have the knowhow or the interest to regain that knowledge.

Jordan

[P4p3Rc1iP]

To the stick VS automatic argument, I bet most cars in the world are sticks... Just because American cars are mostly automatic doesn't mean the rest of the world has them.

I actually have never driven in an automatic.


But back on topic, I can't really comment on the American school system, but I do see crap happening over here. It's not so much that the stuff they learn kids over here is bad, it's more the way how they try to teach it.

I could write a whole book on how it works and how it's lacking, and how I failed the system, but in short it's like this: If you want a degree, you have to learn for it, all by yourself. Teachers can help you, but you have to take initiative. You have to tell them what you want to learn. You have to take the book and read something. If the book doesn't answer your question, maybe you can ask the teacher. The problem is that this doesn't work with kids. A 14 year old kid doesn't want to learn algebra, or what the Spanish inquisition was, or how to speak German. A 14 year old kid wants to play on his Xbox, watch movies, and do other fun stuff. They're absolutely not motivated to finish school, and they only go because their parents tell them to. But than they get bad grades (Or none at all), don't finish their stuff, and drop out.

I dropped out of highschool 3 years ago, did one year of a lower level college, but also dropped out of that, and now I'm waiting untill I'm 21 (19 now) before I can start to take school again. I hope that by that time, I'm old and motivated enough to bite through all the crap, and get a degree. Right now I'm working at the ICT helpdesk of a high level college in my city for a few days per week to pay the bills and fund my paintball addiction. It sucks, and it's not a lot of fun (Though probably the best job I can ever get without a diploma), but it's better than sitting at home, doing nothing.

[stevedavidson]

there are several reasons for lots of

1. we've managed to survive this long, so we're entitled
2. 'INTELLIGENCE' does not respect age boundaries, but EXPERIENCE does. Like whats-her-name says in Fried Green Tomatoes "I'm older and have better insurance..."
3. Kids (and many adults) still have that gnawing suspicion at the back of their minds that you just might really call the cops on them. Its fun to watch them run away...
4. Like #2 - we have more and better connections
5. Youth usually lacks the ability to come back with a decent argument, so you usually win (either that or they just get bored)
6. Like #4 - we usually have more money in the bank/better paying jobs
7. No matter what kids say, we can usually say 'been there, done that'
8. No matter how old we get, the kids are going to be older, for longer (heh heh heh)
9. Tangent on #8. We have the sure and certain knowledge that one day you will be exactly where we are right now - and there's not one damn little thing you can do about it.
10. Old men with sticks RULE because WE say so (besides, AARP/boomers are the largest voting bloc in the country right now, so get used to it)

[CCM CHICK]

It wasn't so much that it was a blase article, more so it should have been penned by a chick who actually plays paintball! Plus, she came acrossed a bit dim... some people may like that, but me? Not so much.

Originally Posted by Talfuchre

I have decided that I would love more a very feminine woman who would play now and again to have fun but who has nice nails and likes girly things.
TF

Heads up to any guy who wants his chick to ball with him....
paint fill jacks with acrylic nails...badly!
Make sure she's got full gloves.

Don't mess with a woman's nails or shoes, you might die!

[cockerpunk]

who wants to drive an automatic?

boring ...


plus you can have a really crappy car, and it feels fast!

CVTs will make driving even more boring ....

[Talfuchre]

Steve,

I think 'just surviving' is pretty easy these days.

Besides - if your generation is deciding who is president - can you stop sucking so bad? The last eight years are YOUR fault.

TF

[b-cuzz]

This girl (and, I believe, all new players) should have been better informed in general.

Think about what you would have liked to have been told when you first started.

A) If it's sensitive and can possibly get hit, it will. Protect it. Not just the ladies.

B) Clothing? All we care is that it's worn. But keep point A in mind.

C) Don't worry about what you look like when you get hit. We've all looked (and sounded) the same way at one point.

D) Identify your target. Friendly fire hurts the worst.

E) Only the first 5 hits of the first 5 games you play really hurt. The rest are merely to be noticed.

F) Listen to the refs. That's what they're there for. Listen to your team, for even if they are not your friend, but on your team, they are your friend.

Here are my thoughts on current society, and the general impression I get from many of you whom have posted on this thread.

the desire for convenience > the desire to actually learn anything (automatic vs shifting)

the desire to be "cool" > the desire to tap into any sort of what we call primal instinct
to find out who we are as an individual

communications technology > the need to develop any sort of mastery of the language we speak

desire to make a buck > any moral obligation to do the right thing (government, brass eagle, wal-mart, etc.)

Sprinkle this sort of mindset over a few generations, and it will get progressively worse.

Don't get me wrong, I love calculators and the internet. I just think we generally rely on such things a bit too much.

Not baggin' on anybody, just a few random (and Douglas Adams influenced) ideas.

[RepomanGene]

My advice to any Girl entering into this sport would be to find/hire a big,mean looking S.O.B. as your "Boyfriend" and drag him to enough games till the word spreads that Death is minutes away from smart *** comments or bad touching.