06 November 2013
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There comes a time in life when a piece of evidence comes before you and when infused with the prior accumulated evidence tips the scales so far that you shed the misconception that had held dominion over your thoughts on the subject. Today I speak of the older generations that continue to drive forth the message that the youth of our society are the cause of societal ills, are unruly dangerous criminals, and are ungrateful miscreants who feel entitled to a life they don't deserve. But I contend that is all a farce perpetuated by a charade which their parents and grandparents perform.
It is my contention that these older generations demonize, degrade and demoralize today's youth as part of an insidious plan. Today I will present some evidence supporting that holding. I am also seeking reflection from those youth to affirm or negate my holding.
Any discussion on the cause of the decline of western civilization must include crime. Ask anyone who grew up in the 50's, 60's or 70's about some of the antics they performed and the manner in which discipline was meted out. You are likely to hear about blowing things up, fighting, vandalizing property, drag racing, cutting class, and a plethora of other activities now considered illicit. Often these were handled in an informal, non punitive manner which is in stark contrast to the current oppressive sanctions dispensed for seemingly minor infractions.
Youth are no more disruptive or delinquent now than they were 50 years ago. The difference now is that the youth who performed all those delinquent acts back then and walked away with a scolding are now seeking prison terms for their offspring who do the same. This is part of what is known as the school to prison pipeline.
Juvenile Delinquency
Take for instance the case of Lindsay Brown, a National Merit Scholar at Estero High School in Fort Meyers, Florida. She was charged with felony weapons possession on school property after a school resource officer had seen a butter knife on the floorboard of her car parked in the school parking lot. A week earlier she had been using her car to move her belongings including kitchen utensils which had spilled from a box. The school principal, Fred Bode, insisted that Lindsay posed a threat to the school and suspended her for five days and denied her the opportunity to participate in graduation ceremonies. The case was also referred for prosecution. State Attorney Joe D'Allessandro eventually dropped the charge. It was not because he didn't want to see Lindsay sent to prison for the offense but, instead, he calculated that the odds were against him in being able to convince a jury to convict her. There was an errant butter knife left on the floor of her car , not on her person, not used to threaten anyone, and the school principal wanted her to be convicted of a felony over it.
Mental Health
Ask any youth today which classmates are on a prescribed drugs for a mental health condition and you will likely get nearly a roster of the school attendees. I my youth it was a rarity. Anthropologically we know that the human specie cannot change so abruptly as for this to be natural. Cross-cultural studies reveal the same. In some cultures there in no pharmacological interdiction to control behaviour. Thus, it is the result of labeling by the older generations.
In studying the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition [DSM-5] it becomes readily apparent that the diagnosis of mental health issues is nearly exclusively subjective. Another alarming revelation is the apparent design of targeting behaviours that exist outside the range of the majority – the ends of the bell curve – as needing treatment regardless of effect. That is the mental health industry is attempting to create a homogenous society of behavioural automatons through the use of chemical controls. To be an individual is no longer permissive but it is the youth of today that are naturally shedding the strict obedience to customs, manners and mores to which the older generations adhered. Even the Baby-Boomer radicals that rebelled against some norms adhered to a code of conduct and dress that conformed with the rest of the group. The most ironic were the Anarchist who were readily identifiable by their matching garb. True individuality is alive and prospering today and the elders don't like it.
In the child custody litigation arena where I have practiced for about 10 years I have observed one overarching theme that finds many participants – some willing, some unwittingly – perpetuating it. That theme as I say is – Phuque-up a child for life and I'll show you a goldmine. There is much more money to be made from youths' delinquent acts, imprisonment, drugging, mental health counseling and litigating over their custody than having two parents providing appropriate nurturing and support that produces a well rounded and healthy child.
Delinquency and mental health are two situations where the older generations are unjustly trying to impose an heavy burden upon the youth of today. The behaviours that youth exhibit today are being further criminalized or targeted for remediation by the older generations although such behaviours are the normal outgrowth of their development and the environment in which they are reared -- the environment created by these older generations. There is another angle that the elders are taking to impose an undue burden upon the youth. That is through direct financial costs – imposing a high amount of debt upon them and perpetuating its' growth. Those are not necessarily motivated by a direct desire to profit from or place a higher burden upon the youth. It comes through the subconscious motivators, primarily security and control.
Medical Care
This is the insidious plan portion where the older generations are fully aware of their desire to and method of placing an oppressive financial burden upon the youth. You have likely heard a figure that represents each American's share of the national debt. However each person's share is not static but is regressive proportion to age. That is, for the youngest it is actually much higher because the older members of our society will die before paying their share, if any. Likely they will add to it on their way out.
According to an insurance underwriter I spoke to O'Bama mandated to insurers that youth are to pay nearly double the actual cost of their sick care insurance and that this should be used to subsidize the cost to persons over age 60 by 50%. In other words the insurers were told whatever it cost for you to insure the population over age 60 you may only charge half of that. The other half that you need to cover the cost shall be charged to people under the age of 30. So the insurance industry determines a cost to cover each of the child, parent and grandparent. O'Bama has mandated that the parent pays cost plus the company's profit, the grandparent pays half their cost and the child gets to pay his cost plus the amount that was discounted to the grandparent.
Ironically, it was youth who favoured O'Bama over Gary Johnson and the Republican candidate in the presidential race. But neither O'Bama nor the persons who devised this plan and his presidential campaign are the youth of today. Recall that Howdy Doody long ago said never trust anyone over age 30. A sentiment that I strongly endorse, even at my 45th year.
In the study of motivation – academically or intrinsically – it is realized that most actions are the result of a subconscious motivation. These motivations are not always directly related to the action. For example an intimate partner may accuse the other of infidelity though no such evidence exist. The trigger may be a marriage proposal. The motivation may be to avoid becoming locked into a violently abusive relationship as was witnessed among married people by the accusing partner when he or she was a child.
You may also notice that when anyone excels, whether it be the high school beauty queen or the dedicated entrepreneur, the others in the group target them for shame as though success is wrong. This is a normal reaction though, as a colony, tribe or society attempts to ensure that all members regress to the mean. That is to be homogenous, not too far ahead, not too far behind. The other members feel security in knowing then that they don't have to excel to be successful as measured comparatively.
In my day it was common to deride the benevolent student, the “goodie-goodie” or “teacher's pet” who was always helpful to everyone. In contrast we were mean ass bastards. But if we were able to shut down this exemplary display of goodness, to which we were compared, then the rest of us dawdlers and miscreants could only be compared to each other and then we stood much higher among the terraces of goodness. So, considering all the ills and burdens placed upon today's youth the older generations, in an attempt to make themselves feel good, must demonize, degrade and demoralize today's youth.
The character Tony Montana in the 1983 Martin Bregman production of Scarface articulated this concept, that can be applied to the inter-generational conflict, quite succinctly:
“You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your f@ck!n' fingers and say, "That's the bad guy." So... what that make you? Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide, how to lie. Me, I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie. So say good night to the bad guy! Come on. The last time you gonna see a bad guy like this again, let me tell you. Come on. Make way for the bad guy. There's a bad guy comin' through! Better get outta his way!'
In a future posting I will show you how the older generations have bled the social security system dry for their benefit, are saddling the youth with an insurmountable level of debt that will lead to austerity, keeping them unemployed, and are still demanding to be cared for by the youth under threat of loss of liberty. You will then truly understand why adults try to shift blame to the youth and impose guilt upon them with queries like “I fed you, put a roof over your head, took care of you when you were sick and this is the thanks I get?”
In the meantime I would like to hear from the youth about their perception of the stresses and impositions being placed upon them and suggestions for what can be done policy wise to help. Please contact me by email with those thoughts and I will include them in my reports to state policy makers. All information received will be treated as confidential.
Parents who would like to achieve the best outcome for their children in a contested child custody case should visit my website and contact my scheduler to make an appointment to meet with me. Attorneys may request a free consultation to learn how I can maximize their advocacy for their clients.
Connect with me for the latest Indiana child custody related policy considerations, findings, court rulings and discussions. 
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Parents and Grandparents of Today's Youth are Stabbing Them in the Back
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