Back Away from the TV. Nice and Calm.

Remember that catch phrase “microwave society?”  It was the way some stodgy old adults referred to my generation and our instant gratification problem.  There was so much that we didn’t have to work for.  If we wanted food, it was as simple as pressing a button or driving thru McDonalds.  If we were tired, we took a pill.  If we couldn’t sleep, we took a pill.  Blah blah blah.
But how those folks would be rolling over in their graves if they could see the depths to which we have sunk.  At least the aides we used gave speeded up tangible results.  Today there is a whole new evil which creates in our young people a false sense of gratification and accomplishment.  What am I talking about?  Video games.
There have been a slew of books about “swagger” in the young adults of our culture.  There are many today who feel that they have it all--even if the world is too dumb to see it.  Without having truly worked at something, many feel that they know more, have more, and can do more.  It’s a kind of hollow self-confidence.
What do video games have to do with it?  Talk about instant gratification!  Kids today live vicariously through game-created characters.  Avatars who can be made to look like anyone and placed as a profile picture on face book or some gaming network for the world to see.  In video games, some young people receive the (seeming) gratification of physical fitness, building and decorating a home, wealth, work, love, and even sex.  
Perhaps my generation did this when we watched movies, but it is to a whole new degree now with cyber replacements for real life experiences.  It has completely surpassed fantasy.  If you don’t believe me, go visit any workplace and survey the pool of workers.  There are less and less Americans in technical and high-paying positions.  It won’t change until our kids are pried away from TV and video games.  We now know that not all kids “grow out of it.”  My seven year old has been playing Minecraft for the past two hours.  I’m kicking his tushy outside.

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