Note to today’s youth: how about a little effort?

Note to today’s youth: how about a little effort?

By Mary Dulaney
February 6, 2008

Back in the ‘70’s in order to get a service related position you had to be friendly and courteous. The customer was always right and the business was grateful for your patronage.

Now a days most clerks are either rude or seem to be blind to your presence.

In some stores you can’t get anyone to help you, the cashiers say nothing at all to you expect give you the total of your purchase and ask for your ID. No “hi how are you” or “thank you’s.” They seem put out by just having to do their jobs.

In the ‘70’s I was raising 2 children on my own and worked for Ma Bell as a 411 operator. Once, I remember I had a rough night with crank calls and such, and a lady asked me for a theater number. While looking it up she asked if that was where a particular movie was playing. I said “gee, I don’t know”.

Within seconds a manager (who listens in randomly to check your performance) was at my side and told me to unplug after this call and meet them in their office.

I was threatened with 3 days suspension without pay for a discourteous TONE in my voice.

Believe me, no pay for 3 days and trying to feed 2 children alone made me pleasant to everyone from then on.

I now see where they are asking for people to help out our youths to play extra sports activities who don’t have the money to do so.

Back in the ‘70’s I picked up odd jobs on top of my regular day job to provide things for my children that they needed.

I worked 8-5, then did sewing for people to pick up some extra money. I picked up debris and threw it in the trash bins at a place next to my apartment that was tearing a building down for extra money. I painted the speaker poles at a local drive-in with a brush and paint in the hot sun of summer for extra money.

I think things have changed so much that people expect more for little effort. Instead of providing for your children with hard work or extra effort, they want things handed to them easily now. It’s expected by this generation.

I paid my dues growing up, and now I expect to have some things go a little bit easier.

But that’s not the case anymore. Too many younger people expect things handed to them and are not paying their dues to society.

So now they keep asking me to provide, when it should be my time to reap some of the fruits of my labor.

Maybe the old ways weren’t so bad after all.

You worked hard and then got your reward.

Today’s youth seem to think you just get your rewards and someone else provides the hard work.

Times have changed so much, it seems like we’ve gotten backwards in our ways of doing business.