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This article talks about narcissistic child rearing that has gone on.  I'm not sure when this got started, but it seems to be progressively moving in this direction.  I had from a coworker back in 2005 that his wife complained how the PTA had such a strong stance in controlling the classrooms; you really get these brats who are catered to on whim.

Then watching these reality shows that promote this mentality is sickening.  I can't stand watching most TV (notably reality TV) because of these spoiled people who sound like a long, sharp needle being stabbed through your eardrum.

I like though how this article talks about how the recession is actually a good thing in relation to this Generation Me syndrome.  With parents losing their jobs and not being able to feed their kids, the whole notion of entitlements will quickly be replaced by a healthy dose of humility.

This guy I know mentioned about the stages of progress in the history of humans.  I can't remember each one, but part of it goes something like rise of civilization leading to decadence which in turn leads to the fall of civilization before it gets re-built.  I have to turn towards Japan again to see how that model fits nicely.  Take a look at the collapse of their bubble through present.  You'd hear about kids whose fathers were doctors and would give their sons top notch cars or their daughters high class clothes and hand bags.  Then you'd hear about monster parents where parents began enforcing their will on school policy to the point where teachers had little control over their classrooms, just to help move incompetent students through the juku onto good colleges.  These parallels are strikingly similar.

One thing that I would add about Generation Me is that people have become very poor listeners.  Naturally, because people are so self-absorbed, they don't really hear other people and their concerns; they never can leave their own situation and empathize with other people.  In this situation, I meet a lot of "kids" at work who fall into this category.

Some might easily label me like this as well.  But I still listen (whether I choose to accept or follow what people are telling me is a different matter though).  And I have the ability to see beyond myself and put myself in another person's shoes.

But I feel that these new generations can't.  They aren't educated to respect anything but themselves.  In turn, they're simply spoiled brats.

It really makes you wonder how a country like America can succeed in the long run if we're not giving "tough love" to these children.