looking for a quote about "today's youth" from ancient Rome
Apostle125
I am looking for a quote that talks of the debauchery of 'modern youth'
and the ultimate doom of the generation which sounds like a contemporary
parent complaining. The kicker is that it is set in antiquity, Rome if I
am not mistaken.
If you know about this quote, please e-mail me direct with the quote or
its web address. My address is Apost...@aol.com.
Thanks
J. Reed
Apostle125
FRANK
On 26 Apr 1997 02:15:39 GMT, apost...@aol.com (Apostle125) wrote:
>I am looking for a quote that talks of the debauchery of 'modern youth'
>and the ultimate doom of the generation which sounds like a contemporary
>parent complaining. The kicker is that it is set in antiquity, Rome if I
>am not mistaken.
Socrates said:
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble
their food, and tyrannize their teachers.
Cheers, FRANK
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Complaint of an australopithecine father:
Kids today! All they wanna do is walk erect.
Duerkop A Elizabeth P
FRANK (fcb...@shentel.net) wrote:
:
: On 26 Apr 1997 02:15:39 GMT, apost...@aol.com (Apostle125) wrote:
:
: >I am looking for a quote that talks of the debauchery of 'modern youth'
: >and the ultimate doom of the generation which sounds like a contemporary
: >parent complaining. The kicker is that it is set in antiquity, Rome if I
: >am not mistaken.
:
: Socrates said:
: Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble
: their food, and tyrannize their teachers.
Thought I'd add another:
"We live in a decaying age. Our youth spend their time in taverns and are
disrespectful to their elders."
-Anonymous graffiti, circa 1800 B.C, found in an internal
passageway of a pyramid.
Liz
Edward Clayton
I've seen this quote attributed to Socrates before, but have never seen
a more precise attribution. I admit I haven't read all the Platonic
dialogues, but it doesn't ring any bells with me. Can anyone provide a more
precise citation?
Ted
Duerkop A Elizabeth P (6a...@qlink.queensu.ca) wrote:
JR3000
In <5k24ln$n...@yar.trincoll.edu>,ecla...@trincoll.edu (Edward Clayton)
wrote:
>I've seen this quote attributed to Socrates before, but have never seen
>a more precise attribution. I admit I haven't read all the Platonic
>dialogues, but it doesn't ring any bells with me. Can anyone provide a
more
>precise citation?
It obviously rings bells, though, with the ding-dong who wrote it.
Here we go again...
You wouldn't find a more precise citation because Socrates
never said it; neither did any other ancient writer or philosopher.
It is a thoroughly bogus quote made up recently by someone with a large
ax to grind about today's "permissive society," etc., etc. etc.
(If you are interested, see my fuller refutation posted here a few months
ago.)
No Greek writer or philosopher would denigrate the youth of his time
in such a manner; they were seen as the future and the hope of
civilization--
an attitude perhaps we might adopt instead of today's
all too frequent and largely unfounded negativism.
--
Pay attention to the young, and make them just as good as possible.
-Socrates, in Plato's _Euthyphro_
A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do you know
that his future will not be equal to our present?
-Confucius, _Analects_
Haley Dunn
Apostle125 wrote:
>
> I am looking for a quote that talks of the debauchery of 'modern youth'
> and the ultimate doom of the generation which sounds like a contemporary
> parent complaining. The kicker is that it is set in antiquity, Rome if I
> am not mistaken.
>
> its web address. My address is Apost...@aol.com.
>
> Thanks
>
> J. Reed
> Apostle125
You might also want to see "History Begins at Sumer," by Noah Kramer
(Philadephia, 1981); chapter 3. It contains a translation of a Sumerian
essay on Juvenile Delinquency, c. 1700 BC, the first known such case.
The text begins with the father asking his son:
"Where did you go?"
"I did not go anywhere."
"If you did not go anywhere, why do you idle about? Go to school,
stand before your 'school-father', recite your assignment..."
The entire text is quite long, but ends with the father saying:
"I, night and day am I tortured because of you. Night and day you
waste in pleasures. You have accumulated much wealth, have expanded far
and wide, have become fat, big, broad, powerful, and puffed. But your
kin waits expectantly for your misfortune, and will rejoice at it
because you looked not to your humanity."
Haley Dunn
Becky Wurm Clark
: I've seen this quote attributed to Socrates before, but have never seen
: a more precise attribution. I admit I haven't read all the Platonic
: dialogues, but it doesn't ring any bells with me. Can anyone provide a more
: precise citation?
: : : >I am looking for a quote that talks of the debauchery of 'modern youth'
: : : >and the ultimate doom of the generation which sounds like a contemporary
: : : >parent complaining. The kicker is that it is set in antiquity, Rome if I
: : : >am not mistaken.
: : : Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble
: : : their food, and tyrannize their teachers.
Yes, it is commonly accepted that this is a Socrates quotation but Ralph
Keyes (author of a very handy reference _Nice Guys Finish Seventh_) reports
it was used by Amsterdam mayor Gijsbert van Hall (apparently in the early
or mid 1960s as far as I can tell) in a speech and he claimed to have read
it in a book, the title of which he had forgotten. It was subsequently
printed in the New York Times, Forbes and others and spread from there.
The Forbes research staff could not find verification of the source.
Aristotle discusses human character in ch. 12 of Rhetoric and calls young men
passionate, excessive, hot-tempered and fun-loving among other things.
Aristophanes' play Clouds has a section in which True Logic and False Logic
are debating how children and youth should behave and it touches on themes
such as modesty, sexual purity, respect for elders and silence in adult
company.
Also be aware that there are slightly different versions of the quote going
around. Hope this helps satisfy your curiosity.
--
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| Reference Department into your humdrum lives, |
| Lincoln City Libraries it makes us feel as if |
| Lincoln NE USA our hard work |
| bwu...@rand.lcl.lib.ne.us ain't been in vain for nothin'.'" |
| --- - Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) |
| 71242...@compuserve.com "Singin' In The Rain", MGM, 1952 |
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sja...@citynet.net
On 4/29/97 11:58AM, in message <19970429155...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
JR3000 <jr3...@aol.com> wrote:
> You wouldn't find a more precise citation because Socrates
> never said it; neither did any other ancient writer or philosopher.
> It is a thoroughly bogus quote made up recently by someone with a large
> ax to grind about today's "permissive society," etc., etc. etc.
>
> (If you are interested, see my fuller refutation posted here a few months
> ago.)
>
I remember reading, 30 or 40 years ago, a quote like "The youth of today
have no respect for their elders," attributed to an ancient source. Where is
your fuller refutation?
OptechForklift Training, Inc.
> >a more precise attribution. I admit I haven't read all the Platonic
> >dialogues, but it doesn't ring any bells with me. Can anyone provide a
> more
> >precise citation?
>
>
> Here we go again...
> never said it; neither did any other ancient writer or philosopher.
> It is a thoroughly bogus quote made up recently by someone with a large
> ax to grind about today's "permissive society," etc., etc. etc.
>
Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves,
Whistle and dance the shimmy, and you've got an audience.
-Diogenes
Just thought I'd put in my two denarii, or pence, or what you will. ;)
-Caroline
cste...@hotmail.com
cobra...@gmail.com
simonsh...@gmail.com
> I am looking for the same quote
(Hesiod, 8th century BC)