God Damned Teenagers and Their Pierced Noses Make Me Crazy!
The problem with young people today is that they all have piercings.
When I was a lad, we didn’t pierce our ears, tongues, nipples or anything else.
If we wanted to mutilate ourselves we took a job in the sawmill and let nature take its course. We punched a hole in a time card not in our face damn it.
But these young people today, they perforate any orifice they can stick a safety pin through. Their faces are covered in zippers, bolts, studs, hoops and all manner of reclaimed scrap metal. They look like rejected prototypes from the lab of Doctor Frankenstein. It’s horrifying and scares the bejeepers out of us old people.
They say piercing is about “freedom of expression” and “being unique” but if that’s the case why is it that they all have them? If 600 million young people have a pierced eyebrow it’s not freedom of expression, it’s part of a standard-issue uniform. If you really want to be unique I’d suggest pulling your pants up, getting a job and tossing your nipple rings into the nearest recycling bin.
It galls me, it really does. I don’t think Jesus had nails driven through the palms of his hands in order that you could drive a spike through your tongue and dingle a chain from your belly button. It’s disrespectful and goes against nature.
If I had ever come home with a ring though my nose my old dad would have pierced my skull with a three hole punch and then used my head as a bowling ball.
And what will happen when all of these young people realize that getting an extra 23 holes in their noggins wasn’t such a brilliant idea? They’ll all be left walking around with gaping sinkholes in their ears, noses and tongues. Eventually the rot will set in and their heads will collapse entirely…leaving us a generation of headless former hipsters collecting disability cheques and contributing nothing to society other than being a cautionary tale on the dangers of being a no-account dumbass.
They all have piercings. That’s the problem with young people today.
My older daughter’s teacher is young and has piercings, but she is such a good teacher that all the kids are saying now that the nicest teachers have piercings!
Thanks Lillian,
It strikes me as odd but I’ll take your word for it. I just can’t picture my old grade school teacher, Mrs. Higgins, with any kind of piercings. She was a fierce old gal and not one for fancy dress or excessive jewellery.
She had a truckload of moles, false teeth and nasty backhand but no nose ring that I can recall. Granted, though, she was likely 74 at the time and it was a few decades back.
Thanks for visiting.
Don
I’ve always wondered if they automatically acquire a lisp when they get their tongues pierced. I couldn’t imagine being able to speak clearly with a metal ball in the middle of my mouth.
Nice to see you Yorksnbeans,
Not sure if they acquire a lisp or not. Young people with tongue piercings and I don’t spend a lot of time chatting. Shame, I’m sure we’d have scads in common.
My personal support worker, Hattie, told me this afternoon that getting your tongue pierced is a “sex thing.” Seems like more of “stupid” thing to me but, as I’ve said before, apparently I’m a relic. (Makes me wonder about Hattie though and what she might be getting up to on her off hours!)
Maybe I should go out and get my nose, brow, lip and ears pierced so that young people can get a good look at how dignified it will look on them when they get to be 80.
Thanks for visiting.
Donald
Yet another post that I agree with, Don! You’re on a roll, haha. I absolutely hate piercings. I can tolerate ear piercings on girls’ earlobes, but anything more than that is, in my opinion, stupid. I decided a long time ago that I would never get a piercing, tattoo, dye my hair, get plastic surgery, etc. I disagree with all of it.
Gerard
That’s two in a row, Gerard. You’re turning into an old curmudgeon before your time!
But I won’t start counting my chickens yet. You’re a smart lad but I’m pretty sure we’re bound to disagree again sooner or later.
Thanks for visiting with me again. Always good to hear from you.
Don
next you’ll be telling people they can’t be gay or buy this or do that or think this or think that.
you’re all dictators in waiting, fuck you
Thanks for the comment some pissed off guy mark,
You’re absolutely correct, we old people have a terrible need to be dictators.
And while we are on the subject, you can buy this but not that. And think that but not this.
The world will be a better place if you follow my commands to the letter.
Don
Don, once again you’ve nailed it. (sorry) I think of tackleboxes when I see a face full of piercings. And then I think, “Does it set off the metal detector in the airport and hold up the line?”
Then I start wondering if it’s all going to limit them in the job market. Sure, maybe not now, but at some point before their lives are over, I’m betting that they might want to try for a job doing something other than making espressos or taking movie tickets and an interviewer is gonna to be transfixed — in a bad way — by the big ole sagging 3-inch-diameter holes in their earlobes that REFUSE TO CLOSE even years later, or why there when they sip water it dribbles through a little hole in their lower lip. Not to mention the scar tissue even IF the markings eventually DID close back up. In a few years we’ll start seeing some “old” people who did all this stuff as young people, and we’ll have our answers.
I guess my point is that when I see all the piercings I can’t think about anything except all the negative aspects, so whatever cool thing it’s supposed to do for the viewer is hopelessly lost on me.
That’s a great comment, Dogette.
I was struggling with how to describe a face full of piercings but “tacklebox” is the perfect answer. It sure paints a picture.
And I agree, it’s all fun now while your smoking grass, living in your parent’s basement and too drunk to see your own reflection in a mirror, but it will be a whole different story when it comes time to grow up and actually find a job.
Thanks again Doggette.
(And I’ll be on the lookout for that leaking lower lip. It cracks me up, it really does).
Best Regards,
Don
…though one may argue, there are great careers where it actually HELPS to get your face pierced.
I think it’s mandatory, for example, for employees in 2nd-rate CD stores.
It also helps if you’re a stripper, a crack addict, or an unemployed tortured intellectual.
But aside from those jobs, I don’t really see the point.
Good points, Friar.
And let’s not discount the need for carnival freaks, career students, hemp farmers, and the people who sell stereos speakers out of the back of vans.
Nice to see you again. Thanks for stopping in.
Don
You gentlemen forgot to mention tatoo artists and the people who actually work piercing other people. I walked past a piercing place this last weekend and here in El Salvador they cost two dollars and fifty cents. It’s so cheap it is scary.
I’m 25 years old and only have piercings in my ears, but a friend of mine got one in her tongue and in a few days she had this nasty green slime all over her tongue, she developed a lisp of course, took it out and let it heal; the most alarming part of this case is that she lived with her parents but they never noticed her getting the piercing, nor her pronounced lisp caused by swelling and infection.
Nice to meet you all.
Love this Blog.
In my opinion your points are quite ignorant and based off of the assumption that all visual signals you observe are absolute in their psychological reliance within an individual. Allow me to give you some information which will hopefully show you that low lives are low lives because of life choices that have nothing to do with how they want to appear.
I am 20 years old and a modified individual. I have zero gauge tunnels in both ears, the bridge (horizontal bar through the skin of the nose between the eyes), a labret stud (just below the lip in the center), and three microdermal anchors in a line down the center of my forehead (small flat plates that rest just under the epidermal layers with a small internally threaded post that rises up and sits flush with the surface of the skin, you can screw various tops into them. I myself have three flat black titanium disks)
This being said, I am an intellectual and well balanced person. I study physics in college and I have maintained a 3.8 gpa for all my college career thus far. I work as a physics and math tutor during school and during the summers I am either involved in paid student research, or I am a counselor at my aunts day camp where I am responsible for 10-15 children between the ages of 6-8. No one’s parents have a problem with my appearance, the children find me very interesting and unique and they are often stimulated to ask insightful questions about why I choose to appear the way I do.
My modifications stem from my beliefs which are deeply influenced by eastern philosophy and through my academic studies of the structure and workings of the universe. My physical training and meditation has lead me to believe strongly in the presence of the chakras, and for me I am most profoundly connected to the traits and feelings governed by Ajna, located on the forehead and transmitted through the blue wavelengths of the electromagnetic energy spectrum. Ajna is mostly responsible for your intuition and allows you to connect to an even higher chakra, Saharsara which is where the body transmits and receives the energies carrying communication between forces beyond the body such as the observed presence of God.
I do not drink alcohol, I occasionally vaporize marijuana for spiritual reasons and I much less frequently take part in the consumption of psychedelic mushrooms for further spiritual and enlightening experiences. These substances are not used in a party atmosphere, they are used either in solitude and meditation or in the company of a small number of like minded individuals to aid in the exploration of each others feelings and ideas.
Now, many kids are truly stupid. And I certainly agree with you that while many attempt to declare their modifications as a form of self expression they all simply get the same things done, thus creating another niche in which they now fail to be unique within. This is not because of their piercings. You can surely view things more existentially I hope.
People in general are incapable of being unique. Regardless of how they display themselves they are in some way feeding off of themes they gather from other sources. Their piercings are not infections, they are not manifestations of their social depravity. They are simply things they do to look the way they want to look. There are dirtbags that come from all walks of life and there are truly wonderful people from all walks of life.
Please, I hope you can try and understand what I mean when I say that the true core of a human being cannot reside on their skin. Childishly executed displays of disdain towards modified individuals does not display that you know the way. It just shows that you think your ideal state of being is true and righteous when it is in fact every bit as flawed and weak as the groups you shun. You may see them as drones, but you are still a drone yourself in a different system.
I feel sorry for people my age who do not take it upon themselves to be what they truly want to be, and to take charge of their lives by crafting their bodies and their minds. I feel sorry for people my age who do not strive to be educated and capable of being free. They are not free because they pierce their eyebrows, they are only free when they have formed themselves into something that no facet of society can hold down.
Thank you.
Sorry Blueshift but I didn’t understand one damned word you said. Guess you’re too much of a damned intellectual for me. Either that or all of the sense poured out of those holes in your head.
A “modified individual?” What in the love of God does that mean? Sounds like you’re part of a cult. Or a robot or something. The daleks!
And I apologize but things like “all visual signals you observe are absolute in their psychological reliance within an individual” just gives me a damned headache. I like to think I’m a reasonably smart man but jesus christ, Blueshift, plain language has its merits.
Now look, you seem like a decent lad. My advice would be to drop the prententious egghead BS, pull a few rings out of your face and stop being so damned serious.
Thanks for visiting.
Don
Dear Mr Blueshitt,
I nearly had an aneurism reading that. And that was after the first sentence.
My advice is stay away from those funny mushrooms, stop polishing your chakras and get a life.
Yours Sincerely
Lily Fossil
I understand everything you said… it wasn’t hard. i graduated high school.
Damned cutting remarks.
A young Oscar Wilde in the making I suspect.
I like you’re name too. “The Future.” It’s arrogant, brash and full of unwarranted self-importance. I have no doubt that you are the future, lad.
Good luck with that.
All the best,
Don
I think your confusion about the previous post by BlueShift was the direct result of either sheer ignorance or mental disability. Either way, I’m 15 years old and understood and contemplated every word. Why can’t you? Maybe, you need a few piercings to “open your mind” literally. Perhaps I should tell you about myself too, and give BlueShift some strength in numbers, and you another ringing reminder of your ignorance. I am a fifteen year old girl, a sophomore at a catholic highschool, I am in all honors classes. I have been attending catholic school my entire life. I am an active and participating member of my parish. I am involved in multiple school activities such as Chorus, Theater, Respect Life Club, Community Service Corps, School Pride Club, Creative Writing Club, and Altar Serving. I never smoke, drink, or do any kind of drugs, not even for medicinal purposes unless it is life threatening not to. I am waiting for marriage to have sex, too. I’m a very good person and have been merited for my service and good citizenship. My ear lobes are stretched. Not obnoxiously, but noticeably. I have a total of seven holes between both my ears. I plan to get more. I plan to get my tongue pierced, along with my monroe(top part of lip), eyebrow, and dermal anchors on my chest. I think I was born an empty canvas.. similar to millions of other babies.. Born without significant features to distinguish me. Born as a piece of clay, and as my soul develops, I try to likewise develop my body to be more form fitting to my soul. I am becoming more myself with every modification I endure… I will not die with the same frame of mind I was born with. I will, likewise, not die with the same body. Your choice to stay hole-free is absolutely fine with me! If that is how you so chose to be, I embrace you! That is YOUR choice. Life is full of choices, and being pierced is one I’ve made. I would never say, “Wow, you’re an idiot because you don’t want to be pierced.” And you have no right to insult my decision, either. As for BlueShift- you inspire me, truly. I love the way you write with such knowledge and clarity of what you’re writing about. Thank you.
Yes, dear, you understand everything except gentle sarcasm. For that shortcoming you shall suffer greatly in your life, pierced or factory-sealed.
Oh, and anyone has the right to say whatever. (They really do, dear. You can google it like all the really cool kids.) However, if you find it personally insulting then you are the one picking up the insult where it lays, and it says far more about you than you might think. And it appears to me that you may as well get used to it.
Joan, everyone has a right to an opinion. He can say he doesn’t like piercings. He doesn’t have to insult everyone with him. By the way, could you please not talk to me like I’m some kind of idiot? I think I made it clear enough in my description you can talk to me like a big girl now :] &Sarcasm is not the issue, just ignorance. Perhaps you should talk like a little kid to your friend Don, since he’s about as deep as a tea cup.
Thanks for sharing your opinions SPTG but let’s leave it here shall we?
“Born without significant features to distinguish me. Born as a piece of clay, and as my soul develops, I try to likewise develop my body to be more form fitting to my soul. I am becoming more myself with every modification I endure… I will not die with the same frame of mind I was born with. I will, likewise, not die with the same body.”
I can honestly say that you young people never fail to amaze me. Good luck with that – it sounds like serious business.
Best regards,
Don
Which is exactly why my next invention will be the 1st ever “Magnet-stache Gun”
A gun that’ll shoot magnets on these pierced hipsters and combine their vaginal six-gage with their underdeveloped face.
Yes Donald, yet again you’ve managed to hit the nail with your astute words.
Keep on Keeping on,
Frankelstache
P.S. The stache part in the naming of my invention is purely narcissistic, I’m well aware.
Thanks Frankelstache,
While I really like the idea of shooting them with magnets, I have to confess that I have no idea what a “vaginal six-gage” is. (Sorry, guessing it’s a young person thing).
Still, it sounds painful so it gets my vote whatever the Hell it is.
Thanks and nice to see you again.
Don
6-gage is the size of the needle / hole. Have you seen those pseudo-emo kids that have a button that expands their earlobe? You know, the one that makes it look like they just walked out of a bad episode of Star Trek?
As for Vaginal, well, I’m not sure if you have any offspring (I hope so, cause I can tell a good DNA when I read one), but a Vagina is that triangle that’s located on the other side of her Poop Box. It is also used for delivering babies, urinating, and the occasional gang-bang.
Feel free to contact me with further questions.
yours truly,
Frankelstache
I apologize. It’s not used for urinating, I got carried away.
Holy Hannah…
Think I preferred it when I had no clue. They don’t teach you this stuff on Wheel of Fortune. Jesus, I’m going to lie down for a bit…
Thanks for the clarification.
Magnets wouldn’t work… peircings are made of stainless steel which is non-ferrous.
Dd.
Amen.
I can not even begin to tell how disgusting I think those piercings are. I have no idea how people manage not to get nose and tounge piercings infected all the time. It looks gross and it’s honestly not as attractive or as cool as people think it is.
Thanks for bringing this up. Again, another brilliant topic.
-Lenna
Many thanks Lenna,
Glad to know that there are still a few sensible young people out there.
Appreciate your stopping by to visit.
Don
I had my ears pierced for about a week once. My family had a crises meltdown and that was the end of that.
Thanks Eric. Glad to learn you came to your senses.
All the best
Don
but just think how handy they will be if the world’s supply of strainers and colanders disappears. we’ll still be able to enjoy spaghetti after pouring pots of it over their faces.
Thanks Nonnie9999 and welcome. Nice of you to stop in.
I had no idea that the strainer and colander supply was in peril. That’s damned serious if it’s true. Lack of skilled tradespeople is likely to blame. Or communists. A shame either way. I like well drained food.
Anyway, that’s a good plan you have there. It’s reasonable and has the added bonus of hopefully scolding some sense into them young people.
Now I’m off to check on my colander. You got me worried.
Best Regards Nonnie.
Don
I want a tongue piercing so I can just click the earring against my remaining teeth. Click click click.
Goodness me, downcastmysoul.
I thought you were a Doctor? No offense, but if you have three teeth and a tongue piercing I’m going to have to rescind my offer to show you my rash. Too bad, I swear it’s starting to look like a profile of Lyle Waggoner and it itches like all get out.
Anyway, hope you’re well, dcms. Don’t be a stranger.
Don
You were gonna show me your RASH? (Gasp). Now I feel as if my life is not worth living.
It also seems that the more physically repulsive one is without piercings, the more likely that person is to make things worse by getting them.
Makes sense to me. Jamming a knitting needle through your nose sure as Hell isn’t going to “pretty” anyone up.
Thanks for visiting omawarisan. Hope to see you back soon.
All the best
Don
Don,
I think everyone knows a girl who had her ears pierced, then snagged an earring on something and ripped the hole all the way down the lobe. Painful experience I’m sure.
I always imagine that on a lip. Or a nipple.. or genitalia.
ouch
Sounds painful indeed, Claire. But I suspect there is a reason for that.
It’s like sticking your hand into the blades of a lawn mower. Painful indeed but generally a good reminder that it was a pretty stupid thing to consider doing in the first place.
Nice to see you again and thanks for the comment.
Don
Dear Mr Mills,
Golly gosh….I’m feeling awfully squeamish now……particularly as I made the big mistake of Googling “Body Piercings Gone Horribly Wrong” … the graphic images should serve to put anyone off mutilating their bodies.
Still, I strongly recommend anyone contemplating such procedures (and also their parents) to do the research to find out what can and DOES go horribly wrong. WARNING: the images are somewhat gruesome.
Of course I’m not against a subtle ear piercing for a dainty jewel, but stretching the earlobe so far that the ear gets ripped off from the head and needs $2000 worth of plastic surgery to stitch it back on? I think not.
Excuse me Mr Mills, but I need a good lie down too….
Thank you Lily,
Hope you don’t object but I’d like to compliment you on your picture. It’s nice to see a woman who still knows how to dress properly when she’s going out.
My dear departed Aggie was partial to hats. She had one for every occasion.
Anyway, I wouldn’t dare use Google to get pictures of anything other than wingback chairs, sensible cardigans and discount prescription drugs (and even then, I had my personal support worker, Hattie, set my computer filters to “puritan”).
I think you’re right though and that anyone contemplating a piercing should take a look at what they’re letting themselves in for. It would likely smarten up at least of few of them.
Hope having a wee rest helped. I find it does me a world of good.
All the best
Don
Today’s kids will have kids of their own one day. What will THEY do to shock THEIR parents?
Start amputating parts of their face, I suppose.
Or maybe piercing their entire head, with a giant safety pin right through the ears.
I hope I live long enough to see that…
Interesting to speculate , Friar, what the next generation of young people will do to shock their parents?
Then again, they might just react and be NORMAL and not do the body piercing, self mutilation, emo rubbish.
So that might be worth sticking around to see.
You realize body modification is not new? In fact – it has been around since the dawn of time. Long before you or I. Get your facts straight, thanks.
If it were only the noses and tongues, that will be fine. That are other places like piercing of sexual reproduction organs which I cannot fathom either. The media plays a part too.
I mean if you are a fan of Adam Lambert, it is easy to want to follow his style, right down to his clothing, piercings, and whatever.
In any case, it will be wrong to say that teenagers who have piercings don’t contribute meaningfully to the society. Some of them are very creative and talented.
Piercings are just a matter of identity, self-expression for them.
Thanks for the comment James.
This whole notion of piercing sexual reproductive organs has put me off my lunch (and likely my dinner as well).
And as for Adam Lambert….well, all I will say about that is if some young person wants to follow his lead that’s fine by me. But rather then just ape his piercings, why don’t they actually copy his ambition and try to become successful at something instead?
It’s like saying I admire the values of John Quincy Adams so I’ve decided to wear a powdered wig. It’s a stupid tribute, makes me look foolish and doesn’t improve my chances of getting elected into public office.
(Sorry, there James, my tuna sandwich isn’t agreeing with me and I’m a tad on the cranky side. I’m off for an antacid)
Appreciate you sharing your views, lad.
Don
I love it when you say you have to lie down for a little bit or get you another ‘Rye’
you do have quite the sense of humor.
I have a granddaughter that is exactly like all these teenagers you are describing. When I saw her profile on “MySpace” I about threw up with all the cuss words, and then one day she was talking about having sex with her boyfriend. Why don’t they just ban MySpace? It’s the devil, I tell ya.
Anyway I emailed her about it and she told me to mind my own business and that she never wanted to see me again and couldn’t care less about what I thought, and then proceeded to tell me to never contact her again. I was shocked and hurt. I would have went and talked to her in person but she lives 1,000 miles away from me. She also accused me of being a “creeper”, and then had pictures on her site that she took while visiting me, and typed below them: “these were taken at my Gramma’s house, “The Creeper”. Needless to say I was shocked and hurt again. I also caught her “sexting”, which just about made me sick. She was sending pictures of her boobs to God knows who and what they will do with them. Probably pass them around to more people.
Also what is it with girls sleeping with other girls? And still having boyfriends?
She has just gotten a huge tattoo on her upper arm and also some piercings. I just don’t know her anymore and don’t know what to do about it or how to get through to her. Should I tell her how I really feel or just leave her alone? I believe I am taking her out of my will.
Also I love, love love your site, but it highly offends me when you take God’s name in vain. I don’t know, it’s just the way I was raised, and was always told “God will get you for that” Is there anyway you can change the way you start all your posts of “G** D***” to maybe just Damned? Or even G – Dammed?
Amen.
I’m appalled that anyone can treat another human being in such a manner, much less to their own family. It grieves me to read of such disgusting emotional abuse from a child to her grandmother.
I was self-centered like any other kid at that age but I still CARED about what my family thought and I cared about not hurting them, at least not deliberately. I am glad I grew up in a world where there were no computers and games, that I needed to get out and run and ride my bike in order to entertain myself. That I had chores to do every day, had a bedtime and needed to ask permission to call long distance on our rotary dial phone. I will be turning 35 this year and I cannot believe how much the world has changed.
I very much enjoy this blog and its humor. I personally would hate to see it change in any way. It would somehow lose its power in delivery to have words partially bleeped out. No disrespect intended of course to those who are troubled at some of the words used.
Nakai,
Thank You so much for these words of wisdom! It made me feel better.
You said it all when you wrote: “I was self-centered like any other kid at that age but I still CARED about what my family thought and I cared about not hurting them, at least not deliberately…”
I don’t understand what is making kids so disrespectful. Maybe it’s because they weren’t brought to Church by their parents like I was raised. My granddaughter hurt me deeply and I don’t think we will ever be the same.
Again, thank you for your kind words.
Think I’ll go have a “Rye” now.
huggs to Mr. Mills too and a kiss on the cheek (as long as his dear Aggie looking down wouldn’t mind :O)
Sandy,
I’m glad that anything I said might have helped you feel a bit better. I am sure that the wounds of your granddaughter’s words will stay there. I am deeply sensitive myself and easily wounded by others.
One of the things I think contributes to people caring less about what effect their words will have on someone is the age of the Internet and the anonymity it provides. When I was younger and got angry or down or frustrated, I had to show restraint or face the consequences. Now kids often get on the net and curse and blast other people over the net and don’t have to pay any consequences. They enjoy the power and the anonymity of it. They don’t have to witness the pain and tears of the person they are hurting behind their screens and text. They can log off and forget about it while the person they have damaged is left to deal with the ’scars.’ It fosters even greater self-centeredness and disregard for the consequences of their words. It is much easier to insult someone you don’t have to face in person.
There are a lot of problems, really, as Mr. Mills so eloquently points out. It may be done in a venue of humor, but is thought-provoking all the same.
Thank you so much, Mr. Mills, for a thoroughly enjoyable and humorous blog!
That’s an extremely upsetting tale, Sandy, and my heart goes out to. I do hope that in time your granddaughter will come to her senses and that an opportunity may present itself for some sort of reconciliation.
And to my language, I do apologize. I get a fair bit of grief for my use of “God Damned” and apologize for any offence. I’m afraid it is the one bad habit I’m left with and it’s a tough one for me to shake.
Thanks for visiting, good luck and enjoy your “rye.” Sounds like you’ve earned one.
Don
p.s. Thanks to you, Nakai, for your very thoughtful response. Well said.
Dear Sandy….bless your heart (that’s whay my Mama taught me to say when I feel bad for someone else).
I certainly hope that you have given some thought to your will and have taken the time to remove your ungrateful, thoughtless grand daughter’s name from it. And, no more Christmas gifts to that selfish young’in til she stops with the nasty comments about you on MyFace (and the rest of the body, too).
Thoughtless, selfish, ungrateful, and inconsiderate are words too mild to describe her actions!
Thank you Barbie, My you really could use a bit of make-up hahah. Yes won’t she be surprised when Christmas rolls around and that’s the only reason she would be nice to me, to get a nice present. At least she won’t be buying anymore piercings or getting a tatto or a bag of pot with money I used to send her.
If you only knew how she has disrespected me, it would make your hair curl. And I might add, that I’m a very nice person! (Hey if I don’t say it, my granddaughter certainly wouldn’t and I would have done anything in this world for her) As for right now, I’m just staying away from her and hope someday that she will love and remember me as we much as I loved my grandparents. But I doubt it.
I’m on my way over to visit with you!
Which brings me to Sandy’s case- I must say, I’m terribly sorry for the way your granddaughter has treated you. But I have to say, I don’t believe the body modification she has done inspired her callousness. Don’t be so quick to petition the ban for MySpace –the website is not responsible for any disrespect formed from any keyboards. There are plenty of polite members, and I’m sorry you have not met any. Perhaps I should send you a friend request some time. I certainly don’t post about having sex with my boyfriend. I don’t think that is something one should discuss with all of cyberspace. People like you could be reading. And people quite unlike you; perverts who could potentially harm her. She doesn’t seem to put her posts through any self-discretion, which means she could be a victim of STALKERS, who could follow her into the real world. Maybe, when she cools down, you could kindly warn her about this. You didn’t describe what your message to your granddaughter was at all, either. If it was accusatory, or scornful, it probably offended her just as much as she offended you. Teenagers are quick to defend themselves, especially against their elders. Sadly, most are not informed on how to do so respectfully. But this is no surprise, considering your granddaughters lack of censorship is a sign of a lack of self-respect. The sexting is an obvious cry for attention. This girl is in need of some love and acceptance, pronto. In addtion to respect. But teenagers these days are not naive in the same way they used to be –they don’t give without getting. And she won’t give respect without getting some. Someone somewhere is giving her a tough time, and it won’t help if you give her more of it. I’m sorry she had to lash out on you like that, though. Taking her to church probably isn’t the best thing to do, considering she has rebelled against preaching. Empathy is the way to go. I know it’s probably hard to empathisize when she’s acting like a brat, but to love is to understand. Good luck on your quest to atonement!
PS: It may offend you when Mr. Mills says “God” in vain, but he’s not exactly being respectful and understanding in his blog, so this may not be the place to read if you’re shaken by the G-word in interesting places.
I got a free lip piercing once … entirely unintentional … compliments of my parrot Charlie!
I visited with my oldest son a few months ago, he had an eyebrow ring in .. I told him if he ever wanted to see his mother again, he’d better remove it … he did!
Happy Sporran Friday, Julie.
Sounds like you have that lad well in hand, Julie. Keep at him.
Thanks for visiting.
Don
So, just exactly how do those tackle-box-faced kids gargle and swarsh without looking like a Water Wiggle?
No idea, Joan of Argghh, no idea. But that’s something I wouldn’t mind seeing.
Always a pleasure to hear from you.
Hey Don,
In India, it’s a tradition to have women pierce their nose and ears. I have both my ears pierced but my mother spared me the agony of the nose.
I have a friend who has his eyebrows, toungue and neck pierced(8 piercings on the base of his neck. Goes all the way around). We take turns in placing bets on him.
Will Lyndon’s head get stuck to a giant magnet?
You want in on the bet?
Hey Archie,
Is this betting open to all? I’m always looking for new ways to make a quick buck ….
Thanks Archie.
Sounds like you have some “interesting friends.” You always seem to have a story to tell!
And I’ll take a piece of that action. It’s bound to happen, just a matter of time.
Regards
Don
Julie, Open house!
Don, Lolz… My job warrants interaction with a lot of young kids and you’ll have to tie me to a drain pipe and beat me senseless with a wrought iron rolling pin before you make me stop sharing stories…
“Recycling bin”? You’re going soft, Don.
You got me there CLT! Guess I am getting soft.
Wasn’t that long ago I was burying cans of lead paint in the backyard.
Dear Mr Mills,
Thankyou so much for the kind compliment on my photo and no of course I don’t mind, silly man. What woman doesn’t mind a compliment? I hope it brings back good memories of your dearly departed Aggie.
As for the hats; never underestimate the value of a good hat, I say.
I, too, was upset to read Sandy’s story about her granddaughter on MyFace and I agree unreservedly with Nakia’s words of wisdom about the Internet and Video Games being the root of all evil for today’s young people. MyFace and Spacebook (social networking sites , my foot! ….anti-social networking more like it!)
Video games turn young people into aggressive, unsympathetic, mindless blockheads. Don’t get me started.
Nakia hit the nail on the head…. the Internet provides anonymity for young people (so they foolishly think) and they assume they can say whatever they like … they don’t care how vicious and nasty they are to others, because they foolishly think there are no repercussions. So they vent their venomous vitriol at anyone and anything.
But I believe there are serious ramifications for society at large, in that the Internet is breeding a generation of voyeuristic, egotistical, narcissistic, sociopathic young people who can’t discern between what is nasty and what isn’t and what’s even worse, they don’t care. And any parent who is willfully ignorant of what their offspring is getting up to online, in chat rooms, in “forums” , with all their twittering, their blogs, their instant messaging, their YouPubes, iPlods, etc etc etc…. needs to seriously look at their parenting skills and ask themselves how much their ignorance is playing in the downfall of our civilization.
I’m sorry Mr Mills; I’m ranting and going off on a tangent here, but it makes my blood boil. It really does.
I need a nice hot cup of tea and a lie down.
yours truly,
Lily Fossil
Always a pleasure to hear from you Mrs. Fossil.
And no need to apologize. I could read your comments on young people around the clock. You’re a woman of considerale talent and remarkable insight, Mrs. Fossil.
All the best,
Don
Hello Don,
My oldest son got his tongue pierced. (over 21 at the time) He only wore a stud for a few months and then he took it out. He said the hole in his tongue closed up. He’s 28 now and completely respectable. I have pretty strange kids actually. Except for the tongue piercing experiment neither one of them has ever cared about being fashionable or following the crowd.
Golly gosh, Mr Mills, I’m blushing! Thank you very much for those lovely accolades.
I can assure you I could wax lyrical on the topic of god damned crazy young people till the proverbial cows come home.
I realize I may look like a god fearing woman, but truth be known, I am an atheist, so saying “god damned” is water off a duck’s back as far as I am concerned.
Besides, that’s nothing, (as you and i both fully aware) compared to what spews forth from the mouths of young people today.
Keep up the good fight
Lily Fossil
(P.S It’s not Mrs Fossil, by the way. My ex husband left me 17 years ago for some young trollop he met on the god damned Internet. So please, do call me Lily.)
I agree with you on the piercings. The closest thing I ever had to a piercing was when I stepped on a nail that was sticking out. When I see somebody with a bunch of piercings, I feel like whipping out an electronic magnet. That will teach them.
Thanks Ahmnodt,
Nice to hear from you, lad.
If you get a lead on any pocket sized electromagnets capable of removing facial jewelry let me know. I’d like one and I’m sure the other members of my bridge group would be interested too.
Don
Thank goodness my daughter was happy to just get her ears pierced. A pierced tongue or nose would have been the end of me. You make a good point about all these kids trying to be unique yet they all are starting to look alike. Gives the word unique a new meaning. Great post as always.
Thanks Joan. Appreciate your dropping by.
Don
hey Donald. you are one funny fella
i put a link to my blog on guest commentary so others can see your fierceness and humor online
thanks for saying hi. You Rock!!!
___
NOW…I’m waiting on the Diversity Dance Troupe (teenaged dance group) critique from you
and how they totally robbed the lovely Susan Boyle of her much deserved Crown in
that rigged Britain’s Got Talent show…
can you write a column on that… please.
Make us laugh some more. And thank you Mr Mills!
Horiwood.
Many thanks Horiwood, I appreciate the kind words.
I’m afraid I don’t know much about Susan Boyle and have never heard of the Diversity Dance Troupe. I’ll ask Hattie, my personal support worker, to fill me in. She loves those programs. Me, I watch Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and Larry King. I used to watch Murder, She Wrote but that was mainly because I have a long standing interest in Angela Landsbury.
Anyway, I’m prattling on like an old lady.
Thanks again for visiting and the link. Hope to see you again.
Don
u r too quaint and funny
we live your work
i’d like a cuppa tea
with you one of
these days
Don
Very funny reply to my site ahahhahaha….love your site..young folks are I dont know not brought up the same way ….when I was comin up.(I being 38) you got an ass whippin when you ran afoul of my old man…i turned out okay…Zman sends
Thanks Zman. Appreciate your stopping in.
Don
I am seriously laughing so hard that I can barely breathe. Thankfully, I don’t have any extra holes in me or I wouldn’t be able to keep enough air in my lungs and therefore, pass out.
This is truly one of the best blogs that I have ever read. I’m so glad that you came by my blog which in turn made me curious enough to come by here.
Don, you are COOL enough without putting anymore holes in your noggin.
Thanks for the best laugh that I’ve had in quiet a while. And, due to that fact alone, I have now added you as one of my NEW BEST FRIENDS on my blog.
Thank you Trailerparkbarbie,
That’s a damned nice comment you left and I’m grateful for the kind words. Thank you.
I appreciate the status of “new best friend” too. You’ve made an old man’s night. (I can honestly say I haven’t ever been called “cool” before.)
All the best, Trailerparkbarbie, I look forward to getting to know you better.
Don
To use a modern young people term, young people suck in general, holed or not.
They say piercing is about “freedom of expression” and “being unique” but if that’s the case why is it that they all have them?
Well said.
Reminds me of this scene from the film Life of Brian…
I personally have always thought that if you had to have multiple piercings, then you may as well make them work for you.
For example, two eyebrow rings linked up to the ol’ Prince Albert piercing by a long chain. You know, wink when you wank, wank when you wink.
Etcetera.
I’ve taken it too far, haven’t I? I’ll go away now.
I have many piercings and many tattoos, but I’m a very respectable woman. I’m the lead network technician of a highly-known company. I do my job very well, so no one cares what I look like. And on the note of the tongue piercing lisp- it goes completely away in about a week.
I won’t deny that I want a navel piercing (post-diet, of course), because they’re so friggin’ cute, in my opinion. I like the idea of having a gem in my belly. I think a piercing, especially one that is on public display somewhere like a face, is an aesthetic way to show how tough one is, for some. Shoving a needle through your face takes a lot of guts. One also must be absolutely positive that they want a piercing, as it requires a lot of care (many holes must be cleaned three times daily!) and patience for it to heal. Therefore, I don’t neccessarily think it is a reflection of any form of carelessness. It’s just fashion. I don’t see how it is disrespectful, though. It may grind your gears to see a giant plastic circle in a seventeen-year-old’s ear lobe, but it doesn’t make him or her a horrible person, and it doesn’t guarantee that he or she will/would be rude to an elder. And yes, piercing does go against nature, but so does bruising your children for misdeeds, so nobody’s perfect (no pun intended). You’ll also find that many ANCIENT cultures liked to pierce themselves; sometimes for protection against evil, but sometimes because they thought it looked good. Some other form of mutilation that goes farther back than today’s youth is the corset. For centuries, women molded their bodies into the ideal hourglass shape using this undergarment. And while piercings can get caught and ripped, or infected, the chances of either of those happening are very small, as long as the holes and jewels inside them are tended to. The damage of a corset, however, was much worse. It was not uncommon at all for women to faint all over the place because of how tightly laced they were (literally). This tight lacing also lead to the damaging of ribs and organs. Yet, corsets were still popular for a very long time. And not because it was a movement of free expression, or a display of cultural taste, but to warp themselves into what men thought they should be. So, yes, Mr. Mills, there are plenty of problems with today’s youth, but jewellry through the skin is not one of them.
I find most piercings, especially excessive amounts of them, quite unattractive. If I wanted to have a relationship with bits of metal I’d date m y car, damnit!
I also don’t see the appeal in poking holes in things you actually kind of need, like your tongue or nose or reproductive bits. Besides, having pokes holes through muscle by accident (the incident involved a staple gun) I cannot understand why anyone would want to do such a thing intentionally. Poking holes through flaps of skin, fine. I don’t want to see most of them though.
I do have my ears pierced twice, but I only wear one pair when I want to look respectable. I’ve been thinking about maybe getting my eyebrow done at one point, but that will have to wait until I have a secure job and can get away with being a crazy young person once in a while.
Why do you have such A prromblem with it ? it’s not your body so its not you with the holes . I think its just fine to have piecings i have my ears , cartlidge ,nose ,bellybutton picerd and theres nothing wrong with that if you dont like it then dont look . Thank y0u its 2009 not 1980 !
Katlyn, in your last sentence you recognized the problem. I am going to have to guess that 80% of the people here that are commenting in the negative are over 30. Times are changing and that is something that some people can’t handle. I couldn’t live without my cell phone, computer, energy drinks or fast import cars. Could you imagine ne one in the 70’s saying that? Once these old farts die off it won’t be as big a deal. to each his own. You have one life to live, do what you want with it. I am not trying to shock nor impress anyone in anything that i do. If you are shocked by what you see, i raise the question of what you did to your parents to shock them. Its the general course of things.
Hello again Mr. Future.
You’re quite the amusing young lad, Mr. Future, and sharp as a tack too. Thank you for confirming for Katlyn and the rest of us that it is no longer 1980. There was some lingering doubt.
And you needn’t worry about shocking or impressing anyone. Personally, I don’t see that in your future, lad.
Be well and stay serious.
Don
TheFuture… you can in fact live without you cell phone, computer, energy drinks, and fast import cars.
Enlightening eh?