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I have reposted this because it has been a topic in every group of peers I have encountered whatever the culture. We are coasting along in our 60s and 70s wondering what we did that could have saved us from the fractured situations we are putting up with. We have also noted the spoiled in-law who thinks they should receive respect due to their standing in the family, not from any contributions offered. I am not alarmed that my child is not married and procreating. I think I am less stressed than those with entitled children and equally spoiled grandchildren.

Love this post, which I found by accident. So very honest, which is refreshing. Especially when it comes to views on raising children, and we have all become so worried about saying the right thing.

I saw the video. All that talk about the history of credit and currency, it looked like a clip from "Loose Change". I was waiting for him to talk about the World Trade Center and building 7....lol. There is some truth to the claim that giants like Facebook are sucking up too oxygen because so many Black people have abandoned their own private business and social websites just to sign up with Facebook...it's shameful. But I don't think it's the internet that's creating the BIGGEST problems for small businesses. The biggest problem is the OVER REGULATION that comes from the federal, state, and local levels. And this is coming from a LIBERAL...lol. Most people are turning to Amazon, eBay, and even Craigslist to push their products because it's easier and cheaper to trade on-line than to open up a 4 walled brick and mortar establishment. Not only can they avoid the constant property inspections from local and state authorities, or avoid paperwork that can be damn near as thick as a phone book, but you cut down on the amount of employees who thanks to more government (all 3 levels) regulation often become harder and harder to keep anyway. I remember being in Time Square a few years back and saw so many talented brothers...Black men who could take a piece of crayon or charcoal and draw your picture in 3 or 4 minutes on a sheet of cardboard and were only getting $5 or $10 and had to do it quick and run off before the police caught up with them because apparently it was illegal. It made me so angry that in a nation that prides itself on economic freedom, something as simple and benign as drawing a picture for a few bucks on the street has now become illegal. Take away the excessive dictatorial regulation that tends to frighten people away and over burden those brave enough to take on the challenge of entrepreneurship....and I gurantee you that businesses will flourish.

@Mallah-Divine, do you have a website? Please share it here, I'd like to check it out.

A lot of common sense information here for those of us who are actively working to increase traffic and sales on our sites.Disruption is a good thing if you can figure out how to disrupt. That is the issue. How do you figure out the angle to attack the market and gain market share? That's the constant question for every person looking to increase revenue, how do I grow and add value is your question? His point is that the internet is not interested in adding value, but that is changing. Honestly I don't think it ever changed. People who only want money are going to only care about getting money without regard to bringing value. Those of us who care about adding value will try to add value. This is a talk about public and private biz and everyone is aware of the differences in these paths.

This is classic Cynique y'all! Cynique with your permission I'd like to republish -- this is great. "...hoping they didn’t take you up on the offer." HA, HA HA! "The Internet - the enabler of every bizarre facet reflected by today’s society." - Deep! I OFTEN think about the things I do for my children that they are unaware of and/or take for granted -- things that my parents would not have dreamed of doing for me. I'm sure the kiddies benefited in some respects but I think they may have placed at a disadvantage in others. My kids have been to more places, acquired more processions and experiences by 16 than I did by 30 -- no exaggeration! Net-net this is a good thing. I'm fortunate I had the resources to provide this for them. However part of me wonders how they will react when times are hard. Well they reflect on the good times, continue to work hard, confident things will improve; or will they fall apart unaccustomed to going without the luxuries to which they've become accustomed. "children taking center stage as their doting parents over-indulged them" this seems so true -- especially in upper middle class families. Some of my buddies have given up their entire weekends shuttling kids from “play dates” to baseball practice to piano lessons. They spend lavishly on sweet 16 parties, Christmas, vacations, camp, schools, cars, salons, clothing, etc. But even lower middle class parent do the same thing spending a ton of money on sneakers ("tennis shoes" for you southerners), jewelry and clothing. Speaking of sneakers I was a teenager when the real pressure to get the latest sneakers started. If you got the $100 Air Jordans you was the man! You could get by with Puma, Addias, Converse or maybe Pro-Keds -- anything less and you were the object of ridicule and scorn. There was no surer indicator of how poor you were if you stepped outside with rockin' some no-name brand sneakers ("skippies"). The mentality persists into adulthood and the cycle continues... ...and we are seemingly becoming a nation of spoiled brats unable to instill discipline into our children -- because we never had it.