Whatever happened to 'sticks and stones...?'


DegeneRita's avatar
 I see this almost every day. People babying and coddling others when a simple, "suck it up," would suffice. I'm not talking about big problems like  assault, rape, physical abuse etc. I mean falling down and bruising yourself, or getting teased/pranked. 
I grew up with the sticks and stones theory when the neighborhood kids called me names. We're best buds to this day 12 years later. It was fun. When I fell down and scraped my knee, my grandma would ask me, "Can you walk?" I would nod and the she would tell me to walk to the fountain and wash it off. 
Now all I see is, "Oh you poor baby! You are so poor and helpless, let me give you all this attention because your wittle knee will have a bruise!" Seriously? What happened to being tough? And the receivers of all this attention just turn into worse and whinier bitches. I see this most often with girls than guys.

Anyways, just some thoughts. If people aren't conditioned to be tough through small problems, then how do we expect them to have a foundation to deal with bigger problems? A strong mentality and healthy self-esteem just seems to be draining away doesn't it?
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DGIConcepts's avatar
People are a product of the times they grew up in.
TheTinyShow's avatar
There's this girl at my school that cried all of lunch time because her BOYFRIEND WASN'T AT SCHOOL. There kids that are beaten by their parents, but there are kids who are spoiled to the bone and if one small thing goes wrong in there schedule, they'll whine like a fricking banshee on crack.
kitsumekat's avatar
There kids that are beaten by their parents, but there are kids who are spoiled to the bone and if one small thing goes wrong in there schedule, they'll whine like a fricking banshee on crack.

So going in my sig.
kitsumekat's avatar
Freaking truth.
DegeneRita's avatar
Banshee on crack...I like that...can I use that?
TheTinyShow's avatar
Sure... Can't wait to see that floating around the internet.
TheElusiveBadger's avatar
Sticks and stones adages only go so far. When verbal abuse becomes extreme, it tends to be a breaking point for a lot of people. The Internet and texting now make it the easiest form of abuse possible.

You say "sticks and stones" for maybe like two intermittent people who you can easily block and ignore. Anything more frequent then that tends to cripple people.
DegeneRita's avatar
Which is precisely why I mention minor problems and the whining about them. When they escalate, then things change. However being strong through small problems is practice for the gradually increasing in difficulty ones.
TheElusiveBadger's avatar
Also note that social media makes it easier to complain about things. Complaining is cathartic, and for some reason when we are led to think people give a shit, it's a real mood-booster.
DegeneRita's avatar
Yeah but I honestly think everyone has a responsibility to balance who they talk to and on what sites.
Xadrea's avatar
People always made up little sayings to avoid the responsibility of having to own up to the words they say and the actions they make. I was taught that words do in fact mean something, and if someone was making fun of me ignoring it WAS NOT helpful. Instead, having a stronger sense of self and what I knew about myself helped reconcile bad feelings whenever I was picked on. Both my parents were Baby Boomers, both were raised with the "suck it up mentality" and both suffered tremendously as a result. My father fell into inert depression, PTSD, and alcoholism. He was terrified of being exposed as weak, and his family (who followed that "suck it up" bullshit) blamed my mother for his emotional problems as his life came to an end rather than taking responsibility for their own dismissive handling of him.  My mother (who was a dancer and was constantly told she was too fat to be a ballerina) developed anorexia and bulimia at the age of eleven and did not stop purging until I witnessed it as a toddler. Her own family did not want her (and told her that she ruined everything on a regular basis), and she is now, in her 50s, experiencing anxiety from those hurtful words. People consistently being told to "suck it up" have developed serious emotional problems as a result. 
DegeneRita's avatar
Historical fun fact: This particular saying has most often been used by minorities that have been mistreated. It was NOT created by the oppressors. 

That stronger sense of self is precisely what I feel more people need more of. And the last time I checked, the baby boomers were a positive generation with self-confidence. Perhaps your parents were the exception as those exist in any era?
And do you not think that if everyone overreacted to the little things and walked around like depressed punks, it would make it much more difficult to identify the people that truly need[ed] the help like your parents?
Perhaps I mistyped or did not make it clear that I am only annoyed at those who whine and bitch about trivial and petty things. Depression, PTSD, and eating disorders are no where near the lower end of the "paint spectrum" ,as I call it, and need the attention that instead is being aimed at little brats.
PercyPo's avatar
Me and my siblings taught each-other how to fight in our own backyard. We ran, jump, swam, and wrecked our way through childhood. :XD: lol. You're right though. Kids today are pampered like they are not allowed to walk three feet up a driveway.

I know from what I've seen.

I grew up with no TV, limited video games, rough terrain, and dangers of the land. It was little piece of nowhere, as we called it.

Now I'm not saying kids have to mutilate each-other through crazed rough play while tumbling down a hill of weeds and mud, but the parents should at least let them have a little fun. :) Yes, caution is important.

A lot of things today are ridiculous however. Kids don't have the freedom to roam and explore like they did years ago; there are too many sickos in the world now preventing that. :(

That, I feel, is the largest reason for all this "safety safety safety, precaution precaution precaution."

Ah well. The good ol' days are gone. Technology has finally become an integration into the systems of many youngsters. Tech is awesome, but from here on out, many classic ways for kids to have fun will change.
DegeneRita's avatar
Ah, the golden ages!

Don't get me wrong, safety precautions are good, but none of them are going to be foolproof and parents are just gonna have to deal.
WynautWarrior's avatar
"Sticks and Stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you " is a big fat lie telling people to suck up what the attacker said. Well, bones heal, but the words can cause suicides. It's happened in real life. We need to take words more seriously.

There was this boy in my school who's words are scaring me and he won't stop no matter how many times I report him. So sticks and stones may break our bones, but words can do so much worse.
DegeneRita's avatar
That figure of speech was not created by the oppressors. Instead it was used by minorities that were the victims. The best example is during the slavery and segregation eras. It wasn't said to make people suck up the words, but to ignore them altogether because they were empty.
Instead we need to take words less seriously. It's because people let them get to them that emotions escalate to flying off the handle to the point where only trained therapists can deal with them.

Why do you even listen to this boy of yours? People like him are nothing more than "pieces of shit on a stick" if the only way he can make himself feel better is by putting you down.
program-shutdown's avatar
Unfortunately, due to the fact that us humans are easily susceptible to trickery, words have become the most powerful and dangerous tool we have. You can tell a kid how much you don't like them and they'll threaten to kill themselves.

I believe that it is both a blessing and a curse that we can use words rather than weapons for attack.
DegeneRita's avatar
I find it a little sad that we can fall so hard from an "invention" that we created ourselves. Then again, I guess that can be said against any weapon in general.
bedroom-inc's avatar
Well I'd say I'm more intolerable of words because I recently had an accident with an apple slicer and cut my finger to the bone.:p

Calling me stuff like stupid and ugly hurts worse because its my self esteem. No matter how many scars I get I will live my life happily. But having people insult me makes me second guess myself. And when I do I'll be miserable.

Just my point of view.
DegeneRita's avatar
Everyone gets hurt. It's unavoidable no matter what.
As long as you don't sweat the small stuff and brood on it then that's just being normal. :shrug:
AkatsukiAndBloodstar's avatar
Are you kidding me?
So what if someone turns out being more sensitive than strong.
DegeneRita's avatar
I am not kidding you because if everyone acts like depressed punks than it just makes it that much more difficult to pin point the ones who are suffering from true depression. If its not severe, theres no harm in telling people to hold their head up higher and think better of themselves.
AkatsukiAndBloodstar's avatar
"everyone acts like depressed punks"

I'm not sure what universe you come from but i'm pretty sure not everyone does this.
Some, people are depressed and some people are overreacting/doing it for attention. Don't clump them up together.

"hold their head up higher and think better of themselves."

Some people and have been hurt to a point that they can't.
Not all people can simply do this at command.