Sure young people can be dumb, but so were you at their age

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Young people can be pretty dumb. We know it, but they have no idea.

But they will.

Hey, we were in those same dumb shoes once – just admit it. We all did dumb things that make us shudder when we look back on them.

I bring this up because of the uproar over young people eating Tide Pods and posting videos of themselves doing it. Sure, posting a video of yourself doing something that is not only stupid but also dangerous wasn’t available when many of us were kids, but we can’t act like we are superior beings here.

If you are unaware of this trend, it is basically young people eating Tide Pods, which is laundry detergent encased in dissolvable plastic discs. Why? Because they are young. And stupid. Did I say young?

Many have been taken to the hospital because – surprise! – you are not supposed to eat laundry detergent. I think it even says so on the package.

The company that makes Tide has come down pretty hard on the side of not eating their product – a product made to clean your dirty underwear, not eat. I saw a company spokesman on the news, and he couldn’t hide the I-can’t-believe-I-have-to-say-this look on his face.

The online backlash and mocking has been forceful and at times rather funny. For example, one genius posted a picture of a box of laundry detergent and the line, “Back when I was a kid, we had to eat our laundry detergent out of the box.”

Funny.

But before we start thinking the world is going straight down the tubes thanks to an army of millennials eating plastic-covered laundry detergent, think back to when you were a kid. Did you ever eat anything crazy? And no, I don’t just mean your mom’s mystery meatloaf.

I remember squirting the lemon dish washing soap into my mouth as a little kid because I was sure the lemony flavor would be fantastic.

It wasn’t.

Kids ate dirt, and bugs and candy they found under the couch from the Halloween two years ago. Kids ate glue and paste and chalk. I even remember chewing on tar when I was a kid.

Tar!

Every generation thinks the younger generation that comes after it is not too bright. It is what we do as human beings – we judge the hell out of others and act superior.

I know some of you reading this right now are thinking back to the dumb things you ate, the stupid stunts you pulled and the ridiculous things you said and believed.

We all have those memories, or at least we should. We were young and made bad decisions. It certainly comes with the territory.

So, I won’t get too judgmental with young people eating Tide Pods. And I also once again am thankful that I didn’t have a Smartphone in 1979 that I could use to make a video of myself doing something stupid that could then be posted on social media for the world – including all my friends and family – to see.

When you think about it, the truth is that we are not smarter than the youth of today at all. The reality is, we were just born a little too early to prove it to the entire planet.