Do you think children of past generations had better manners than kids today when it comes to gestures like saying "please," "thank you" and showing respect for their elders?

Kids ? Or do they mean Children ? Children behaviors are determined by parental guild lines. The question is so worded incorrect and the English grammar of. Kindergartners. What is your opinion of todays parenting when come to the children attitude and manners toward their elders. This falls on the parents and it reflect the parents attitude don’t blame children. This item must off got handed to junior for it is worded totally incorrect.

Also the question is vague. Is the question with regards to children in Japan? Our home countries? Or the world at large?

So I am speaking specifically about the west. Japan is a bit more complicated. Most kids are still respectful, and things are changing, but like with everything in Japan, they tend to change slowly, so I don't see a huge change in how Japanese kids are raised and how they interact with people. In the west a completely different story. When I was a kid there were more consequences for bad behavior, parents drilled in their kids proper conduct, values of decency, respect, and social etiquette, but that's all now a thing of the past the parents of this generation have spoiled kids more, given them a sense of entitlement, allowed them to talk down or talk to their elders and treat them as equals with zero ramifications, these kids of today feel like that they are owed and they can do what they want, how they want and whenever they want as long as they can get personal gratification in any form, they can't see ahead or understand the consequences of their impulse actions until it's too late.

"Do you think children of past generations had better manners than kids today when it comes to gestures like saying "please," "thank you" and showing respect for their elders?"

Immediately, on reading the headline, my mental streaming function clicked into the song ♪Why can't they be like WE were, Perfect in every way, Wutsamatter with kids today?♫

Mostly any differences are due to what might be called the 'myopia of the present' which, for the most part, compares one's current perception with an often imaginary version of the past built of elements heard rather than directly experienced. For example, the 1960's in the U.S., as I understand it, was not a time of great respect by the young for what the previous generation believed in or their behavior. But it all really comes down to the individual and their innate respect for others and I believe that the ratio of 'rude' versus 'polite', having some roots in the intellectual gifts of the individual, hardly changes from generation to generation.

You heard the same comment generation after generation. That at least never changes.

About 2,500 years ago Socrates famously said -

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”

Not much new in the world.

No. My grandfather said the same thing and I’m sure his did before him.

It’s human nature to imagine the last was a golden age but it isn’t necessarily true.

but that's all now a thing of the past the parents of this generation have spoiled kids more, given them a sense of entitlement, allowed them to talk down or talk to their elders and treat them as equals with zero ramifications, these kids of today feel like that they are owed and they can do what they want, how they want and whenever they want as long as they can get personal gratification in any form, they can't see ahead or understand the consequences of their impulse actions until it's too late.

With their quiff hairdos, drinking that fizzy pop at the soda stand, sassing their ma and pa and don’t get me started on that awful rock n roll. In my day we listened to the wireless for fun, did our chores and if we were lucky for a glass of buttermilk and some hard candy after church.

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” - Socrates (470 B.C. - 399 B.C.)

In short: every generation thinks they had better manners and were more respectful than the subsequent ones.

and

Mostly any differences are due to what might be called the 'myopia of the present' which, for the most part, compares one's current perception with an often imaginary version of the past built of elements heard rather than directly experienced. For example, the 1960's in the U.S., as I understand it, was not a time of great respect by the young for what the previous generation believed in or their behavior. But it all really comes down to the individual and their innate respect for others and I believe that the ratio of 'rude' versus 'polite', having some roots in the intellectual gifts of the individual, hardly changes from generation to generation.

Fully agreed!

But you’ll always have people romanticizing the past, the ones who don’t have the critical thinking skills and who always think the bygone days were great. They often go on about the TV shows of the past represented values that were just as rare as they are now. And they rail about needing to make their respective country ‘great again’ based on this myopia.

When I was a kid there were more consequences for bad behavior, parents drilled in their kids proper conduct, values of decency, respect, and social etiquette, but that's all now a thing of the past the parents of this generation have spoiled kids more, given them a sense of entitlement, allowed them to talk down or talk to their elders and treat them as equals with zero ramifications,…etc. etc.

Aaaaand…I rest my case.

No

Yes, of course, and you can conclude that already from the language and words used. A few generations ago, you didn’t even talk to the parents first, but had to wait until they granted you speaking and listening attention and you had to bow to them and speak in the grammatical third person. Something like ‘Dear honorable father, does he has the generous mercy to spend me a few moments of his attentiveness?’ if you wanted to put a question or say something. Now watch today, already even some elementary school kids don’t even greet adults at all. But of course there are also good examples of respecting elders, showing good manners and friendly greeting young people.

Case by case.

Although I cannot say children in past generations had better manners on elders, I think they have more respect to elders or mind of taking care of them. Children in recent generations, on the other hand, have not been taught such ideas from their parents as a lesson in their lives. Also, interactions between elderlies and youths are getting less recently.

Not just kids, adults too.

Of course former generation children have better manners than children today! For many years I have been and still am a piano teacher of children aged between five and adolescent.

My pupils talk at supersonic speed, do not look me in the eye when they arrive without even saying one (1) syllable (hi), And, leave without looking me in the eye or even say goodbye or thank you.