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Edited Date/Time
4/22/2012 8:40pm
Not trying to start a argument here or anything ( although I have a pretty strong feeling already where this thread will go....) but I have a question.
When do we stop referring to people as being "kids"? Reading the Ryan Mills Arrested thread, thinking back to Bogle and Barcia's tantrums, James' playing cops, etc. it seems like one of the first things people say is "remember, these are just kids......." or "they are just young still.........."
Well sorry, but when I was 16, I had to be accountable for what I did. I could get a job, I could drive, I could stay out late, etc. so I had to be held a bit more responsible.
How come in the moto industry we still defend 18 - 25 years olds actions and just say "they are just being kids"?
Doesn't seem right. They are adults. Period.
When do we stop referring to people as being "kids"? Reading the Ryan Mills Arrested thread, thinking back to Bogle and Barcia's tantrums, James' playing cops, etc. it seems like one of the first things people say is "remember, these are just kids......." or "they are just young still.........."
Well sorry, but when I was 16, I had to be accountable for what I did. I could get a job, I could drive, I could stay out late, etc. so I had to be held a bit more responsible.
How come in the moto industry we still defend 18 - 25 years olds actions and just say "they are just being kids"?
Doesn't seem right. They are adults. Period.
I'm 44 now....have friends in their mid 30's I still call kids.
Fwiw....a lot of my friends say I still "Act like a kid". Act like a man when things are serious , and have fun like a kid.....isn't that what it's all about?
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Let me start by saying a don't dislike barcia, I love watching him ride and I love watching aggressive riding. I also don't care to argue about the incident as there has already been plenty of that going on and it's obvious that he was in the wrong with his actions. I simply want to say that I do not care for making the excuse for barcia (or any of these young riders) that they are "just kids." Yes, I understand that everyone does things they regret and learn/grow from when they are young, but if you are going to step up to the plate and make "big boy money" at your job, which is what racing is for these guys, then you need to be ready to accept the responsibility of acting like a "big boy." They (well at least the top riders) are compensated rather nicely for their profession and should accept the responsibilities that go along with that lifestyle. Remember, no one is making them race, they could always go work a "normal" 9-5 job. But enough of the lecture bullshit, haha. I'm ready to see all the guys mix it up and ride aggressive, fast, and make for some tight racing. And no I don't hate barcia, or any other rider for that matter, I respect the ability that each of these guys have, from the guy who doesn't even make it out of qualifying to the guys who wrap up their titles with 4 races to go, they are all way faster than most of us (at least I know myself) could ever dream of being.
im really not surprised by any of their actions
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For instance we all know that at certain age (depending on where you live) you can join the army and then potentially be sent into conflict. In America I think it's either 17 or 18, and 18 in the UK. Technically at that point an 18 year old lad who's just about to go on his first tour into Afghanistan is no different from another soldier who's in exactly the same boat at say, 27 - they're both at a legal age.
But the reality of how people treat each other is different to what a law says. People are going to make fractionally more allowances for the younger guy than they are an older man, despite the fact that neither has an advantage in experience. His fellow soldiers are more likely to forgive certain things because that's just human nature.
We all instinctively know that a person doesn't just suddenly hit a magic age and then overnight automatically act a certain way. Rather it's a progression over time where you have to make the mistakes, move on, learn, relapse etc and then gradually certain personality traits change. That's why we refer to JB as a kid when really he isn't... but in a way he still is.
Though I agree that once someone hits the latter stages of their 20s it becomes a bit too much.
I guess you'd just have to spend a lot of personal time around pro athletes and entertainers to understand just how arrested their development is.
You cant hold them to the same standards as you or I because they simply dont live in the same reality as you and I. And until youve seen it first hand, you really wont know what Im talking about because Im maybe not the best at describing this over a forum.
18-25 years old as a pro athlete just isnt the same as 18-25 years old as a regular person. Im sorry. It's not an age thing. They experience a totally different world than what you were experiencing at 16. You were forced to grow up faster. They werent.
Some of my closest friends didnt start to grow up even after having kids of their own. But at about the 38-42 mark they could no longer ignore the fact that their youth was gone. It takes about 4-5 years after retirement before it really sinks in that ITS OVER.
They never really grow up but at a certain point, they begin to take responsibilities that you and I take for granted. At 25, most have the mindset of a 16 year old. And once into their early 30s, you can really start calling them an adult mentally IMO.
Its a fantasy world the modern day celebrity/athlete gets to live in. I dont know any better way to say it than that. It shapes them in a way that is completely different than you or I because they are treated differently in almost every aspect of their lives differently.
I guess the best example I could give you is to look at the way a REEEEALLY hot chic goes through life. She is treated differently than other women. Shapes her version of reality in a completely warped fashion. Think about that analogy for a second and maybe it will start to make sense. Im not saying its the way it should or shouldnt be, and I think thats what has got you hung up on this whole concept. It's not a matter of the what is right or wrong, if you want an explanation as to why people's development is stunted, its right there to see. You might not like it, but it doesnt change the facts as to why it is the way it is.
I hope that all answers your question.
I think if an 18 year old on his first tour is making mistakes he will likely be given just as much forgiveness as a 27 year old on his first tour as well. if that same 27 year old is on his second or third tour making the same costly mistakes as an 18 year old he will not and should not be given the same forgiveness because he has had experience.
In an mx/sx related version-bogle is in his first year of sx and first full year pro. barcia is on his 4th now and he was already a champion last year. he should come under twice as much fire because he is a seasoned pro and a regional champion and he acted like a child which he is most definitely not.
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