Hated group projects! We were all equals. No one wanted to do it. No one wanted to be the one to tell others what to do. I've spent hours just looking at people just looking at me.

dear god that sounds like a nightmare. i'll always remember my first college group project from hell. this dude would do nothing but play world of warcraft or some shit LMAOOOOOOOO

I'm from 2002 and I already saw this happen with my peers at school and later college :(

VERY well said! As a college student myself, the dreaded group project brings me nothing but misery. Thankfully I haven't had to do any since switching majors, but...you're very right about students just being so disengaged that even if they are or not slackers, they have no idea what's going on. These students aren't held accountable & while yes it is the systems fault for failing these students, these students-

--learn some sense of initiative. I came from a terrible high school that, if I didn't have my own initiative, I would've flunked out of college. It's not easy, it's not supposed to be, & college is supposed to be that hard process of making your own effort to learn, keep up, & work. If I didn't get over the fact I hadn't ever studied before, I would've failed. My terrible foundation on education be damned. I guess--

--what I'm trying to say is that these systems are flawed & they're not going to save you when you inevitably flunk out or suffer. You can be angry at them, but to an extent you need to be critical of yourself for not putting forth the effort. Not to discredit those that HAVE tried & did fail--but we're talking about the true slackers they are used to getting pushed through & having their lack of initiative--

--accomodated. It could just be my university (which is DEFINITELY NOT perfect) but they will absolutely fail students & especially as I'm getting in my degree centered class...they're meant to weed out those students. Which I hate that they have possibly wasted money, but...you have to try, you have to go to tutoring, you have to do stuff outside of class. No one is going to pick you up when you fall.

excellent point and i wholeheartedly agree!! i think to some extent the unwillingness to learn definitely is a reflection of one's character, but while writing this piece i was worried about placing too much blame on individual responsibility. i don't think these systems are broken, per se—the purpose of a system is what it does, and the purpose of this system from its inception has always been linked with both

maintaining dominant structures and creating obedient workers. when we combine that with the fact that a lot of young people don't feel they have a whole lot to look forward to in the first place, i'm not surprised when they don't try. i'm angry with them when it affects me or those around them, because being resourceful and considerate of other people is something you kind of HAVE to learn... but when no one is

teaching them, i don't know where the individual ends and the collective begins. excellent insight!! thank you so much nogginzmart for your very robust comment. it's made me think, which i always enjoy!!