I have found that a lot of younger players are weary of engaging in conversation with us "OLDIES", Some (well 3) of my best buddies on chess.com are in their teens and they make my time here a joy.

However I have, in the past been subject to, shall we say negitive inuendo from youngters and some won't speak at all.

I can understand caution, I use it myself in some cases. But can I ask, how do you feel in general about playing people miles older than you?

Are you "to cool to talk"? Think "you're a weirdo"? or are you just "cautious"? 

Kids shouldn't talk to older people online. They may be taken advantage of. Perv.

Well I'm most definetely before anything else cautious. But I believe that there is allot of stuff that people my age can learn from the previous generations. Lets face it the last few generations are truly going downhill. There are many exceptions, but for the most part I think they need to be led by some of the honorable "oldies."

Our generation is going WAY downhill.  People don't seem to be aware that school will prepare them for life.  They only see it as an obstruction to their fun.  Their idea of fun is also warped.  Intelligent discussion is few and far between among teens these days.

 Think your a prime example of the problem, aren't  you about 26?

Stir clear youngsters

Sure there's plenty kids could learn from their older generations, but that's just the way things ahve always been. I detest the idea that the current generation of kids is any worse than mine or my parents' or pretty much any other.

Another big problem is that the schools that are preparing them for life are also going downhill with them. The public school system in America is in shambles. As it is it's just a giant waste of money. The schools spend to much time and money throwing facts at people and neglecting to show there students how to be honest respectable young people.

Example A:

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on
frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond
words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and
respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise
[disrespectful] and impatient of restraint" (Hesiod, 8th century BC).

KillaBeez, I don't know about that. A lot of your statements are true about some people (especially the one about intelligent discussion) but that's only part of the population; there are lots of exemplary individuals at my school. Also, you haven't gone to school with the previous generations. They may have had similar problems. I've often wondered about this myself but I think everything is probably fine.

Every adult generation thinks the next one will wreck the planet. Not one of them has done that yet. You reckon we're going downhill Chessbludger? The generation born in the 60's has inherited the planet. We're still here. Surely we're no worse tha what they were.

As for here on chess.com, I don't mind talking to those older than me on this site. Caution is required but one of the defining features of this site is the sense of community. I haven't met an unfriendly person on this site yet. 

Intelligent discussion is hard to find in general. Intelligent humor is ever more difficult to discover. I would like to be engaged by others and particpated now and again on various forum subjects - like now. With respect to chat in general, whether its younger folks chatting with those of us older than dirt, or whatever; the focus should be on content. I don't reveal personal information beyond what City I might be in. Keep it clean, and keep it simple and much joy and knowledge can be had.

Yes we are going downhill. It is, I believe, very obvious. People have always become less honorable and respectable as the years have progressed. While there is a sizeable exception the truth is undeniable. Here in the modern world politicians lie and churches rape and mistreet the people that they are charged with protecting and nurturing. Many years ago politicians were the most honarable people around, and they needed to be. They are the ones in charge of the runnings of the whole world; yet now they are almost all out to try and make a quick buck and force the people they are supposed to be representing into theyre mindset. While at one time the churches were the moral backbone of every nation in the world; now they are nothing more than objects of riticule. Crime is up throughout the whole world, and particularly shocking to me is the rise in violence in the schools. Children once obeyed theyre parents and were mostly good kids, but now many are horible. A perfect example of this would be today I went to the park with my cousins and while they were playing there were these two boys running around cussing at everyone in the park. Later the same two kids came over and threw sand into my cousins eyes and tried to start a fight with them for absolutely no reason. The world and the people in it are deteriorateing at an alarming rate and its easy to see.

Quite possibly every adult generation that thought the next would wreck the planet were a little mellowdramatic, but at the same time near to the truth. Generations are getting progressively worse and there is no doubt about it.

The generation now don't know when a game is over.  Proof positive!

This oldster (56) appreciates facing off against the young guns. Their "move aside pops we're coming through" comments are usually just trash talk and not intended to be rude or mean-spirited. I hear my sons speak to their friends this way and it's all in fun (usually, as long as liquor isn't involved!). Chess is a GAME like backyard hoops; a little chest-thumping is OK with me.

I find that chess chat with "oldies" very interesting. I have never had anyone be rude to me and hope I never do on this site. Of course not everyone will chat and that is just fine.

I'm 35 . . . neither old nor young. When I was young, there was no world wide web and the internet itself was in its infancy, so my story is slightly different that that of the youth today.  But, I must admit that when I was young I had little interest in what the previous generations could teach me. Fortunately, with age comes a degree of wisdom. I've learned the hard way the importance and relevance of experience, my own experiences - and that of others, especially of those who've come before me. There's absolutely nothing wrong, and a lot to gain, through vicarious experience. Unfortunately, I've missed some critical and unredeemable opportunities along the way, something I'll always regret.  The problem isn't that youth can't learn from age, but that youth, by nature as I know full well, is very self-absorbed and therefore somewhat unreceptive.  We should honor and learn from those before us because the living past sadly disappears with unexpected rapidity.

I respect my elders, and always enjoy conversation during games. In person, it's impossible for me to just sit in quiet and play. Chatting here is equally enjoyable during a contest.

very few have anything to say

I don't think any generation is more rude than the other but I do think kids are generally more rude than adults. I avoid talking to anyone because I don't think people want to talk, but if you say "hi", then I will reply with a "hello" (it generally stops there).

What a sad world you must live in.  You're part of the culture that is dividing youth from adults because you overestimate a problem which isn't nearly as bad as you suggest.  You can't just make the assumption that most adults will do such a thing to children for the benefit of soliving a few rare instances where it may actually happen.  This will do far more harm than good as millions of intelligent, responsible adults are kept from passing on their wisdom to children who can gain a lot from it.

The vast majority of youth are good, law abiding citizens who resent being daemonised by idiots for the sake of a small minority who regularly cause trouble.  If the same was done to a religious group or trade union then they would be up in arms about it so why do it to our youth who are unable to collectively stand up for themselves?

I'll tell you the main problem with those who do cause trouble; youth is being used as a scape goat again for the fact that the governments of the UK and USA don't have a clue what they are doing, and nor do their parents who think it's okay to just churn out a couple of babies and leave them to their own devices.  Just blaime it on the youth of today because we can't police our streets properly. Respect is earned and is a two-way thing, if the parents don't teach that to their children then how can they expect their children to know what it is?  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out why the problems persist.