<p>Very few people would consider themselves or their children “lazy.” Others who have to work with these folks might not be so charitable in their assessment. I agree with NewHope33 that people merely redefine laziness or refuse (like today’s teachers) to use the term because it still carries a moral judgment with it. After all, our grandparents would say that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” Back then, a lazy person was viewed as morally deficient.</p>
<p>What I hear a lot these days is parents excusing their children’s lack of work ethic by saying, “He just doesn’t have patience for homework he finds boring,” or “She won’t work hard in classes she doesn’t like.” Well duh, who’s lazy about relaxing, having fun, or participating in pleasurable activities? We don’t have to cajole our kids into doing what they enjoy, such as playing video games, talking on Facebook, or going to the amusement park. Nor do wives have to nag their husbands to watch the football game instead of fixing the sink. A lazy person doesn’t diligently perform the tasks–whether they be interesting or tedious–that are required of him by the authorities in his life, eg. his God/moral code, his teachers, bosses, parents, etc.</p>
<p>Smart, but lazy won’t fly at my magnet high school nor in any professional workplace setting I’ve been in. Anyone who says he/she is smart, but lazy would instantly lose credibility. </p>
<p>In those environments, being lazy and trying to excuse it in such terms is a manifestation the individual concerned isn’t smart by definition as doing so instantly destroys any cred he/she may have with his/her peers. Moreover, it’s very likely to lead to “advice” to consider other school/career paths or in the case of most of those mentioned workplaces I’ve been in…rapid termination.</p>
<p>Guilty as charged. My mother probably still has some of my old report cards - “highest honors, a pleasure to have in class, is not working up to his abilities.” My favorite was “Dean’s List, continued on Academic Probation.”</p>
<p>I nearly failed my senior year of HS for skipping so many classes. I took 6 years to finish engineering school. I couldn’t get recommendations because not a single professor knew who I was.</p>
<p>My first patent sold for eight million dollars, most of which went to other people.</p>
<p>“Very few people would consider themselves or their children “lazy.””</p>
<p>In the general population, that might be so. In the CC demographic, this hasn’t been my experience. Many parents who hire me view their child (almost always a son) as lazy, and they are tearing their hair out over it. I hear a lot of “He’s so smart, he just won’t apply himself!” and “He does just enough to get the B and then goes back to his games.” and “He’s a classic underachiever.” Many of these kids don’t dispute their parents’ version of the story.</p>