Feels like this thread suffered a bit from thread hijack.
To me the post by alf5071h rings a few bells.
Being the father of teenagers, I do recognise the what I for lack of better words call "lack of respect" that seems to be innate in the young generation.
Not that they mean to be rude, but they appear to be raised on a steady diet of immediate gratification, democracy between the generations, talking back at teachers, police and authorities in general.
They have learned that their opinions, matter. Everybody's opinion seems to matter nowadays, even the untrained opinions.
I am not advocating a return to the stone age. But there are some areas of life where an untrained opinion, if followed, can kill. That is where there is a system of hierarchy, which should be but not always is, based on merit can play a mitigating role.
When I need to buy a car, my kids don't get to decide which one. Their needs will be taken into account and they can voice their opinion, but I make the final decision based on all the information I have and how I weigh it in the equasion.
To me, an eager beaver F/O would be an F/O who does not realise his limits with regards to experience, training, local knowledge or any other area that is important to the flight, yet feels his/her opinion is equal to that of the captain.
Now, my kids are not bad kids and they actually do respect people. It is just that society seems to impress upon them that their opinions are important (mostly for commercial reasons, I'm afraid) without demanding proof of knowledge on most subjects. So in their view opinions are interchangeable.
Why study for years if you can find the answer on the internet in seconds? What value is an education for the new generation?
I value life experience, as well as an education. But they lack the life experience to know its value, and one cannot blame them for it. For we have helped create a society that caters for the young and the quick, not the wise and the thoughtful. We want soundbites, not well considered explanations. We want instant opinions, not having to wait for someone to collect information and then make their mind up.
And then we are surprised that this attitude finds its way into our cockpits.
I realise that I probably sound like an old fart. I was once a young and eager F/O, having to deal with a wide range of characters in the command seat. I learned from each of them, if only that I would do it differently when my time came. But I never felt like going against their decisions, unless they were unsafe. I did always ask for an explanation later, for the purposes of learning.
And I am sure even that was too much for some of the ex-mil captains (other equally ex-mil captains had no problem with that, so it probably was a character thing as well) who were not used to a "subordinate" asking for the whys of their decisions.
When I became a captain I always tried to have a post flight debrief, as a mutual learning opportunity. I have not performed a flawless flight yet, so it went both ways.
Nowadays I have the pleasure of working in an environment where a post flight debrief is mandatory, and an open forum between professionals. Sometimes harsh words are spoken, but always with the aim to improve the total performance and with respect for the professionalism we bring to the game.
But in an age where kids surf the internet on their mobile phones in the classroom, some problems in the cockpit environment should be expected unless and until the value of knowledge and experience is understood.