Are We Raising A Generation of Idiots?

The title should explain where I'm going with this..
What happened to a time when kids were told to "suck it up"? 
Where did we loose the ability to tell children to " get over it"?
I remember being told that my parents didn't want to hear me cry if I wasn't bleeding. I was raised to believe that a cold wet paper towel would heal anything. We played outside alone with other kids and we were not allowed to be "tattle-tales". We were told to "deal with it" ourselves if we got into an argument with a peer and that if you can't get along then you obviously don't need to be playing. If a friend was over at your house (or vice versa) and you started fighting then that friend would go home.
Why have we started allowing our children to become wimps? Why are we interfering with the "growing process" to the point that our children won't stand up for themselves. I don't encourage my son to hit or fight in general. BUT, if some kid hits my son and he stand up for himself I won't be mad at him. I refuse to tell C that he needs to come tell me or his teacher about every little thing under the sun that happens. I cannot hold his hand forever and at some point he needs to learn to take up for himself. One day, God willing, he will be a full fledge adult. When he is an adult I will not be able to follow him to work to make sure that no one "picks" on him.
We are raising kids who don't know simple life skills. It's come to a point where parents are expecting the school systems to raise their kids and teach them "what they need to know". It makes no sense to me that some kids (teens) don't know how to do laundry, cook, keep their room clean, or keep up with daily hygiene without being reminded. 
Your kid fails a test in school. Instead of grounding them and making them study the information so they may know it later on, parents blame the teachers. Your kid doesn't make the soccer team. Instead of telling them that they need to try harder next year or trying to get them lessons if thats what they want to do, we blame the coach. To the point that EVERY kid makes the team. Regardless of skill or abilities. Then, in High School, when they suck at said sport they don't have the knowledge to know they just aren't good at that particular activity. "Oh, you want a new toy Tommy?" Okay, Mommy/Daddy goes out and buys it for them. Why not encourage a reward system to earn that toy? Don't want them to grow up too fast!? God forbid they learn a lesson on life in the real world. Do a good job and get rewarded (its called working).  
When did it become okay or normal for a CHILD to have a cell phone? I have no intentions of ever buying C a cell phone till he can pay for it himself. Even if its mowing the lawn every week, raking leaves, shoveling snow, cleaning the house up, dishes, mulching, and so on and so forth. Those simple at home "chores" will teach children responsibility and some type of work ethic. Why are parents so intent on making sure that their kids don't need to work during school? I have already set up people that can "work" C when he gets older. I refuse to allow C to be a unproductive member of society. 
C is only 4 years old. It is his responsibility to pick up his room. It is his responsibility to keep his toys up in his room. He knows that I will follow through on my "threat" that if he so chooses to not pick them up that they will be thrown away. He is responsible for bringing down his dirty clothes from his room. When we clean our house, he does it with us. He knows how to dust, load the dishwasher, and vacuum. 
We as parents (D and myself) will not buy him new toys for birthdays or for Christmas if he cannot take care of the ones he has. We go through his toys with him and he makes the choices of what toys he wants to get rid of. He donates said toys to others and in return (with the right attitude) is given the opportunity to get a new toy/game/movie. 
Kids don't know how to do simple things because our nation has allowed for technology to replace actual work. How is it that I walked up to a family member (12yrs old) who couldn't figure out how to get ice out of an ice tray? Is it that hard? How is it that a teenager doesn't know how to use a can opener?(NBC) And not the one with the motor, the one you have to crank by hand. Is it that difficult? I don't know. Maybe things are changing and I (at 23 yrs old) am not willing to accept the changes?

I make the promise to my child and any future children that I will not allow them to be ignorant incapable drains on society and their future families for not knowing basic life skills. Would you be willing to promise the same to yours?