20070601 Out of the mouths of today’s future leaders
Out of the mouths of today’s future leaders
© June 1st, 2007 by Kevin Dayhoff
See also: 20050713 Today’s Youth – They are Fantastic
Graduation season is upon us and this is when many of us get some emersion exposure in the values and contemporary protocols of our youngest generation who is about to assume future leadership positions.
Of course, each and every graduating generation is hyped as the “next great generation” and everyone’s family member is the brightest and all our friends are quick to call to our attention to the multitudinous accomplishments and awards of their son or daughter.
Nevertheless, I am profoundly impressed with the current generation donning caps and gowns and tepidly dipping their toes in the perilous waters of the future unknown.
In a number of experiences in the last month I have been in the company of many young folks of which we can all be proud. At every opportunity possible, I attempted to “interview” young folks about a wide range of topics.
Yes, it was unscientific and most of the “interviews” were undocumented and your impressions from your interactions with the current crop of future leaders may very well be different.
Of particular interest for me, although beyond the focus of this column - are the numbers of Iraq veterans with whom I have had the honor to socialize and also gather their take on the future of our great nation.
It will be interesting to see how this current generation shapes our world. I was thunderstruck by the negative view of many with whom I “interviewed,” of the mainstream media and the information dissemination systems older generations take for granted.
In our current era of hype and hyperbole in which the word “outrage” is the bandied about carelessly, it causes one to pause to value old age and the commensurate ability to recognize media silliness. For some of our younger generation, they have not needed the advantage of advancing years to recognize the silliness.
To be somewhat polite about it, my experience was that much of the younger generation does not take traditional media very seriously. All too often their independent investigation has caused them to understand that “(liberal) media bias” is real.
In today’s world it is far too easy to “fact check” a newspaper article that is slanted and misleading. Today’s internet allows one to easily read the “rest of the story.”
Curiously enough, many young folks commented that they are impressed that much of the mainstream media “seems hell-bound to throw itself off a cliff and has lost any credibility…” One young man, after a reflective pause, continued by saying that his generation “did not revel in the slow suicide of the media” but viewed “it as a tragedy.”
But what really caused many younger folks I “interviewed” to go from zero into some sort of a NJ Turnpike toll collector stare, was a discussion about politics. Many expressed that they understood that the “red” – “blue” politically partisan view of the world is not real.
Although, to be certain, some identified with one or the other political party but a majority spoke of being disillusioned with both parties – and the explanation will amaze you.
Several examples come to mind. On a positive note, most of the young folks were very concerned with the environment but disillusioned with the current politicalization of the environment.
But one example of disillusionment was brought up in a discussion of the “Kyoto Accord.” Remember, the “Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” was an amendment proposed December 11, 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, to the international treaty on climate change. The protocol proscribed mandatory emission limitations for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The mainstream media would have you believe that the Bush administration is the reason for not only the greenhouse affect on the environment and global warming, yet several young folks are confused as they have learned that it was the Clinton - Gore administration that rejected the Kyoto Protocol.
When it came to a discussion of the advocacy over global warming, several young folks called to my attention the excesses of the residence of Al Gore as compared to the progressive approaches of President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch.
Of course, this explanation is obviously meaningless to those who practice professional partisan outrage. However, this came from one young lady who identified herself as “liberal” on the environment but refused to identify herself as a Democrat, explained that although she firmly believes that “personkind” is negatively impacting the environment (and causing global warming;) she wishes Al Gore “would shut-up about it because he is way too arrogant, a hypocrite and too preachy.” And she “doesn’t believe anything Hillary says…”
She placed no faith in either party adequately addressing the need for “environmental reform.” She explained that both parties, but “especially the Democrats pull that toy rabbit around a track to give the righties some exercise by running in circles, chasing it.”
When my “interviews” delved into the war in Iraq, it was brought up that in (December 16) 1998, when then-President Bill Clinton ordered air strikes on Iraq, he expressed a belief that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq harbored a terrorist threat to global stability.
(Of course, this explanation is obviously meaningless to those who practice professional partisan outrage.) “Yet Democrats explain that when President Bush said that Iraq had WMDs, he lied. I wonder who is telling the lies and who is telling the truth.”
This, from a young woman who wants the war in Iraq to end “yesterday,” but is worried about how the Democrats “are going about it.” She has “friends who are over there and other friends who are going there” and she doesn’t want harm to come to them by the “Democrat approach.”
One gentleman, as did a number of Iraq veterans, remarked that they may never trust the mainstream media as they have witnessed the inconsistencies of what they saw is happening in Iraq with how it is being portrayed in the major media outlets… “Some of which seem to have a grudge dating back to the reign of Caesar.”
In an attempt to present as neutral, I shared that I have private reservations about the progress of the war in Iraq. To which he explained his position with a simple question: “would you rather have a home game or an away game?”
When I asked as to how I may appropriately express my reservations, he said “carefully.” And as he continued (erroneously) conclude that I did not support the war on terrorism, he “unceremoniously” explained to me that most of his colleagues in uniform do not believe that “you #!@&^*! liberals support the troops when you give aid and comfort to the enemy…”
As I pulled out my reporters pad to take some notes, he, like many said that they did not want to be a part of my columns… “The military’s job is to protect democracy, not practice it.” He then added “you folks certainly have been well trained to bark on cue…”
Realizing when in a hole – stop digging. I thanked him for his service and went about my business…
Many do not identify with the excesses and lack of values or sense of personal responsibility represented by Hollywood-types such as Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears.
Indeed, if much of the younger generation with whom I spoke is not simply “annoyed” with the current pre-occupation of older folks with these bad role models, they are certainly “amused” with the older generations pre-occupation...
It has been said that “Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.” It would appear that much of our older generation may not appear to be very wise in the eyes of the 18 to 25 year olds out there observing our public discourse and leadership – with disdain. One young man explained that he has come to realize that our “spin” is not his “reality.”
If maturity is qualified as an acceptance of responsibility and not as a function of age, it could be said that that our current crop of young future leaders may very well be far more mature than those of us in leadership positions today.
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Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.
www.kevindayhoff.net
E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr DOT org or kevindayhoff AT gmail DOT com
His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com and Winchester Report.
Labels: Art Writing Essays and articles, Children Parenting and Intergenerational studies
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