Thomas Friedman's take on the college generation in today's NYT is pretty accurate, actually. Accurate on the circumstances, not on our response. (Note seasonal Jack O' Lantern at left).
"But Generation Q may be too quiet, too online, for its own good, and for the country’s own good. When I think of the huge budget deficit, Social Security deficit and ecological deficit that our generation is leaving this generation, if they are not spitting mad, well, then they’re just not paying attention. And we’ll just keep piling it on them.
There is a good chance that members of Generation Q will spend their entire adult lives digging out from the deficits that we — the “Greediest Generation,” epitomized by George W. Bush — are leaving them. "
4 comments:
You know, that was a great article. Thanks for posting it as I rarely head to The Times unprompted.
I share many of the same concerns and have not only been astonished at the lack of physical action but at the ubiquitous apathy of many people our (mid 20's) age.
Actually, Bush tried to change Social Security but got nowhere with congress.
Whether or not you agreed with his approach to seek higher gains at the expense of increased risk in equity markets is a different matter but he did try to address the third rail in politics and the other politicians balked big time. More proof that AARP is more powerful than any corporation or other vilified group will ever be...
Exactly. Does he really think that the problem is just that we aren't doing it his way? Does he really think the reason we don't march as a first resort is b/c we are all on our Facebook? When the second most-defining event of my college years was watching people all over the world march to stop the Iraq war and seeing it fail nonetheless? I agree, he is misreading our response completely.
I don't think our generation is apathetic, but instead we're sort of paralyzed about the whole thing. We care, but we don't know what there is we can do about it. I think our generation has learned over the years and come to the view that protests and petitions accomplish very little.
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