What's wrong with today's youth?

I dont mean in any way that the technology itself is the problem, I should have been clearer- I just meant that the abuse of our technology is the problem. And our generation tends to do that.
And yes, people ARE waiting. But for what? A new Woodstock? Well, thats not going to just start a hippy revolution anyway, its like people think we need some huge BANG or something to happen, in order to be a part of hte solution and start fixing things. Which is totally untrue. We make a difference and get things done by us each doing our own part.
So spread good vibes to people, turn people on, work with environmental groups, political groups, humanintarian groups.

And if we all did that, it would certainly make a lot of difference.

Yes, we need more civil disobedience, protesting, etc...but thats not hte only option.

One of hte things that ticks me off are the people who play out the whole hippy role for a couple years or whatever, and buy the clothes and smoke the ganja.......and then a year or so later, they have "grown up" and then try another look and go right to college and go into Business, blah blah blah....yuppies I guess then? Okay that was badly phrased. I just mean i dont like it when people have these hippy ideas about society and politics and the worlds problems, and then tehy dont do anything about it, and then just give in and move on. I think if all us hippies would just live our lives THE WAY WE WANT TO, then it would be better too. Theres many hippies who want to be adventurous, to travel, etc etc that whole spiel, you know it well....but then, out of fear, they just take the highway instead of the backstreet. They go straight to college and straight ot a 9-5 job...and then continue to bitch about hte state of things their whole life, or wahtever. But you gotta FUCK the man to do anything- the more you support the things you hate with money, the less your complaining does.

Ah I cant organize my thoughts right now, Excuse me.

 

Eh, you're making much more sense now to me than in the other post. And I fully agree with this one.

 

I must disagree with lumping LBJ & G.W. Bush together as equal evils.

Johnson achieved passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which effectively outlawed most forms of racial segregation and in 1965, the Voting Rights Act, that outlawed discrimination in voting, thus allowing millions of southern blacks to vote for the first time.

Johnson also had his The Great Society programs and War on Poverty programs, and is chiefly responsible for The Food Stamp Act of 1964, Medicare and Medicaid, Economic Opportunity Act.

Johnson nominated civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall to the position of Solicitor General and later as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, making him the first African American to serve in either capacity.

And he was key in starting Federal aid to education, including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 (first time large amounts of federal money went to public schools), and the Higher Education Act of 1965 (focused on funding for lower income students, including grants, work-study money, and government loans). He also set up the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.

And yeah, I know about the draft & Viet Nam. For me the "Summer of Love" ended with my draft notice & going into the Army November 1967, so he had major downside issues. But he did a lot of good too.

However, I can't think of one good thing, that thing living in the White House has done. Not one! To my way of thinking GWB is much, much worse than LBJ.

Peace,
poor_old_dad

 

Hip-hop.

 

people often put down the current generation as apathetic, and too tied into the current system to rebel. I disagree.

As a soon to be college grad, I have talked to many people, many people in my generation who say, they understand how messed up the world is, but its too overwhelming to do anything about it.

There was a NY Times article about a month ago about this current generations protest music compared to the protest music during vietnam. The article suggested that during vietnam you had bands and hippies and stuff and their was celebration along with protest, and rebellion and resistance. The current crop of antiwar bands are much more sullen, and have much more sorrow, and are filled with malaise, and so on. The article said that the current generation has feelings of resigantion about the war.

I think thats accurate, Just look at the movie that was said to define our generation, "Garden State". The main character may have been political, but he was also just down, and out and resigned to the state of things. He was lost.

Its silly to blame my generation for how they arent out setting fire bombs on campuses. Its so overwhelming, and so depressing. I dont really understand any of it.

 

^^ point well made, but....

...."Garden State" was supposed to define our generation?

 

when the news we hear is owned by a conglomerate and politicians have their hands in all those pockets, what is there to do?

what can you get on the news without 'their' permission. make us out like crazy hippy protesters.

we cant let these fuckers control us. protest, rebel, revolt. id like to see a draft implemented, it might wake up the north american populus to say WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!

another thing when bush is gone do u think problem is solved? you think any other party is going to be better? hardly. maybe if Nader gets in? LOL

 

today's youth don't stop wars

when we were young, we stopped the vietnam war but today's youth can't stop the iraq war

i think it was a good idea skip took away the young hippies forum cuz they weren't able to stop the war plus i think its a good incentive to stop the war in iraq, so you guys can get your young hippies forum back

 

hey people, I haven't read all the posts in this thread and I'm on the other side of the Atlantic from most of you - but my theory is that one of the biggest differences between then and now can be summed up in one word, the draft. (well, two words if you count "the".)

The one smart thing W has done is not bring it back. If he was to start rounding up middle-class college kids to go and die in the desert, you would see an explosion of resistance.

 

After the antiwar movement, we stopped. We didn't train kids anymore as if all the problems in the world were over. Then, it cycled down and the kids had to start over without adult guidance. We let Goth hate hippies because we didn't promote. Don't blame the kids ("The kids are alright -- Who). It was us who failed.

 

We helped end the war but it was the courage and determination of the Vietnamese people that was the major factor.

I think we should see a lot more "older" folks in the streets before we start blaming the youth.

 

I completely agree with you here. I am living in a town currently full of people who absolutely just don't give a shit, adults and children alike. I can sort of understand the adult perspective on the issue, as they support Bush, and I suppose I must respect it for what it is, even though inside, I hate the man with a passion. However, what about us? Why do we not care? I don't understand why people simply aren't getting it through their heads that we're the future of the country. Even so, we sit back and watch this killing as if it were child's play- which is what it is becoming with seventeen year olds joining the service. It's not, and it's very real. I had, just this summer, an anti-war peace march at my school. I was forced to present it to the board of education, the town board, and the village board, and boy, was I met with suspicion. I was questioned until they were all blue in the face, and at the end, they only said yes because I had so many people backing me, and we probably would have done it anyway had they said "no". We marched, and we were kicked out of several shops downtown after yielding to ask them if they would mind if we left some flyers with them. Each little thing makes a difference in my opinion. Some of us our trying. There are activists amongst us. I don't think it's fair for you to look at us and say, "what is wrong with them?" because honestly, I don't think you're seeing past the trouble which every generation has present, and getting to those of us who DO care, and who ARE trying to make a difference. With each new problem comes new speculation, and you all seem to be becoming more bitter towards us as the world becomes filled with more death and destruction. Truth is, it's not our fault. We're raised as what our parents see ideal, and for some of us, it takes a lot of courage to get out of a rut we've been stuck in since birth, and for others still, they never escape. Just keep in mind- yes, we are the future, but some of you really need to examine how you're viewing us, and how it really does affect us in a negative manner.

 

Well said young sister. It seems to me you're doing what needs to be done Every one of us "old" folks who were part of or influenced by the 60's should be in the streets bringing our knowledge, experience and support to those who are being called upon fight this f++king war.

Maybe some of us could use some brushing up and you could probably teach us a lot.

Keep up the work your doing and remember that a lot of us "old" folks are glad that you and other young people like you are part of the futere being built.

 

The truth of it is, you guys aren't finished yet. You said it well yourselves. You were said to have stopped Vietnam- so why aren't you all out here helping us stop this? It's getting to the point where nobody is going to try and stop it until there are more body bags coming home per family than there are people left in that family alive. Yeah, of course it's not something we can stop immediately, but it's obvious that we all need to be a little more outspoken about it. People don't realize that war is pointless. We're fighting terrorist organizations, and whatever the hell else there is, with exactly what their tactics are- killing and torture. Honestly, we're the biggest bunch of hypocrites I've ever seen in my life.

 

Youth is divided in all of them. There were the Hitler Youth, The Nixon Youth and now the Young Republican Youth. You're always going to have a certain segment who just doesn't get it.

 

i think a lot of young women and men are so unsure about their future and it's damn difficult to get decent jobs, so little energies are left for anything but attempting to survive. at least here. dont know in your country. anyway, we managed to get rid of berlusconi, that scumbag, and now WE are out of that iraqi shit, at last. the first part of the problem is solved. I'm proud of my humble contribution to this in the last campaign. i love to think i gave my little contribution to save lives. maybe im naive.
also modern warmongers are way smarter than before - they grasped the fact that its better to recruit volunteers than resort to draft. imagine the reaction of young people being drafted TODAY... no one has mentioned this in the present thread, right ?

 

Quite

 

I am standing up for todays youth.. im trying my hardest and pouring my soul into reviving a movement towards love and spirtuality, i need help from you old farts in teaching these kids what its about.. if you are interested please please contact me!

 

You have no idea how much I myself want a change in this world! I try! I really do. I go to protests when I can, and I see so many people, but yet it still isn't enough. I know that although I live in Canada, whatever the US does pretty much affects us too. I see so many people that care, but it just isn't enough, and it is very upsetting. You guys could do it so why can't we? Because not enough people care...they will regret it. Eventually. When they are sent overseas to fight for no reason other than to further the US in their quest to take over the world. (Which is pretty much what Bush is trying to do when you think of it really)

 

The Young people need leaders, and I think the protesters from the 60s would be fine leaders for the youth of America.