Perspectives

Generation Why

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We find
ourselves going into this fall’s general election as have with many in the
past. We’ve been told to respect the youth vote at our peril. We’ve been told
the youth’s opinion matters. We’ve been told they’ll turn the election if their
concerns aren’t addressed. And they’ve seldom turned out on Election Day in
numbers that mattered; in fact their turnout has been downright embarrassing.

This time
we’re told all will be different. Should we be concerned? Are they going to
cast informed votes, and if their candidate wins and our nation suffers, should we hold them solely responsible?

They DO
assume they know everything. As an experienced father, I can remember the many
times explaining something to my kids, while they consistently respond, “I
know….” Yet when asked why they did something wrong, their response is almost
always, “I dunno….”

Watching
today’s youth representations on venues like MTV, we see a generation that
truly believes it’s all about them, and I’m not
alone in my observation.

Dr. Jean Twenge,
professor of psychology at the University of San Diego, goes on to conclude
that Ys are narcissistic: focused only on themselves
and incapable of acknowledging or appreciating others’ points of view or
circumstances.

That
sounds eerily familiar when discussing politics with a Y who is good at
reciting talking points, and shuts down in a huff when presented with
historical perspective they were unaware of.

Twenge’s conclusions are based on her
analysis of the data from a standardized narcissistic personality inventory, in
which respondents score themselves against statements such as “I think I am a
special person.” Analyzing data from published reports, Twenge
concluded that the average college student is 30 percent more narcissistic in
2006 than was the average student in 1982.

Where did
that narcissism come from? Maybe from the years of self-esteem pummeling they
received in schools without having to justify it? Maybe from the years of
soccer with no score, or the removal of tag and Dodgeball
because there would be (heaven forbid) a loser.
Maybe from all those graduation ceremonies where the class song was “The
Greatest Love of All” where the first lines are “I believe the children are our
future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.”

If you
hear that often enough, it wouldn’t take you long to become real full of
yourself.

This
generation believes they know more about this election than most of us because
of how the issues have been presented, thus impact them on the Internet. All
candidates believe they need a real web presence in order to be viable; to
reach the youth, and the youth agrees.

Thank God
most of us parents bought computers, had the Internet stalled and paid for
monthly, or this most informed generation would be screwed. In fact, these young people who believe this
next election centers around their issues, are for the most part, the least
responsible. While many of us couldn’t
wait to graduate school and leave the nest, Generation Y has every expectation
that they can stay at home (for free) until they’re good and ready to go it
alone.

Yet, they
know which candidate will make our nation fiscally and energy independent, as
well as safe from terrorists whose children are the total opposite and would
blow themselves up in a heartbeat for what they believe is a greater good. This is not a good scenario, given Generation
Y’s know-it-all tendencies, and seeing how it’s not what you know, but who gave
you the information in the first place.

As of
2002, according to a study by the American
Enterprise Institute,

A new study of the party
affiliations of college professors proves a massive gulf between Right and
Left. Liberal professors often outnumber conservatives by ten to one and
sometimes by more than twenty to one on campus.

“Today’s colleges and universities
are not, to use the current buzzword, ‘diverse’ places. Quite the opposite:
They are virtual one-party states, ideological monopolies, badly unbalanced
ecosystems. They are utterly flightless birds with only one wing to flap. They
do not, when it comes to political and cultural ideas, look like America,” concludes the study.”

If today’s
students are receiving a plateful of liberal mush, and have little relevant
life experience with regard to the everyday issues adults (who support them)
have to deal with, are they ready for the responsibility of swinging the
election their way? If good things happen later, are they mature enough to take
advantage of those good times? And if bad things happen, are they going to be
mature enough to accept the responsibility for their bad decision?

Is it too
much of a generalization to say the Generation Y has no conscience?

Between the
YouTube generation’s tendency to proudly post their
criminal activities online for all to see, while being too seemingly stupid to
realize their posts are “evidence,” should we be celebrating the fact that
during these challenging times, we are putting our country’s future in their
hands? Don’t get me wrong; not all young people are narcissistic punks, but way
too many are and the knowledge that they may determine the future direction of
this nation is a bit unsettling.

So, it’s a
given. Election 2008 is all about them.
If all goes well, pat yourselves on the back (as we know you will). But if all goes wrong, fingers will be
pointed at probably one of the most ignorant, yet full-of-themselves generations
to come along in some time.

Generation
Y: you’d better do your homework. If you
fail this test, you won’t be passed anyway as to not hurt your feelings. You
will be graded harshly and I doubt anyone will take you seriously again.

This column by radio broadcaster Bob Parks originally appeared on Outside the Wire. You can read the original here.

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Generation Why

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The nation’s political landscape may change drastically in the coming years if today’s college students have their way. Conservative and liberal labels no longer fit entering college students, according to a recent study by the Higher Education Research Institute.

“We have a generation that we haven’t known and that our political parties are treating in a highly simplistic way,” said Claire Gaudiani, a professor at New York University.

The study surveyed 112,000 freshmen at 236 institutions on their spiritual lives. The results showed a correspondence between religious involvement and political stances. Students who considered themselves highly engaged in religious activity were three times more likely to identify as conservatives than liberals. Students who viewed religion with skepticism were three times more likely to consider themselves liberals rather than conservatives.

These religious and skeptical students are not necessarily new additions to the Republican and Democratic parties. Many religious students, who are likely to consider themselves conservatives, hold positions that are to the left of skeptical students, who are most likely liberal.

Religious students are generally socially conservative. Twenty-three percent support legal abortion, as opposed to 77% of skeptical students. Twenty-eight percent of religious students support same-sex marriage while 76% of skeptical students do. Half of religious students think that homosexual relationships should be illegal.

Religious students exhibit paternalism in speech issues and other individual rights and often stray from positions that are today considered conservative.

A majority of religious students believe that colleges and universities have the right to ban controversial speakers. Most skeptical students believe that colleges do not have that right. Sixty-four percent of religious students believe that colleges and universities should ban racist or sexist speech, as opposed to 53% of skeptical students.

More skeptical students than religious students want to end affirmative action. Fifty-one percent of religious students want to abolish affirmative action while 55% of skeptical students do.

While there is only correlation between students’ stances on issues and their political identification, two positions of religious students may worry older conservatives. Half of religious students want the wealthy to pay more taxes, and three-quarters of religious students want stricter federal gun control. Nearly equal percentages of religious students and skeptical students agree on guns.

Most students support the death penalty, but religious students are more likely to oppose it than skeptical students.

The report of the survey’s results—“The Spiritual Life of College Students” —was released April 13 at the National Press Club.

The report found that most students are actively engaged or interested in religion and spirituality. Seventy-nine percent believe in God, and 69% pray.

“Students are in a serious search for deeper meaning in their lives,” said Helen Astin, the associate director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA.

“[This generation] is actively dealing with existential questions,” said Alexander Astin [pictured], the director of HERI.

Larry Scholer is a staff writer at Accuracy in Academia.

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