The Demonstrations!

In the last couple of years I have asked any young people who come my way if they are interested in the politics of this nation. I was pretty much disheartened that so many of them seemed passive and uninterested. What they are interested in is celebrities and their own studies. They have told me that, yes, there are few people on their campuses and at work who join groups and advocate for various discreet causes. In individual ways many of them strive to make a difference. They volunteer in difficult places with difficult populations. They work hard in wonderful non-profits as unpaid interns.

I wonder whether these talented and thoughtful young people feel powerless, or feel they have no voice, or even whether this generation of almost-my-grandchildren has been too entitled for too long and believe that somehow everything will come out just fine. What would it take to make them stand up on their hind legs in their own country to make a difference here?

Maybe, just maybe, something has finally happened. Perhaps the tipping point came when so many realized that they had such huge loan burdens and no prospects of making enough to pay them off - or even getting a decent job. And Mom and Dad have lost their jobs.  They look up and see that a few make millions, neither fair nor ethical. It's the economy, of course. There was the model of the Arab Spring. Heady stuff to be in the middle of a huge demonstration with even something worth fighting for. The American Dream.

These demonstrations sweep the country. Many of the demonstrators are not young, not scruffy, just desperate, all colors, all ages.  It's hard to discern exactly what the demands are, and so far no real leaders have emerged as they did in the seventies. Early times. As far as I know there are not huge corporate funds supporting this, as they did the tea party.

I wish them well, I salute their strength, I respect them and I pay close attention. I agree with them and share their dissatisfaction.

We so badly need to have all parts of our population pay attention. These demonstrators fill a political void. After all, it matters what happens! We can't be just a nation of elderly folks wanting to preserve their social security and medicare (though that's important.)  And we can't be stuck endlessly dithering about outworn social issues such as gay marriage and abstinence and flag desecration. We need to pay careful attention to the new cohort of young people who have a huge new agenda and have long since leaped ahead of their parents' generation.