Red, White and Grey: A Letter to the Misguided Ear of A Complacent Generation

By Broadside Opinion Writer Robert Saland

Beginning with the emergence of our young nation into the global limelight, America’s youth has entered a coma of insolence from which only a beast can awaken.

Absent are any fathomable theories that give way to why or how our country’s “Generation X” ended up in this pit of regression. However, bold warning signs have been implied for years through the influential works of literary manifestos including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway and Hunter S. Thompson.

The elite minds of these gentlemen acquired the capacity to hurdle social norms in an effort to positively challenge an archaic school of thought that rendered this costly predicament. When a political or social squall appeared to linger over the American horizon, individualists such as the literary activists above made certain their voices would not be shadowed among the inconsistencies of the American youth culture. At this juncture, I would like to revive a level of concern that is necessary to address the ignorance of our country’s youth.

There is no imaginative excuse as to why the current generation of youngsters should bear no regard to the national and global events that involve our country—it’s hard to find one that does not. I know it goes against ethical code to startle anybody out of their La-Z-Boy, but I would be overjoyed to invite adolescent to the realization that these noteworthy events are not solely impacting our safeguard commonly referred to as the United States.

The world that is opportunistically at our glutinous fingertips (due to capitalism and democratic ideals), absorbs the ripple of most any social, economical or political affair and will subsequently determine our role under this domestically conformist umbrella.

In terms of historical significance, the events witnessed by the current youth generation such as September 11, the Iraq War and our present economic meltdown will be coupled with monumental happenings such as Pearl Harbor, The Depression, Kennedy’s assassination and Vietnam.

Unfortunately, the dense cloud of American consumerism and other media tactics pollute young people’s minds with the illusion that a standard of satisfaction is achieved by simply conforming to societal norms and submitting to the belief that the day by day occurrences in America qualify as “acceptable."

To illustrate the validity of this statement, let’s analyze the capacity of a global catastrophe as it relates to America’s class of youth in comparison with Iraq’s class of youth: According to a Reuters news source a positive and almost celebratory Iraqi news headline reads “Iraqi government figures showed 138 civilians were killed in January, lower than the 238 people killed in each of the months of December and October, previously the lowest monthly tolls.”

Pause for an instant and attempt (because it is impossible for any of us to measure how it really feels) to create a visionary reaction of America’s youth to a statement of such extremes. Upheaval, panic, contempt; those are a few words that dance around my mind—none of them seem to be synonymous with positive or celebratory.

This is merely one number in a massive database of statistics that would drive the average 17-year-old American to kiss the stars as a token of appreciation.

On the contrary, it is not my occupational duty to recite statistics in an effort to inflict a wave of guilt across the body of our youth. The non-existent concept of reality among the youth culture of America continues to suffocate any chance that youngsters might have of expanding their knowledge beyond a certain level of a video game.

For a collection of individuals that thrive on persistence and complaining to achieve what we desire, we have nothing to show for it but a poor attitude and a pair of pseudo trendy jeans.

Furthermore, the notion that a majority of the population continues to fulfill such a degrading label is not only downright humiliating but also the root of the problem.
An appropriate way to solidify such a truthful accusation rests in the concept of consumerism. We as a youth indulge in products of American consumerism at the expense of the labor of adolescents that would most likely make sacrifices to unethical lengths if it meant temporarily experiencing the luxuries we expect on a daily basis.

If you have read this assertion and simultaneously developed emotions synonymous with guilt, I ask you respectively to disregard every word you just read.

Guiltiness leads to promulgating short-term action which places us in a rut of complacency. I am not asking, but moreover proving that we as the voice of the future need to make a significant effort to institute a change.

It does not have to happen tomorrow, in a week or even a year. It is unrealistic to expect that. However, if this proclamation is failed to be recognized I can officially throw up the white flag, a tactic that should come naturally to many people in this country.