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written on July 12, 2003
Today I had an inconvenient run-in with reality. I try and I try and I try to avoid that pesky little thing, but it always comes back to bite me in the ass. Today my collision turned up in the form of one very angry sixteen year old girl.
I was reading random diary entries (this is what I do sometimes when I'm bored), and I came across an entry about the future of America. The writer, the previously mentioned sixteen year old, was of the belief that the country is doomed because today's teenagers are, in a word, teenagers. You've probably noticed this, too. Teenagers often are shallow, caught up in their outward appearance, care too much what other people think of them, and some don't show much interest in politics, the economy, or the state of the world. These are all completely normal reactions to the teenage years. The writer, however, concluded, based upon her observations of teenagers, I assume including herself, that America is doomed. Batten down the hatches, mates! These kids grow up, and this place is gonna burn! (Although I suppose battening down said hatches, which by the way I've always wanted to say, wouldn't do much good in a fire. But anyway.)
It surprised me that, being a teenager herself, this girl would feel that way about her peers. I, for one, know plenty of teens who act exactly the way this girl described. But I also recognize one other little thing that this girl has chosen to ignore: people are not teenagers forever. People grow up. More importantly, people change (to an extent).
In my response to her, I cited a tale my 11th grade World Cultures teacher once shared with my class. He said that he would have loved to have been a spectator to life before the U.S. entered World War II. One day, some eighteen year old is being screamed at, told he's useless, will never amount to anything, is nothing but a stupid teenager with no grasp on reality. Next day, the same kid is drafted, sent off to war, and is forever honored as a hero. Useless? Stupid? Not so much.
I also explained that the point of the story is simple. Every generation always believes that the next generation is completely unprepared for life. Every generation always has its anxieties about leaving the world in the hands of a bunch of kids. But all throughout history, we see that again and again, the coming generations keep on going. The world keeps spinning, no matter who's at the wheel.
Even the reason for a generation's anxiety is simple. Each new generation will inevitably change the world. They will change what the previous generation worked all of their lives to create. What really fuels each generation's criticism of the next is a deeply embedded fear of change. There's nothing wrong with that, per se. Human nature dictates a general anxiety in the face of change. No one really wants things to change, because that means adaptations are necessary, and let's face it, humans are some pretty lazy individuals.
In a nutshell, everyone fears change. But change has historically always worked out fine. No, the world isn't perfect. But it's never going to be, and berating an entire group of people based on a few exterior flaws isn't going to make perfection possible. In fact, basing an opinion on one other opinion (the other opinion being that all teens are shallow and superficial) is the epitome of shallow behavior.
Based on the girl's reaction to me, I'm not surprised at her shallow opinions. When she saw that I disagreed with her, the girl proceeded to dedicate an entire diary entry to calling me quite a few names, of which "whore" is the only one I feel comfortable printing here. Keep in mind that this girl and others like her are an intricate part of the future of America.
On second thought, maybe the world is doomed. |
