Politics: the next generation

"When kids actually start to understand how politics and media work and how it affects their lives and future; they'll be highly motivated to change things." and vote republican for lower taxes. couldn't put it better myself.

Hi Nick, My name is Conor Rogers. I'm quite disappointed by your assailing of young people getting involved. Democracy is about everyone getting involved and the acceptance of opinions. You said and I quote: What we need is a country in which politically involved youth are the norm, not rare exceptions. We have a bunch of these people already, thats why this article is written. All you have done is attack them.

.. but don't dissect your own analogies.

......to clarify my position.

>>>>>>>Hi Nick, My name is Conor Rogers. I'm quite disappointed by your assailing of young people getting involved.<<<<<<

No assailing going on. Just the opposite in fact. You've either misunderstood what I've written, or are intentionally misconstruing it.

>>>>>>>Democracy is about everyone getting involved and the acceptance of opinions.<<<<<<<

If by "acceptance" you mean the freedom to express; then you're 100% right!

>>>>>>>You said and I quote: What we need is a country in which politically involved youth are the norm, not rare exceptions.<<<<<<<

A factually correct assertion followed by a call for more involvement on the part of youth. And implicit praise for the young subjects of the article.

>>>>>>>We have a bunch of these people already, thats why this article is written. All you have done is attack them.<<<<<<<

A bunch?

The article is primarily an extended tribute to one extraordinarily involved young person, and a handful of "other exceptions to the rule".

Kudos to Matt Mowers et al; but we need millions more like him and you too Conors! I suspect you would agree with me on that.

Here's a few words from one fairly authoritative article on the subject....

http://measuringup.highereducation.org/2000/articles/ThomasEhrlich.cfm

>>>>>>>>>>>Given the compelling evidence presented in Voice and Equality and other studies that education enhances civic participation in general, and political participation in particular, we might expect that political participation would have steadily increased over the past decades, as Americans became increasingly better educated. On any scale, the expansion of higher education in the United States has been remarkable. Starting with the GI Bill at the end of World War II, increasing numbers of students have gone from high school straight to college, and expanding numbers have chosen college later in life. Today about 3,800 colleges and universities serve some 14.3 million students across the country.

In the face of this boom in higher education, it is all the more disturbing that civic participation is actually declining�not expanding�in America, and that political participation is falling off precipitously. The most recent addition to a lengthy series of studies to confirm this grim reality is also the most extensive, Bowling Alone, by Professor Robert Putnam of Harvard. Putnam chronicles a pattern of declining civic participation in America and concludes that this trend has accelerated since 1985. Using data from Roper surveys, he examines 12 civic activities, similar to those considered in Voice and Equality. Across the 12, participation declined by an average of 10% between 1973-74 and 1983-84, and by 24% between 1983-84 and 1993-94. Putnam also reports that the share of the American public totally uninvolved in any of the 12 civic activities rose by nearly one-third over those 20 years.

In absolute terms, Putnam found that the declines were greatest among the better educated. Among those who had attended college, participation in public meetings fell from 34% to 18%. Because the less educated were less involved to begin with, their participation dropped even lower, from 20% to 8% among those who had a high school education, and from 7% to 3% among those who had not attended high school. Thus despite the rapid rise in educational attainment, Americans have steadily become less and less likely to participate in civic affairs.

This is bad news. But the most disturbing trend of all is that each succeeding generation shows less interest and involvement in political activities. Political disaffection is especially pronounced among young adults. Younger Americans vote less often than their elders do, show lower levels of social trust and have less knowledge of politics.

  ... . "In the face of this boom in higher education, it is all the more disturbing that civic participation is actually declining�not expanding�in America." . ...

Disdain for politics does not mean lack of civic concern, however. A recent study by the Panetta Institute at California State University at Monterey Bay, for example, indicates that nearly three-quarters of college students (73%) have done volunteer work in the past two years, and most (62%) more than once. Those students understand that their communities face real needs and that they can help meet those needs. But they do not see politics as an effective means for change, according to studies by Professor Linda Sax of UCLA. They may well believe strongly in a cause such as improving the environment, but they are skeptical that politics and politicians can further that cause. Too often they fail to understand that if they want not only to assist at a community kitchen but also to help eliminate the need for that kitchen, then they must work to change public policy, and that politics�in one form or another�is the primary vehicle in American democracy for effecting public policy.

On college campuses, political discussion has declined sharply. Annual surveys indicate that the percentage of college freshmen who report frequently discussing politics dropped from a high of 30% in 1968 to 15% in 1995. Similar decreases are revealed in the percentage of those who believe it is important to keep up-to-date with political affairs or those who have worked on a political campaign. This mounting political apathy bodes ill for the future of American democracy.<<<<<<<<<<<<

From Frederick Douglass

If there is no struggle there is no progress......Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

well then let me just go get my pick ax and head to the coal mine!

I welcome the idea of young democrats, but for some reason you can't stand to see people make their own opinions.