I think the kids are absolutely right in their perceptions but that they lack perspective. They don't know, at least deeply enough, how we got here. That it's like a marriage with an addictive, abusive and mentally ill spouse acting out unpredictably. The kids and the responsible spouse indulge or try to work around the abuser and addict, a loose cannon and weak link. This is normal as a matter of short-term survival, and they can hope it passes, sometimes in denial in a hopeless situation because anything else seems impossible.
They are de facto hostages and would be able to fight back more effectively or just get out if they weren't trying to protect more vulnerable elements. The 'woke' faction illustrates this. Their perception of the problem is essentially right but they don't see how to act to promote their cause so they blow it in the implementation. Trying to get someone fired, for example, is serious business and, while it might seem just to them, it lacks an element of mercy. Republicans have been holding Democrats and the whole country hostage.
They're saboteurs and destructive of everything. This is incredibly hard to stop, much as I've been frustrated as hell with Democrats for decades and think they could have done better, especially nationally. Bob Shrum against Lee Atwater? A decent guy versus a sicko but guess who will win, almost every time. Republicans said, openly early on, that they intended to make it impossible for Democrats to govern as Democrats even when they won. They achieved this almost instantly because they simply didn't care about the consequences.
They didn't care how many lives got destroyed. It was about winning at any cost, legality and any sense of decency be damned. I lay all the blame on Republicans. They sold their souls via the Southern Strategy, as someone else mentioned in these comments, and have drug us all into the pit of hell. The kids see this clearly and are appropriately outraged and fearful but the they don't understand fully how it happened. Nor do they see how we might get out of it. In any case, God help us all now. The sociopaths are running the show.
This so so true ! We need to listen to the youth and not dismiss them - their lives are are ahead of us - I am 68 and work high school youth and they should be pissed and as a foreigner to this country I agree the dems are worthless , they are just status quo ! Just look at Biden who in my opinion ruined for us because of arrogance to stay in the system ! Young people keep on fighting !!
NOBODY gives up power willingly, they do it under duress if at all. In case of elections duress flows from laws. It sounds like your kids have adopted the GOP rationale for anything goes. Ever since Tricky Dick the GOP has believed if you aren't willing to lie, cheat,or kill if necessary to grab power, you just aren't serious. You will do your kids a valuable service if you convince them that law, ethics, and morals are important moderators of the 'passions of people engaged in politics.'
Your kids are right but our getting out of their way is foolish, they need to shove us out of their way, take the lead and see who follows. In other words, they must take the risk of being wrong. We learn from mistakes, not success, so if they are wrong, they must learn and try, try again. .
AOC understands all of the above and she is still in the fight. The Democrati gerentocracy will snuff out their party's last vestige of authority any day now, and their far too slow die-off will creati a vacuum that AOC and our kids can capitalize on.
Let us cheer them on, and see if they can't do a better job than we did.
I'm sure they'll manage without TikTok, / Ding Dong or whatever it's called. I've never been a big fan of social media. Maybe these kids should try reading a book or joining a talk group instead.
Great perspective!! it reminds me of the 60s… The whole don’t trust anybody over 30… Opposition of the youth to the Vietnam war, the thinking of the older generations.
Now that I am the older generation, looking back at my youth, I totally see their point of view And, I completely agree with today’s youth.
There are progressives fighting within the Dem Party to make changes you write about. We need UNAs and young people to join us and run as alternative candidates. Complaining and staying home on voting day isn't going to change the status quo. Don't expect "them" to transform electoral politics. WE have to do it!
This dispatch is cool and makes me yearn a bit that I am no longer in classrooms working among young adults coming of age and learning alongside them. And primary information from first-hand sources, a favored research method to elucidate secondary sources.
There's a great deal of truth in what the young folks are saying; however, it troubles me that they (if they are like your son) get their news in 30 second bits, which is not the medium for complexity. And issues are complex.
It's all right however people, young or not, get news and in what increments because we can complicate the discourse and delve into complexities together. We can lead others in learning how to critique strong sources alongside weak and unreliable ones. We have many older reasonable adults in our citizenry quite satisfied with a functional literacy. This used to piss me off. Still does (think trump voters). Sounds like the young adults Mills talked among are moving quite well into critical literacy realms.
Re the Media Environment. We have to engage to counter the right wing propaganda machine. We have shown we can, but it will be a long term effort. See my recent piece:
Great article! I tried to post to Facebook and they blocked it. Said it went against their community standards. Well, at least I've found the Grassroots Connector now, so that's a good thing!
I agree with the 'kids'! But what to do right now? We do need (more of) them to get involved. They need to funnel their anger into speaking out and into action. (We also need them to mitigate harm, which means voting against MAGA Republicans, even when the alternatives - Democrats - are wimpy.) We need them run for office. Organizations like Run for Something are helping elect new and young leaders, and there are lots of openings for young people to get involved - think about Anderson Clayton. It's hard for people who see such a great disconnect between what is needed and what is to get over their disenchantment with government and see that the only way forward is to help re-shape the government, and become a part of it.
Where is their weekly column? Give them one of yours. Who’s teaching them to organize? Remember students led civil rights and anti-war protests. We need them as leaders now.
I second this wholeheartedly. I think that motivating them to make their arguments here for those beyond their family is important. It would provide them with a medium to do more than be unhappy. At the same time, I think that they have a point, especially on the violence. Not only are Democrats weak for failing to combat it, "good" Republicans are too for normalizing it.
I agree with these kids, but I've been saying all these things for the past three decades.
Republicans use Nixon's "Southern Strategy", distracting voters with performative nonsense to appeal to racists, bigots, and extremist nutcases. The Democrats, for far too long, have used Bill Clinton's "Southern Strategy" - not pushing back on the performative nonsense, hoping that they won't offend racists, bigots, and extremist nutcases.
The way that NC's Democratic leaders just roll over and play dead if the Republicans shout "Tax Cut!" or "School Choice!" and run for cover in "safe" gerrymandered districts has been the problem for a long time now.
I think the kids are absolutely right in their perceptions but that they lack perspective. They don't know, at least deeply enough, how we got here. That it's like a marriage with an addictive, abusive and mentally ill spouse acting out unpredictably. The kids and the responsible spouse indulge or try to work around the abuser and addict, a loose cannon and weak link. This is normal as a matter of short-term survival, and they can hope it passes, sometimes in denial in a hopeless situation because anything else seems impossible.
They are de facto hostages and would be able to fight back more effectively or just get out if they weren't trying to protect more vulnerable elements. The 'woke' faction illustrates this. Their perception of the problem is essentially right but they don't see how to act to promote their cause so they blow it in the implementation. Trying to get someone fired, for example, is serious business and, while it might seem just to them, it lacks an element of mercy. Republicans have been holding Democrats and the whole country hostage.
They're saboteurs and destructive of everything. This is incredibly hard to stop, much as I've been frustrated as hell with Democrats for decades and think they could have done better, especially nationally. Bob Shrum against Lee Atwater? A decent guy versus a sicko but guess who will win, almost every time. Republicans said, openly early on, that they intended to make it impossible for Democrats to govern as Democrats even when they won. They achieved this almost instantly because they simply didn't care about the consequences.
They didn't care how many lives got destroyed. It was about winning at any cost, legality and any sense of decency be damned. I lay all the blame on Republicans. They sold their souls via the Southern Strategy, as someone else mentioned in these comments, and have drug us all into the pit of hell. The kids see this clearly and are appropriately outraged and fearful but the they don't understand fully how it happened. Nor do they see how we might get out of it. In any case, God help us all now. The sociopaths are running the show.
I tend to agree with your son and nephew and I’m your older brother. No generation gap in our family.
This so so true ! We need to listen to the youth and not dismiss them - their lives are are ahead of us - I am 68 and work high school youth and they should be pissed and as a foreigner to this country I agree the dems are worthless , they are just status quo ! Just look at Biden who in my opinion ruined for us because of arrogance to stay in the system ! Young people keep on fighting !!
NOBODY gives up power willingly, they do it under duress if at all. In case of elections duress flows from laws. It sounds like your kids have adopted the GOP rationale for anything goes. Ever since Tricky Dick the GOP has believed if you aren't willing to lie, cheat,or kill if necessary to grab power, you just aren't serious. You will do your kids a valuable service if you convince them that law, ethics, and morals are important moderators of the 'passions of people engaged in politics.'
Your kids are right but our getting out of their way is foolish, they need to shove us out of their way, take the lead and see who follows. In other words, they must take the risk of being wrong. We learn from mistakes, not success, so if they are wrong, they must learn and try, try again. .
AOC understands all of the above and she is still in the fight. The Democrati gerentocracy will snuff out their party's last vestige of authority any day now, and their far too slow die-off will creati a vacuum that AOC and our kids can capitalize on.
Let us cheer them on, and see if they can't do a better job than we did.
This is phenomenal. It is one perspective. And the NCDP plus a whole cornucopia of other groups
has never worked so as we did curing ballots and the continued lifting today.
I don't have a good answer for your nephew except I ask him what he believes he can do to help the resistance...
Joe, we certainly worked hard curing those ballots both here and in California.
Ruth, Yes indeed CA. Plus in Michigan. These 3 states were where I was most involved.
I'm sure they'll manage without TikTok, / Ding Dong or whatever it's called. I've never been a big fan of social media. Maybe these kids should try reading a book or joining a talk group instead.
Great perspective!! it reminds me of the 60s… The whole don’t trust anybody over 30… Opposition of the youth to the Vietnam war, the thinking of the older generations.
Now that I am the older generation, looking back at my youth, I totally see their point of view And, I completely agree with today’s youth.
It’s time for change!!
But what we did to the veterans of the Vietnam War was awful.
There are progressives fighting within the Dem Party to make changes you write about. We need UNAs and young people to join us and run as alternative candidates. Complaining and staying home on voting day isn't going to change the status quo. Don't expect "them" to transform electoral politics. WE have to do it!
This dispatch is cool and makes me yearn a bit that I am no longer in classrooms working among young adults coming of age and learning alongside them. And primary information from first-hand sources, a favored research method to elucidate secondary sources.
There's a great deal of truth in what the young folks are saying; however, it troubles me that they (if they are like your son) get their news in 30 second bits, which is not the medium for complexity. And issues are complex.
It's all right however people, young or not, get news and in what increments because we can complicate the discourse and delve into complexities together. We can lead others in learning how to critique strong sources alongside weak and unreliable ones. We have many older reasonable adults in our citizenry quite satisfied with a functional literacy. This used to piss me off. Still does (think trump voters). Sounds like the young adults Mills talked among are moving quite well into critical literacy realms.
Re the Media Environment. We have to engage to counter the right wing propaganda machine. We have shown we can, but it will be a long term effort. See my recent piece:
https://grassrootsconnector.substack.com/p/greedy-billionaires
Great article! I tried to post to Facebook and they blocked it. Said it went against their community standards. Well, at least I've found the Grassroots Connector now, so that's a good thing!
This 78 y/o thinks that the kids are right. The establishment Dems are obsolete. And it may be that more than votes will be required.
Thomas, what happened to high school civics and current events classes ??
I agree with the 'kids'! But what to do right now? We do need (more of) them to get involved. They need to funnel their anger into speaking out and into action. (We also need them to mitigate harm, which means voting against MAGA Republicans, even when the alternatives - Democrats - are wimpy.) We need them run for office. Organizations like Run for Something are helping elect new and young leaders, and there are lots of openings for young people to get involved - think about Anderson Clayton. It's hard for people who see such a great disconnect between what is needed and what is to get over their disenchantment with government and see that the only way forward is to help re-shape the government, and become a part of it.
Where is their weekly column? Give them one of yours. Who’s teaching them to organize? Remember students led civil rights and anti-war protests. We need them as leaders now.
I second this wholeheartedly. I think that motivating them to make their arguments here for those beyond their family is important. It would provide them with a medium to do more than be unhappy. At the same time, I think that they have a point, especially on the violence. Not only are Democrats weak for failing to combat it, "good" Republicans are too for normalizing it.
I agree with these kids, but I've been saying all these things for the past three decades.
Republicans use Nixon's "Southern Strategy", distracting voters with performative nonsense to appeal to racists, bigots, and extremist nutcases. The Democrats, for far too long, have used Bill Clinton's "Southern Strategy" - not pushing back on the performative nonsense, hoping that they won't offend racists, bigots, and extremist nutcases.
The way that NC's Democratic leaders just roll over and play dead if the Republicans shout "Tax Cut!" or "School Choice!" and run for cover in "safe" gerrymandered districts has been the problem for a long time now.