There have been some recent studies and surveys that have shown that America’s kids are being more responsible than they’ve been at any time since the JFK years! Observe:
● The percentage of teens who have ever taken a drink has fallen from 93% in 1980 to 80% in 2000 to 71% today. More importantly, the percentage who drink periodically has fallen from 72% in 1980 to 50% in 2000 to 41% today. That’s a huge change.Politically speaking, there are some interesting changes to note as well... things that should make us happy if conservative mouthpieces weren’t so busy hating young people and instead saw the opportunity here. Right now, young people skew liberal in a big way. But their version of liberalism isn’t quite what liberals like Nancy Pelosi believe. Observe:
● The teen pregnancy rate today is less than half the rate it was in the 1990s.
● Teens are waiting longer to have sex.
● Teen smoking is at an all-time low at 17%, which is less than half the rate of the 1990s.
● Pot use is up slightly at 23%, but still lower than the 1970s or 1990s. And frankly, 23% isn’t that high... it means that 8 in 10 haven’t used pot.
● Violent crime rates today are less than half of what they were in the 1990s.
● Teen incarceration is at its lowest level since 1975.
● According to Pew, 83% of older liberals believe poverty is caused by “circumstances.” Only 47% of younger liberals believe that; 42% believe lack of effort causes poverty.What all of this means is that talk radio is again wrong about young people. They aren’t lazy, stupid, drug addicted socialists. To the contrary, as a generation they are much more responsible than the generations from which the talkers themselves spawned. Add in things like the millionaire numbers showing Millennials are doing better than Boomers (and being more generous to charity), and you see a very different picture take hold of “these kids today.”
● 56% of older liberals think Wall Street does more harm than good. Young liberals do not. 56% of young liberals think Wall Street does more good than harm.
● 80% of older liberals believe that the poor condition of American blacks is the result of discrimination. Only 19% of young liberals buy they. Instead, 68% believe that blacks are responsible for their own condition.
● The one area where young liberals match old liberals is in social issues. Fortunately, those are changing even with the Republican party as younger Republicans pretty much mirror the public, which is neutral (indifferent) with a liberal lean (permissive) on those issues.
Honestly, while our politics may be screwed up, the public at large seems to be headed in the right direction.
Thoughts?
24 comments:
I think a bunch of Talk Radio talking heads just went Scanners.
So, young people have more in common w/ Reagan than Liz Warren?
I've noticed similar things as well. I can't quite say where, when, or how but it just jives with things I've noticed about my generation.
Also, I seem to remember an article in maybe The Times (UK) talking about how younger people have more conservative leanings in certain areas than earlier generations but are more liberal on social issues.
Ok, let me see if I can get another verse of poetry out, this time in (attempted) common meter:
"Our younger voters are on pot,"
The talking heads did say.
"They soon will cause our nation’s rot
And fall from manly ways."
Say what you want Andrew, I'm not leaving my bunker! Its Hell on Earth out there! All teens are a mix of Miley Cyrus and the Manson Family. The media told me so.
Let's face it, older adults (the people who dominate the media) are not only the greatest generation but the last great generation this country will ever see.
If changes like this persist, meaning they filter up to the actual Democrat politicians, I may just change my stripes. Especially if the GOP can't get out of its "we hate everyone" funk. That said, I have little to no hope that any future Democrat would ever undo the legacy of harm inflicted by prior Dems, because legacy. And I encounter too many young people who have been sold on single-payer healthcare as panacea. Any numbers on that in the survey?
"The cause which is blocking all progress today is the subtle scepticism which whispers in a million ears that things are not good enough to be worth improving." —G.K. Chesterton (The Defendant, 1901)
"The pessimist is commonly spoken of as the man in revolt. He is not. Firstly, because it requires some cheerfulness to continue in revolt, and secondly, because pessimism appeals to the weaker side of everybody, and the pessimist, therefore, drives as roaring a trade as the publican. The person who is really in revolt is the optimist, who generally lives and dies in a desperate and suicidal effort to persuade all the other people how good they are." —G.K. Chesterton (ibid)
I am actually not surprised by any of this. Children will always do the opposite of their parents. With instant access to information through the internet, I think what is happening to is the "kids" are seeing both sides of the spectrum and how foolish, counterproductive and polarizing both sides have become. So the larger reasonable "middle ground" may be reasserting itself. Rather than being more conservative or liberal, they are becoming more libertarian.
More and more people are self identifying as "independent" rather than aligning themselves with either or any party. That is a good thing because it means they don't see either as more right or more wrong
I am not much of a believer in polls, but I do agree with Bev. Children try to be opposite to what the prior generation did. I suspect they may not have gotten much of a response from the kids from the badlands in North Philly.
That is not to say there are no problems, such as the hook-up culture on college campuses . But its important to recognize the good going on for the reasons I pointed to above w/ my G.K. Chesterton quotes. "The cause which is blocking all progress today is the subtle scepticism which whispers in a million ears that things are not good enough to be worth improving."
If you only focus on the bad, or worse, exaggerate the bad and make it seem more imposing than it is, then it can cause you to fight battles you do not need to or lose hope for improving the world and, even worse, start to hate it, thus robbing you of not only the capacity but even the desire to improve things.
Another Chesterton quote: "Things must be loved first and improved afterwards."
"The percentage of teens who have ever taken a drink has fallen from 93% in 1980 to 80% in 2000 to 71% today. More importantly, the percentage who drink periodically has fallen from 72% in 1980 to 50% in 2000 to 41% today. That’s a huge change."
There is something in those numbers that has always annoyed me. On Fox News or something I remembered them showing a poll that said "70% of teens drink alcohol" and they said it was proof of an "EPIDEMIC!"
I noticed it only said "drank alcohol" not "drank alcohol regularly". Which punches a hole in their claims.
41% drinking periodically is not great but its better than the 1990s and is good news. Doubt you will see it reported though.
Re: Bev's comment:
More and more people are self identifying as "independent" rather than aligning themselves with either or any party. That is a good thing because it means they don't see either as more right or more wrong
[Raises hand] Ding, ding, ding! :-)
Anyway, Andrew, I thought we young people were hopelessly immoral and liberal, the "porn generation" if you will. That must be correct - after all, that --- Ben Shapiro wrote a book about it. (Fill in your own four-letter word!)
All kidding aside, I think we'll be fine. In my meager experience when the subject comes up, my peers seem to be more conservative when it comes to money and work, but socially liberal when it comes to things like gay marriage. I know that's not news, just my observation.
Between this information and serving on the review board for a young man who was made an Eagle Scout last week, smiling a whole lot more for the future of the US of A!
Kit, I think Talk Radio will simply write me out of their existence... problem solved. :)
Anthony, I think there is always a sense where older people look down on the current generation. But our media (particularly talk radio) have taken this to an insane level. These people talk about the current generation as if they are retarded, drug-addicted monsters.
Andrew,
"I think there is always a sense where older people look down on the current generation. But our media (particularly talk radio) have taken this to an insane level. These people talk about the current generation as if they are retarded, drug-addicted monsters."
You are right, some of the stuff today makes the lyrics to Bye, Bye Birdie's "Kids" sound downright complementary.
You can't win people over if you are busy caricaturing them.
tryanmax, Not that I saw.
If the Democrats followed the lead of these young people, they would become very hard to beat, especially if the GOP remains in their hate everyone mode. Fortunately, I think the Democrats are just as ideological and would rather die than go "far right" as these kids. I think ultimately, the GOP will be more flexible.
Kit, Chesterton is an insightful man.
Bev, I think that's absolutely right. The current generation is definitely more libertarian. And interestingly, that resets America back to its historic path. Interesting, isn't it?
Jed, There is a lot more than polls backing these ideas up. There is significant economic data and voting patterns that reflect this.
"I think ultimately, the GOP will be more flexible."
Let us hope so. Otherwise we have some bad times to look forward too.
"Chesterton is an insightful man."
That he was.
Which like all wise men made it incredibly frustrating when he got something wrong.
Andrew,
On Millennials being more libertarian than boomers, its worth noting that one of Ron Paul's biggest demographics are millennials.
An example, a college-age libertarian girl singing "I'm in Love with Friedrich Hayek"
And there is this (produced by a Gen-Xer, but nonetheless): "Fear the Boom and Bust Cycle" a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem
Kit, True, there are always good and bad, and if you focus on just one then you are doomed to fail -- either you will do nothing because you convince yourself that everything is rotten, or you do nothing because you convince yourself that there are no problems to be fixed.
Scott, Yeah, that sounds like something Ben S. would have written.
Everything I see says that your generation really is on the right track -- libertarian, not libertine.
Eric, It sounds like a good week! :)
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