Yeah, my son just graduated with his Mech E degree from UCF and we had the same experience with him and his friends. Considering all the fucked up shit their generation has to grow up with, they turned out exceptionally empathetic, accepting, intelligent, and morally grounded. Obviously there are always exceptions, but all of them that we know are truly amazing.
My son is staying at UCF to get his Masters in Robotics, but he and all the other college aged young people are getting massively screwed on student loans thanks to these assholes. So many colleges across the country had to slash doctorate and masters opportunities cause this admin just straight eliminated their funding in most areas.
As fucked as it all is, the burning rage that this endless onslaught is fueling in me is the very motivation driving me to fight back against it however I can. We've still got time to turn this shit around, but it's quickly running out ..
This is really good to know. I had my daughter when I was really young, and instead of trying to figure life out at my age back then, I was married with a family. Needless to say, I didn't know a lot about parenting. I didn't mess up too badly. It took decades to happen, but both my kids have thanked me for the things I did for them. That's when my mind really settled. I didn't f*** them up to the point of no return.🙄
This is an accurate reflection of what my son feels and has experienced (he’s 22). We have failed him and them but I also think he and they will save us all, and burn this sh*t down, figuratively, of course.
I'm going to offer a little pushback here. Apparently, the vibe with this generation is that politics as a whole let them down, so they're going to just chill until all the bad stuff goes away. If I got that approximately right, I find that attitude rather chilling. Disengagement among left-leaning voters is what Trump and MAGA have been trying to instill from day one. And they've been working at it on all fronts, whether it's "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE" messaging or wholesale uglification of political discourse, Everything they're doing is meant to energize MAGA voters and wear down everybody else. Maybe Gen Z thinks that opting out of political engagement is somehow elevating themselves above a dysfunctional system. But the system isn't going to get better on its own. Our system of government was designed to be responsive to stakeholders, and it assumes that if you have something at stake, you will assert yourself in preserving it. That's why our legal and political systems are adversarial. That's why the first thing you have to prove if you want to take someone to court is that you have standing to sue. American democracy is for stakeholders. If you remove yourself as a stakeholder, you've removed your most important asset as a citizen. They may not feel like stakeholders, but they need to understand that they are unless they give it away. They were given stakeholder status at birth. The only way to keep it is to assert it. I don't disagree with the idea that Democrats have let them down, but right now the Democrats are the only ones fighting to preserve the possibility of Gen Z having a seat at the table. One of my rules of thumb is that when people find themselves in a situation where they don't know what to do, they do what they know how to do, whether or not it's appropriate to the situation. Apparently this generation knows how to accept the gift of citizenship without knowing what it entails. If that's true, letting conservatives scuttle civics from so many public school curricula is one critical area where they were let down.
I get it. It’s not great that this is the lesson the universe is teaching them, but it’s their reality. Many, not all, just see no point in fighting for a system that’s evidently broken. They want something better. And knowing what I know, it’s very hard to blame them.
The kids are alright, for the most part. The internet trolling they are exposed to is part of the mercenary and psychological war on facts and information that you have been writing about for some time now. The bad guys know that the demographics will eventually catch up to them and end their parade of corruption and deceit. That's why, at present, they don't care that their malfeasance is all out in the open. The current system of checks and balances can not stop them, and they know it.
great to hear about the good xx all the kids i know - am old enough too xx are amazing xx now if only the dangerous idiots would just evaporate . . . xxx thnx again for all you do xx
I like that kind of news. I don't get to meet al to of people but I seem to relate best to the the 25 and under crowd. They will make a better world. I just know it.
Well said,Jim. I've spent my entire life watching politics and doing what I can to be engaged.I can honestly say that I weep for the near future for these graduates today. Let's hope, with all of our help, they will make a better tomorrow for the future of the Planet and the people that inhabit it. Thank you, Jim, and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
Well that’s good news. I feel like I see the same thing at my regular public job -aside from the few that fell down one of the many cult holes waiting for us. What do we do about the disgust people have with it all? I don’t blame them for checking out because I want to run also. We shouldn’t know more or be more outraged than the leaders we voted for. It’s just wrong.
Jim, what a great essay! Yes indeed, what have we done or didn't do for future generations? We failed them politically, environmentally and socially. Thankfully, as you suggest, the best of the younger generations desire a saner more equitable society and realize it needs to be rebuilt from scratch. Let's make it as easy for them as possible. Congratulations on your son's graduation.
One point. The college youth today are politically apathetic, which is very dangerous. But there's a good reason for it. They are not being sent off to die in an illegal and unwinnable far-off slaughter as we were in the 60s and 70s. If their lives were in mortal danger, they would be more involved. It frustrates the hell out of me. But I guess I'll just have to wait. Great article, Jim.
Yeah, my son just graduated with his Mech E degree from UCF and we had the same experience with him and his friends. Considering all the fucked up shit their generation has to grow up with, they turned out exceptionally empathetic, accepting, intelligent, and morally grounded. Obviously there are always exceptions, but all of them that we know are truly amazing.
My son is staying at UCF to get his Masters in Robotics, but he and all the other college aged young people are getting massively screwed on student loans thanks to these assholes. So many colleges across the country had to slash doctorate and masters opportunities cause this admin just straight eliminated their funding in most areas.
As fucked as it all is, the burning rage that this endless onslaught is fueling in me is the very motivation driving me to fight back against it however I can. We've still got time to turn this shit around, but it's quickly running out ..
We failed to hold people accountable for their "misdeeds".
This is really good to know. I had my daughter when I was really young, and instead of trying to figure life out at my age back then, I was married with a family. Needless to say, I didn't know a lot about parenting. I didn't mess up too badly. It took decades to happen, but both my kids have thanked me for the things I did for them. That's when my mind really settled. I didn't f*** them up to the point of no return.🙄
I hit send too fast.
Those young people are the ones who will benefit from the future.
We need to tell them the story of what we had growing up.
We had what they should have inherited.
What was slowly stolen from them and passed to the rich.
It’s up to the young women to take back what is theirs. What we older people fought for.
Those “kids”, I use the same term, being of a similar age, want a future.
They were promised a future by this country, by being part of this country, that is being taken away from them.
It’s always the young who fight the wars. They are the innovat
Just as long as they VOTE!! then maybe just maybe…..and congratulations to the new graduate and the awesome father who raised him 😻
❤️
This is an accurate reflection of what my son feels and has experienced (he’s 22). We have failed him and them but I also think he and they will save us all, and burn this sh*t down, figuratively, of course.
exactly 💙
I'm going to offer a little pushback here. Apparently, the vibe with this generation is that politics as a whole let them down, so they're going to just chill until all the bad stuff goes away. If I got that approximately right, I find that attitude rather chilling. Disengagement among left-leaning voters is what Trump and MAGA have been trying to instill from day one. And they've been working at it on all fronts, whether it's "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE" messaging or wholesale uglification of political discourse, Everything they're doing is meant to energize MAGA voters and wear down everybody else. Maybe Gen Z thinks that opting out of political engagement is somehow elevating themselves above a dysfunctional system. But the system isn't going to get better on its own. Our system of government was designed to be responsive to stakeholders, and it assumes that if you have something at stake, you will assert yourself in preserving it. That's why our legal and political systems are adversarial. That's why the first thing you have to prove if you want to take someone to court is that you have standing to sue. American democracy is for stakeholders. If you remove yourself as a stakeholder, you've removed your most important asset as a citizen. They may not feel like stakeholders, but they need to understand that they are unless they give it away. They were given stakeholder status at birth. The only way to keep it is to assert it. I don't disagree with the idea that Democrats have let them down, but right now the Democrats are the only ones fighting to preserve the possibility of Gen Z having a seat at the table. One of my rules of thumb is that when people find themselves in a situation where they don't know what to do, they do what they know how to do, whether or not it's appropriate to the situation. Apparently this generation knows how to accept the gift of citizenship without knowing what it entails. If that's true, letting conservatives scuttle civics from so many public school curricula is one critical area where they were let down.
I get it. It’s not great that this is the lesson the universe is teaching them, but it’s their reality. Many, not all, just see no point in fighting for a system that’s evidently broken. They want something better. And knowing what I know, it’s very hard to blame them.
The kids are alright, for the most part. The internet trolling they are exposed to is part of the mercenary and psychological war on facts and information that you have been writing about for some time now. The bad guys know that the demographics will eventually catch up to them and end their parade of corruption and deceit. That's why, at present, they don't care that their malfeasance is all out in the open. The current system of checks and balances can not stop them, and they know it.
great to hear about the good xx all the kids i know - am old enough too xx are amazing xx now if only the dangerous idiots would just evaporate . . . xxx thnx again for all you do xx
I like that kind of news. I don't get to meet al to of people but I seem to relate best to the the 25 and under crowd. They will make a better world. I just know it.
Well said,Jim. I've spent my entire life watching politics and doing what I can to be engaged.I can honestly say that I weep for the near future for these graduates today. Let's hope, with all of our help, they will make a better tomorrow for the future of the Planet and the people that inhabit it. Thank you, Jim, and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
Well that’s good news. I feel like I see the same thing at my regular public job -aside from the few that fell down one of the many cult holes waiting for us. What do we do about the disgust people have with it all? I don’t blame them for checking out because I want to run also. We shouldn’t know more or be more outraged than the leaders we voted for. It’s just wrong.
Jim, what a great essay! Yes indeed, what have we done or didn't do for future generations? We failed them politically, environmentally and socially. Thankfully, as you suggest, the best of the younger generations desire a saner more equitable society and realize it needs to be rebuilt from scratch. Let's make it as easy for them as possible. Congratulations on your son's graduation.
One point. The college youth today are politically apathetic, which is very dangerous. But there's a good reason for it. They are not being sent off to die in an illegal and unwinnable far-off slaughter as we were in the 60s and 70s. If their lives were in mortal danger, they would be more involved. It frustrates the hell out of me. But I guess I'll just have to wait. Great article, Jim.
Yes. When this regime tries to institute a military draft, well, that is going to be very interesting.