Brushfire of Freedom
Voice of Adams
by Babe in the Woods
As we all know, the last movie in the beloved Harry Potter series has come out recently, setting box-office records. I was amused to watch Facebook in the hours surrounding the U.S. midnight opening. Preceding the release were minute by minute countdowns, but the comments that followed are what surprised me. My friends emerged from the theaters not excited about the impressive battle scenes, but, rather, almost remorseful to see its end. With a last, disheartened comment, “Mischief managed,” it was generally realized that this last movie marked the end of our childhoods for my generation of the early 90s babies.
Yes, I’ll admit that I was sad for the end as well, having been one of those kids who grew up with Harry Potter as a regular presence in my life, but then again, my generation is of the late high school, college, or early adulthood ages, and I’m realizing that it’s probably time we start growing up. Especially when it comes to politics.
I’ve noticed trends in my high school friends, and I’m not sure how many years or decades these trends span, so what I’m saying is purely what I currently observe as a teen myself, a rising senior in high school to be specific, if you were wondering.
Anyways, what I’ve seen is that most kids could care less about the economic aspects of politics; social issues are really all that get the youth’s attention. Most all of them have their opinions on gay marriage and abortion, and plenty of us are glad to wear our hemp shoes and carry recycled bags to show that we’re green (which, as a side note, is great and everything, but most of them don’t realize the absurdity of the political background to the climate change issue). But when it comes to economics, many don’t know, and many don’t care. And trust me, I’m the worst at it. If I’m not interested in a topic, then I’m not going to learn about it unless I have to, and economics is one of those topics that really doesn’t get my interest, besides knowing how much money I have in that ziploc in my sock drawer. I’ve started working to change that though, after realizing that I didn’t know too much more about politics than did my -- I say this with what affection is appropriate for the context -- ignorant friends and peers. Interestingly enough, some of my opinions have certainly changed as I looked at the arguments more. While still a fiscal conservative, I think I lean much more liberal on a many of the social debates.. not sure if that makes me a libertarian, but whatever the label, I’m learning what I believe.
So why haven’t us “young adults” cared about much of politics? Largely because we don’t have to. We can get away with being lazy, and, honestly, friends, TV, and sports are much more fun and interesting. Why not leave the politics to the politicians? Clearly they’re handling everything just fine! As part of this rising generation, though, I’ve started to worry about this lack of care. It’s only when things really start getting bad and directly affecting these kids, like here in Memphis where the start of school is being delayed because the school system literally can’t afford to operate (although that’s a story for another day). I feel like we had it right at the beginning of our nation, when we had no career politicians, just a nation full of well-studied, active members of society who would sacrifice time here and there to act as temporary leaders for the country.
But back to the topic at hand, how do we get these indolent teenagers (and yes, that’s politically correct for me to say, since I am included in this grouping) to start caring and learn a little something about the important political matters in today’s America? Well, as much as I’d like to do away with career politicians so that everyone naturally had to be up to date on their current events, that’s not really really an option this late in the game. Perhaps schools could incorporate more current events into regular study, to help kids learn how to think for themselves rather than taking the easy way out and simply regurgitating what they hear parents, friends, or newsmen saying. While there is certainly no clear solution to this matter, I have a feeling that our nation is at a point when kids will soon have no choice but to start caring. It will be hard, for better or for worse, to ignore political issues when caught up in the midst of them. For now, though, I’ll simply advocate that you do your part to support any teens looking to understand more about politics, and for heaven’s sake, at the bare minimum please make sure they know that credit cards are not free money but require a source to pay from!
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