Teenagers And Young Adults Threaten American Democracy

[MikeH]

Yeah, it's the teenagers fault that they aren't interested in politics. Nothing to do with the politicians.

[Kropotkin]

Even Socrates thought that the young would ruin everything as they did not posess the qualities of earlier generations. Maybe they'll get more interested with the years. Just look at your president. On the other hand, if you look at the level of election paricipitation of americans, this shouldn't come as a complete suprise.

P.S.: This is based on a internet survey, so the figures are probably crap.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

There is a vicious circle here, of course: the young don't vote, so politicians tailor their messages/pandering to the people who do vote, so the young are alienated by messages/pandering that have nothing to do with them, so the young don't vote...lather, rinse, repeat.

[Kropotkin]

Originally posted by GePap
Hopefully I will still be alive at the "bread and circuses" stage. that should be some nice shows.

Unfortunaly you're already living it. It's called Ricky Lake and Jerry Springer-show. Wild animals attack each other while the plebeian crowd screams for blood.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly

Voting does indeed skew old (and wealthy, and educated), but not because young people are content. In general, the government plays only a small role in young people's lives in the US....

Other than the school they're attending, the police they're avoiding, the drivers license they're lusting for, the judge that's granting 1/2 of American kids to one set of custody or another, and the social services worker who decided/needed to take an interest in their life?

Only a Leftist could look around today's America and see no government.

Kids see government as an authority. American kids, by and large, are taught to distrust authority. American kids are also largely spoiled and see themselves as the center of the Universe (myself included, and more than likely, Sophie as well.) Neither one of these attitudes makes for good voters - but Americans do make effective activists when we want to.

[Q Classic]

Well, republics always eat themselves. Hopefully I will still be alive at the "bread and circuses" stage. that should be some nice shows.

bread: all the luxuries now present.
circuses: anything on tv.

i hope i die during the "bread and circuses" stage, because what comes after is nothing but pillaging, raping, and the lamentations of women.

[Q Classic]

as for political participation in politics,

If people don't want to care about politics to become interested in it, I would rather they not vote then cast an uniformed vote for a party.

sums up what i feel about it. it's depressing that here we get barely above a what, 75% participation rate in elections, and undemocratic nations like nkorea hold "free elections" with turnout over 100%. do people not vote unless it's at the point of a gun?

in any case, i think party politics had a good deal to do with this, too. after all, you can't get a politically disillusioned youth without politicians who do nothing but bring shame upon themselves, the nation, and its citizenry--as every single politician today, particularly the party leaders, have done.

[Lefty Scaevola]

"Teenagers And Young Adults Threaten American Democracy

I've been saying this for years...... It's been going on for the last 20 years or so, the dis-interest in politics by it's citizenry will be the downfall of America."

I think disinterest by the largely foolish callow youth is a good think. Young adult screw up most everything they do, it is good that they stay out of politics. Do you want goverment rund the way an 18 year drives his car or runs his life, I do not think so.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by JohnT


Other than the school they're attending, the police they're avoiding, the drivers license they're lusting for, the judge that's granting 1/2 of American kids to one set of custody or another, and the social services worker who decided/needed to take an interest in their life?

Only a Leftist could look around today's America and see no government.

Be fair, John; I was talking about how young people perceive the world, not how I -- a decrepit old fart -- see it. But in my experience teaching 18-25 year olds, they rarely think of school and policing as aspects of electoral government (which, yes, is not very bright of them); school and the police tend to be immediate, authoritarian institutions, whereas elected officials are some romote guys in suits who don't have anything to do with anything. I think it takes them a while to put two and two together.

[Japher]

One day, in the not so distant future an increasingly powerfull presidential executive will refuse to step down, and in kahoots with corporate America takes the reigns for life-when this happens it wont be the "MUAHAHAH I rule you all!", it will be entirley peacefull. At first he delays elections because of a war etc.....

Well, if this happens, lets just hope it is me that is presidente at the time mwahahahaha...

Good.