Re: Gotta disagree with you on the patriotism issue...

Posted by Steve from ppp-105.COL.cableone.net on December 08, 1999 at 07:45:22:

In Reply to: Gotta disagree with you on the patriotism issue... posted by ROB T. on December 08, 1999 at 03:22:02:

: Whether it's from hearing firsthand stories from grandfathers, or realizing how much less patriotic my generation (and probably every generation since) is than the thousands and thousands of young men who enlisted as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor. That level of patriotism is something that'll never ever happen again...

: I think you're selling this generation short when you say that they are lacking in patriotism. I agree that on the surface this looks like a lost generation of young people who are too self-involved to fight for their country but if you dig a little deeper I think you'd be surprised.
: Remember during the Gulf War how the Army had to turn away volunteers because they had a surge of young men ready to go over and kick Saddam's ass?
: Every generation has looked down on the young people and seen them as wilder than the generation before. Their music is evil, they dress weird, they show no respect for their elders, they're delinquent.
: The men who fought in World War One saw their sons as being less respectful than they were and thought they lacked in patriotism. In the thirties, young men were seen as shiftless if they couldn't find jobs even though there were no jobs to be had.
: If you'd asked the men who'd fought in WWI if their sons' generation would rush off to war and save the world if the need arose, their reaction would probably have been the same as your view of the current crop of young people. That's just the way it's always been.
: But if the world were in trouble I think you'd be surprised at the surge of young people ready to drop everything and answer their countries call.

: The media shows us all the bad sides of young people because it is the nature of the news business to concentrate on bad news and it conditions us to see all young people as bad. Just remember that troubled kids have always gotten the most press but most kids, even now, are quietly doing their homework and preparing to live lives as productive adults. The world isn't in as much trouble as it seems.

Yep, I agree with Rob T on this one. Eventhough I personally feel we have a nation of spoiled brats, seasoned with impoliteness, and stewed in self centeredness, there is no doubt in my mind that if they were needed to save this country, they would rise to the challenge. A war of self preservation makes the cream rise to the top very quickly. Steve

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: :  Whether it's from hearing firsthand stories from grandfathers, or realizing how much less patriotic my generation (and probably every generation since) is than the thousands and thousands of young men who enlisted as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor. That level of patriotism is  something that'll never ever happen again...

: : I think you're selling this generation short when you say that they are lacking in patriotism. I agree that on the surface this looks like a lost generation of young people who are too self-involved to fight for their country but if you dig a little deeper I think you'd be surprised.
: : Remember during the Gulf War how the Army had to turn away volunteers because they had a surge of young men ready to go over and kick Saddam's ass?
: : Every generation has looked down on the young people and seen them as wilder than the generation before. Their music is evil, they dress weird, they show no respect for their elders, they're delinquent.
: : The men who fought in World War One saw their sons as being less respectful than they were and thought they lacked in patriotism. In the thirties, young men were seen as shiftless if they couldn't find jobs even though there were no jobs to be had.
: : If you'd asked the men who'd fought in WWI if their sons' generation would rush off to war and save the world if the need arose, their reaction would probably have been the same as your view of the current crop of young people. That's just the way it's always been.
: : But if the world were in trouble I think you'd be surprised at the surge of young people ready to drop everything and answer their countries call.

: : The media shows us all the bad sides of young people because it is the nature of the news business to concentrate on bad news and it conditions us to see all young people as bad. Just remember that troubled kids have always gotten the most press but most kids, even now, are quietly doing their homework and preparing to live lives as productive adults. The world isn't in as much trouble as it seems.

: 
:      Yep, I agree with Rob T on this one. Eventhough I personally feel we have a nation of spoiled brats, seasoned with impoliteness, and stewed in self centeredness, there is no doubt in my mind that if they were needed to save this country, they would rise to the challenge. A war of self preservation makes the cream rise to the top very quickly.   Steve

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