I am tired of people (particularly those older than myself) informing me that it is MY generation that will have to deal with X, Y, or Z. I want to be perfectly clear: I realize this. I am completely and fully aware that the nation is in a downward spiral and that all the problems that have been created by the baby boomers are left to my self-indulged generation. Clearly the nation is going to have some issues in the coming years.
In saying this, however, I believe iGens are anything but apathetic. We are, for the most part, knowledgeable about issues. Improving the country is not a matter of increasing awareness or concern.
The Y-gens, iGens (whatever you prefer to call us) have been pampered. Yes we have struggled and we have seen hardship. But unlike those before us we have been privileged to grow up in a society that serves us everything on a silver platter. Everything is possible if you BELIEVE!! (This is where Disney adds the animal-singing-in-the-brush-scene and inserts some sparkles and animated fluff).
Growing up is no longer about “making ends meet.” It’s about reaching for the stars and being your best. (In school don’t you ever wonder why “C” is an “average score”? Clearly we all know that achieving anything less than an A is unsatisfactory). Children really think that they can do whatever it is they want—and this simply isn’t so. Not every child will have the money or the brains to do what they desire. I don’t care what kind of “if there’s a will there’s a way” story you feed me. There are simply children out there who will not end up with the fantasy happy ending.
Which brings me to the concerns for the future of our country…In a generation of “no boundaries but the stars” what kind of political leaders will we be?
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Perhaps we will have leaders who try to reach for the impossible, and when there reach gets to a certain point, they topple over and fall. Or... we can not have a glass is half empty view, and our leaders will reach for the impossible, catch it, subdue it, and put it on display for us to see. There is good and bad that comes from a "be the best you can be" attitude in our society. Good, we get people who become the best they can be... Bad, for some, the best they can be is a mcdonalds worker. We are going to need Mcdonalds workers, or workers doing seemingly meaningless jobs to keep our world running. Not everyone can be a star, but if everyone believes that we will have a bunch of stars, and a bunch of disgruntled people who do what the stars shouldn't be wasting their time doing.
How is doing the best you can do negative exactly?
I am not trying to argue that striving for one's best is a negative thing--this would be futile and I apologize if it came off that way. I am more concerned with the mentality that it IS possible to achieve anything. With the current state of the nation I think that we need ambitions, yes, but ones with realistic and plausible boundaries.
Ahhh, my apologies, i misunderstood you.
But, on the topic that you were actually talking about, there is good and bad. Good? As i said we will have everyone striving for the stars, and at least some will make it there. Bad? We don't prepare the others for life. There are many many MANY idiots in this world who just can't get farther than a store clerk, yet our school systems, and governments and media is telling everyone that they can be the next Bill Gates. I am not a fan of No Child left behind, because frankly, there are many children who not only have a harder time learning, but they just refuse to learn, and dedicate their lives to manual labor. These children, for lack of a better phrase, should be left "behind". There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but when we keep telling everyone that college is the best answer for everyone, we are lying. Not everyone is made for the life of a scholar, and not everyone is made for the life of a worker. We have to have a middle class, a lower class, and an upper class. That is just the way of life.
However, in this society we absolutely NEED political correctness. We have become afraid to tell the truth, so we have to sugar coat everything so we don't hurt anyones feelings. When did we become such pussies?
Don't apologize--my argument wasn't really well articulated.
There is a pro and con side to almost every issue and I quite agree with you.
As far as No Child goes, I believe that is an entire subject of its own. (I personally have serious issues with taking away money from schools that aren't doing well...shouldn't we be giving them money and quality teachers?)
Do we really NEED political correctness? I think that we "sugar coat" things rather than tell the truth because we are a nation of "equality." Clearly this is a false statement--there are endless examples of inequality in society. Our country is really twisted, come to think of it.... :-)
Don't apologize--my argument wasn't really well articulated.
There is a pro and con side to almost every issue and I quite agree with you.
As far as No Child goes, I believe that is an entire subject of its own. (I personally have serious issues with taking away money from schools that aren't doing well...shouldn't we be giving them money and quality teachers?)
Do we really NEED political correctness? I think that we "sugar coat" things rather than tell the truth because we are a nation of "equality." Clearly this is a false statement--there are endless examples of inequality in society. Our country is really twisted, come to think of it.... :-)