Sunday, January 28, 2007

The Next Generation

They aren't all apathetic.
Since the war began nearly four years ago, many Vietnam-era antiwar activists have publicly lamented what they see as apathy among today's college students. They wonder whether the absence of a draft and a culture of pop music and reality television have distracted young people from civic responsibilities.

But among the hundreds of students on the Mall yesterday, dozens of whom drove all night to get to Washington for the protest, the prevailing sentiment was that their generation had been unfairly maligned and that the antiwar movement is growing stronger every day.

"I do think we're misrepresented as being lazy, ignorant and unaware of current events," said Sarah Searle, 19, a sophomore at the University of Virginia. "There's no huge movement going on like during Vietnam, but that doesn't mean we're apathetic.

Here in the progressive wasteland that is Phoenix, Arizona our protests against this war have always included the young along with people of all ages. Our march to John McCain's office yesterday included two young people who impressed me. A young man helped carry the flag draped coffin. He told me that his dad was a Vietnam veteran who opposes this war but can't bring himself to march against it. A young woman wearing a Vietnam veteran cap was way too young to have served. She told me the cap is for her father. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, a victim of Agent Orange.

If apathy, is abroad in the land, it is the public at large, not just the young.

1 Comments:

Blogger The Minstrel Boy said...

i too, have been impressed with the kids. my nephew's high school band (the wonderfully named Jake's Grounded) practices at my house because i have an appropriate place for them to play loud without disturbing the house or the neighbors. i've been teaching them some of the cool old anti-war songs like "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore" or "Masters of War." the high school kids know that the hammer is going to come down on their generation. one of them said to me last week "they're going to need to start a draft just to rebuild the army they've wasted."

i don't do all that well in crowds like that either. i'm glad you guys are out there. promise to never shut up.

3:09 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home