Why? Well, in terms of my kids I would say that they have it much better than I ever did - at least in the ways that truly count. I love my Dad, don't get me wrong, but I think I'm doing a better job raising my kids than he ever did. We both have the same genetically predisposed temper, but I think I must have realized it earlier on in life and figured out how to control it earlier.
I believe they've lead a much less stressful childhood and had all the right values passed to them: hard work, loyalty to family, critical thinking, and a healthy skepticism in regards to authority.
And when I talk about the new wave of young people I see getting involved in the system I actually have a bit of pride on that point. As a trailing member of the punker generation I like to think that the counter-culture that my generation helped establish laid the groundwork for some of the political common sense that is evident in the 20-somethings who are just now tuning in.
Where the baby-boomer hippy generation failed is in the spirit of their counter-culture. It was too dreamy and Utopian. Such fanciful nonsense never succeeds.
Free love? Pashaw! The contradictions against human nature involved in the free love concept are far too numerous to detail here.
"We stopped the war, man!" Whatever, hippy. Vietnam went on for 13 years. Yeah, you really brought that to a screeching halt, didn't you?
Where punk differed was in it's core philosophy and the spirit of the movement. It was political at its core. It was angry and aggressive. It didn't back down from the pigs and it looked certain truths square in the eye:
- The world is not, and never will be, some Utopian paradise
- People are naturally corrupted by power at the same time that we all seek it
- Power speaks to Power. It's the only language understood by the powerful.
- The entire world is on a collision course with Doom (politically, environmentally, socially)
- People are people - with all the good and bad that comes with that truth. We are all essentially the same.
- Fear is your enemy
- Love does not always conquer all - life is full of tragedy
These punkish principles and the counter-culture developed around them have laid the groundwork for a new generation of politically skeptical (and thereby more aware) voters who inherently do not trust their leadership.
There is nothing more American than a healthy mistrust for those in power. It is one of the cornerstones that the Founding Fathers counted on when building the framework for our nation - the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. They counted on the People to be suspicious of their government.
Fascists blindly follow authority (usually to their demise). They do not question and they do not inform themselves.
I take heart at the fact that a rising percentage of young voters are informing themselves. I am encouraged by the fact that many, many more of them are getting off their asses and voting. 22 million more people were signed up just in the Democratic primary.
I quote that figure not because I am necessarily a Democrat, but because I am not hearing of the Republicans signing many new people up. I also quote that figure because now that we are in the general election season we will undoubtedly see more people signing up. Many of these potential voters stood on the sidelines waiting for the general to begin.
Don't listen to the pundits. They have been wrong over and over again this season. They want you to think this is going to be a close election. It isn't. Don't believe the hype. The new voters coming in are going to skew every poll they've run so hard that they will all be statistically irrelevant.
This has to please the Founding Fathers. Not because it is the Dems are likely to win, but because they believe that a periodic ballot box revolution was a prerequisite for a healthy democracy. Don't forget - our Founding Fathers were revolutionaries. They were the Che Guevaras of their day, striking terror into the royalty of Europe.
Their revolutionary fervor did spread, too. It was a very short time before the revolutionary spirit spread to France and the heads of the powerful rolled... literally. The longest sitting royal dynasty in Europe at the time had been unseated. One of the few royal houses that still enjoyed absolute power had been defeated by the masses.
In 2000 we had a good economy, good standing in the world, a budgetary surplus, a military that stood ready to defend us from any enemy, and strong global alliances. We took a chance on the guy we'd like to have a beer with. We took a chance that leaned towards the right - a conservative promising to be a "uniter, not a divider."
Maybe it's time to take a chance towards the left? Let's risk it on another new face to Washington promising to work across the aisle and change the way Washington works. You might has well get on the bandwagon. Do you think these new, young voters - 22 million and growing in strength - are going to break in favor of McCain? If you do, please share that awesome crack you're smoking.
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