By Peter Kaufman

Apathetic. Apolitical. Indifferent.
Insensitive. Self Absorbed. Self-Obsessed. Selfish. Uncaring. Uncompassionate.
Uninvolved.

Have you heard these words thrown about?
They are often used these days to describe today’s youth. Some call them the Me
Generation or Generation Me.
Whatever order you prefer, the meaning is
unmistakable: young people today are a generation of individuals who are more
focused on themselves than others. This sentiment is summed up quite succinctly
by Christian Smith and his colleagues in their book, Lost in Transition: The Dark Side of
Emerging Adulthood. Based on 230 interviews with a cross section of
young people between the ages of 18-23 the authors argue that:

The vast majority
of the emerging adults interviewed remain highly civically and politically
disengaged, uninformed, and distrustful. Most in fact in this study claim to
feel disempowered, apathetic, and sometimes even despairing when it comes to
the larger social, civic, and political world beyond their own private lives. 

 Given
your own experiences and observations of young people do you feel this analysis
rings true? I tend to have a different perspective than the authors of this
study. My sense is that today’s young people are not all disengaged, consumer-driven
individualists. I am more inclined to believe a recent study that found 56% of young
adults around the world consider themselves activists and 69% of youth in the
U.S. self identify as such.

Continue reading “Youth Power” →