I've been very much enjoying Joe Klein's take on our current political situation. I read the WSJ article earlier in the week, and I do think there are some other factors to consider:
1) I agree that the kids may not be alright, but I have empathy. Given how uncertain the current economic outlook is--and of course the very real anxiety over the impact climate change is likely to have---I don't blame young people for being hesitant to start families. I also have serious questions about how this WSJ survey is worded. I'm not sure I'd consider "having children" to be a fundemental personal value, let alone a value thats somehow essential to the "American character." I think it would have been a lot more intstructive to ask the question in the form of a prioritization.
2) I am also deeply concerned about how pessimistic and cynical the younger generation is. Its worrying to have young people so disilusioned with politics and the established institutions of our democracy. Its very likely that a large number of these potential voters will just be turned off from civic engagement from a very young age. That said, I also empathise with them...imagine a hypothetical kid turning 25 this year. If this young person became politically aware sometime in high school (say as a 15 or 16 year old in 2013 ro 2014) they would have lived most of their politically/socially aware life in an era that does little to inspire optimism about our grand.democratic experiment.
3) Yes the media doesn't help...but hasn't that always been the case? When has there not been handwringing about sensational journalism and the "if it bleeds it leads" mentality of newsrooms? I think whats far more damaging is the corrosiveness of social media that has amplified all that negativity in unimaginably harmful ways.
I fully agree on the issue of how the Democrats have ceded patriotism to the Republicans. Its a huge, huge problem. I think far to many Dems (especially liberal activists) find outward expressions of patriotism somehow hokey or unsophisticated.
At the end of the day voters want to feel good about their country. And if Dems can't figure out a way to reclaim patriotism minus the simplistic and natavistic jingoism of the nationalistic right we're all in deep, deep trouble.
I've been very much enjoying Joe Klein's take on our current political situation. I read the WSJ article earlier in the week, and I do think there are some other factors to consider:
1) I agree that the kids may not be alright, but I have empathy. Given how uncertain the current economic outlook is--and of course the very real anxiety over the impact climate change is likely to have---I don't blame young people for being hesitant to start families. I also have serious questions about how this WSJ survey is worded. I'm not sure I'd consider "having children" to be a fundemental personal value, let alone a value thats somehow essential to the "American character." I think it would have been a lot more intstructive to ask the question in the form of a prioritization.
2) I am also deeply concerned about how pessimistic and cynical the younger generation is. Its worrying to have young people so disilusioned with politics and the established institutions of our democracy. Its very likely that a large number of these potential voters will just be turned off from civic engagement from a very young age. That said, I also empathise with them...imagine a hypothetical kid turning 25 this year. If this young person became politically aware sometime in high school (say as a 15 or 16 year old in 2013 ro 2014) they would have lived most of their politically/socially aware life in an era that does little to inspire optimism about our grand.democratic experiment.
3) Yes the media doesn't help...but hasn't that always been the case? When has there not been handwringing about sensational journalism and the "if it bleeds it leads" mentality of newsrooms? I think whats far more damaging is the corrosiveness of social media that has amplified all that negativity in unimaginably harmful ways.
I fully agree on the issue of how the Democrats have ceded patriotism to the Republicans. Its a huge, huge problem. I think far to many Dems (especially liberal activists) find outward expressions of patriotism somehow hokey or unsophisticated.
At the end of the day voters want to feel good about their country. And if Dems can't figure out a way to reclaim patriotism minus the simplistic and natavistic jingoism of the nationalistic right we're all in deep, deep trouble.