Stereotypes are usually wrong, including this one, but what the hell is going on with American young people?
Does this seem like I am standing on the lawn and yelling at the clouds? I’ll ask you again later, but if so, I’ve earned it, as opposed to the “youth” who basically have earned nothing.
Of course I know the young always (stereotype alert) rebel against their parents’ beliefs, but their parents’ beliefs were built on something. The beliefs of the young seem to be built on what they saw on TikTok this morning.
When I was young, it was (stereotype alert) don’t trust anyone over 30. Now that I am no longer young (to put it mildly), I’m beginning to feel like I shouldn’t trust anyone under 30.
Recent polling shows a slim majority of the young — meaning voters under 30 — favor Donald J. Trump for president.
Are they actually buying those wolf tickets he’s selling?
Yeah, I know Joe Biden is stiff-legged, meandering and often unfocused, but do the “youth” prefer a convicted sexual abuser, a cynical bankruptcy artist, a whining, narcissistic, business failure — his airline, his steaks, his university — not to mention being accused of everything from defrauding banks to ignoring government orders to return secret documents?
Yes, apparently, the “youth” do. I mean, immaturity is one thing, but brainlessness is something else.
Another poll showed that one group of Americans — those 18 to 29 — sympathize more with the Palestinians than the Israelis, the only age group to do so. And that was before the war Hamas ignited. Here, the “youth” sympathize with those who do not believe (stereotype alert) in diversity, equity, inclusion — nor democracy, women’s rights, gay rights, religious rights, and so on. While we worship life, they worship death and raise their children to be shaheeds (martyrs).
Instead of playing dodgeball, they play dodge the security checks wearing suicide vests.
One in 5 young Americans, according to a recent poll, have a positive view of deceased terrorist/mass murderer Osama bin Laden. That’s 20%, and that is not an insignificant number, when the percentage should be 1.
I wonder how they feel about Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Vlad the Impaler?
Where do they acquire these attitudes? Is this a mere lack of education? Ignorance can be cured, but willful stupidity can’t. At no time in history has mass information been more available to the masses who are too busy Instagraming to be bothered with it.
Remember a few months earlier when a bunch of “influencers” found Bin Laden’s “letter to America” online, and were persuaded by it? Bin Laden actually directed it to “the youth.”
In case you are wondering where the current spike of anti- Semitism might be coming from, after a few opening lines, you read this from bin Laden: “Your former president warned you previously about the devastating Jewish control of capital and about a day that would come when it would enslave you; it has happened. Your current president [this was written in 2002] warns you now about the enormity of capital control and it has a cycle whereby it devours humanity when it is devoid of the precepts of God’s law (Shari’a).”
Bin Laden was a member of one of the richest families in Saudi Arabia. He had capital coming out of his robes.
His garbage was willingly digested by some number of TikToking American youth — those whose grounding in history would be a blank slate.
This mind-numbing moral confusion might not be just an American problem. A recent global survey found that 1 in 5 teenagers claim they are not straight.
Can that even be possible? It defies every valid sexual orientation survey ever taken.
The younger the respondent, the more likely they are to claim nonbinary status.
In the U.S., the Brown University student newspaper reports that 38% of its student claim to be not heterosexual, a number that has doubled since 2010 and is five times the national rate. At that rate, in another 13 years, Brown will be 76% queer. Do you find that believable?
Brown is not that much of an outlier. Across the U.S., the youngest are claiming to be sexual “others.” I have written about this explosion before, and have asked what it means.
Since I can’t believe evolution changes from one generation to the next, I conclude these deluded “nonbinary” youngsters are suffering from a mental disorder. It may be a form of hysteria — think the Salem witch trials — or a desperate need for either inclusion, or victimhood.
I call it the Anne Heche syndrome.
She was the late, straight actor, who “fell in love” with Ellen DeGeneres, had an affair with her, then did a U-turn and returned to men.
Obviously a confused young woman.
Humanity, such as we know it, has recognized two sexes — male and female — since cavemen were bopping cavewomen over the head and dragging them into caves. Now in the case of gay cavemen (stereotype alert) one would bash the other with a Gucci club and drag him into the cave. Similar with lesbian cavewomen (stereotype alert) except one would be wearing a plaid lumberjack loincloth.
But there were only two sexes — male, with the XY Chromosome; female, with XX.
As we entered the 21st Century, science was suddenly thrown under the bus, so much so that a U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson — an alumna of Harvard Law School — could not, under oath, define “woman.”
So, maybe it’s not just the youth who are confused.
Maybe we are all going out of our freaking minds. How else can you explain placing Tampons in some schools’ men’s rooms? Because you think men have periods? And can give birth? (I have managed to restrain myself from mentioning “Woke.”)
If our youth can’t figure out if they are supposed to pee sitting down or standing up,, how can they possibly understand national or global politics?
Now, I ask you: Am I just shouting at clouds?
At the risk of being labeled a tin-foil nutcase or, at the very least someone who holds “outdated” ideas and beliefs that must be dismissed out of hand, I wonder how many of the younger generation have read the Bible? Either Testament?
Yes, it’s important to read the Bible. It’s the book that helped convince me to be an atheist. The Bible has zero to do with anything Stu has written here. And good.
I am a 3rd generation atheist and I too feel the world would be a better place if more in the west embraced Judaism or Christianity.Like Chesterton sez without it people will believe in anything-and they sure do.
I see some anger slithering out there. No reason for it, really.
Apparently, we the older generations have failed to teach the younger generation how to think. Thus, they all too easily accept the nonsense of those who are telling them what to think.
Simple (probably oversimplified a little bit): The New Left’s misinterpretation of everything about Vietnam ended our great nation’s simple though valid patriotic solidarity forever. All is disorder today as sort of predicted in The Education of Henry Adams, which likened historical “progress” to the depressing thermodynamic principle of entropy.
Stu, can you describe the clouds you’re shouting at? I remember being rebellious and having a heart till I grew up and let my brain take over. As the “youth” grows the statistics will skew. I am reaching the I don’t give an F mentality and my stress levels go down. My 2 22-year-olds are separated, a boy and a girl, thinker and feeler, but my “youths” are loved and that is where they differ from the masses. I see parents today not communicating with or parenting their offspring. they allow their progeny to be raised by and taught by others, I mean the electric screen and ideological teachers. There is no discourse between the youths and their parents, and if there is it is not of any substance or thought. I agree there is some form of mass hysteria on their part, so we need to give them a wide birth. I don’t pretend to know the answer to it but my 2 youths are being tended to so I’m doing my little part.
I asked YOU if I was just shouting at clouds, which implies wasted effort. I don’t think I waste my time here.
The far left control the schools, Hollywood and the news media. They have been brainwashing our children for years. A lot of people have kids but don’t raise them. They let the schools teach them instead of instilling their own values. Many people are to busy chasing a buck and keeping up with the Jones’s. And they wonder why the kid’s are screwed up. The only thing the young people got right was Trump. Biden has lied to them constantly. He.promised them free college tuition. He told them the borders are secure. The world and the country has been in chaos because of his policies. And how has his family made over 20 million dollars without selling a product or service. There is overwhelming evidence of Biden family corruption and it all can be settled in 2 minutes if they tell the American people how they made their money.
This is not a political problem. Every generation has new and different problems to overcome, new challenges today that, as they face them, will shape what they become tomorrow. Enough with this left/right bullshit. If we can’t recognize that we’re all individuals, haunted by our own thoughts and difficulties, whether real or imagined, and instead just keep playing your brand of “blame game”, that’s when we’re in trouble. Instead of blaming, why not listen and learn to compromise and find workable solutions? What a novel idea–maybe our useless organization (we know them as US Congress) should try it!
“Delusional Danny” strikes again. Apparently you didn’t read the whole article. Trump is a convicted sex offender and a shitty, dishonest ‘businessman’. He’s a bigger crook than Nixon. Why don’t you move to Trump Towers, Moscow now?
Yes, having seen several cycles of shocking ignorance, which too many young Americans gleefully embrace, it is worth asking: “What should be our voting age to overcome the influence of determined ignorance, and such cocksure rejection of experience?”
The reason to vote is to elect the best candidate to strengthen our communities and country. Is it safe for our country to have a large block of misguided and woefully ignorant people vote? Look at any elected official today, anyone, and ask, “Is that the best we can elect?”
Voting age was 21 before Vietnam issues lowered it to 18. Should we raise it back to 21, to 25, or even to 30 years old, to have wiser voters strengthen our nation?
I kind of agree with that proposal. We have age inflation which is raising and will continue to raise retirement and SS# eligibility ages, so might as well do the same with voting. In a different time, the youth were forced to mature and grow up quicker. Over the decades, that has changed – some of it with good reason as more are pursuing meaningful higher education – and we can not confidently say that an 18 year old, or even your average 22 year old is really and independent and experienced person to make a thoughtful vote. We have increased the age for how long a dependent can stay on their parents; health insurance plan (again with some good reason) so yes, absolutely raise the voting age.
I’d say 30 and hear no disagreement because, aside from my granddaughter, I don’t think I have one subscriber under 30. 😄
P.S.: I would let my granddaughter vote. She is smart, and is a good Christian in the best sense of that word.
How about subscribers under 35?
Much of voting readiness is one’s interest and knowledge of the issues. At 35, I had a real job, wife, child, house, mortgage and was paying taxes, school taxes, too, wondering which drain the taxes all seemed to go down. Also, then I paid attention to issues and politicians. College students have none of that voter’s perspective, which is why I discourage those voter drives on campuses! Never a wise idea.
35 years old would be my recommendation except for anyone in the military; they get to vote when they enlist or are commissioned.
Doubt 35 could ever be accepted, but if we really want wiser voters to strengthen the USA, that is the age I suggest.
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was to convince people he didn’t exist.” — Charles Baudelaire (attributed)
Well, he does exist — and it appears he is comfortably at home in the minds of the young people in the USA.
I remember in High School when dinosaurs roamed the earth, before we graduated, and yes 100% of us graduated we had a plan. Some went off to work in a trade, some went off to college, many joined the military. I remember a few lagged behind, but very few. Today it seems everything is sexual in nature first, this I don’t understand. Maybe if there were classes in what to do after grammer school, then what to do in and after high school, with two years of mandatory military service, might take the tampon machines out of the Mens room! BTW Get the Hell off of my lawn!
The 18-29’s sure know everything. Just ask them. Until they get a flat tire. Then what do they do? Call their mommies. Happy New Year!
Make them crazy — write in script.
Never heard this referenced before, but it’s true! Even some college students cannot write in longhand. But why am I surprised? So many of them also can’t spell.
Stu, per usual, a thought provoking blog. You ask “Am I just shouting at clouds?”. Having read the many comments, it appears you might be, as some comments sound like echoes coming from the clouds.
What are you guys smoking?
I’m watching the Israeli war crimes trial at the Hague right now. My Jewish parents read about the Nuremberg trials. I guess this is what they felt like.
I’m 65 but recently awoke to zionist brutality.
Anyone who in any way equates Zionism with Naziism has their head up their ass. Explaining it is unnecessary.
This is another excellent article, Stu. It is both factual and frightening!
First, I don’t believe so-called polls that show youngsters prefer Trump over Biden…strongly doubt that. But now, I admit I am amazed to see so many of them sympathize with Hamas. But that is liberal *hit, and I’m seeing and hearing so much of it these days is making me sick. I hear Democracy Now on public radio & all she does in bag on the only real democracy in the entire Middle East. The world is a mess, fo’ sure. (ps. Are you related to the wonderful Sheree Bykofsky?)
I believe the polls are generally accurate, but they are a momentary snapshot.
I am deeply troubled by the young, as I wrote, and Sheree is my cousin.