An Explanation for Young Apathy
Posted on August 10, 2004
Filed Under Culture, World Events |
It has been said that my generation is largely apathetic when it comes to issues that confront today’s world. This apathy is related to the generational cynicism—the idea that no matter how hard we could try, even in large numbers, to change those things about the world with which we are unhappy, “we” activists will be unsuccessful due to the immense power that corporations hold in this world.
Kate Raynes-Goldie from The Globe and Mail wrote an article, Apathy and Irony, that explains her thoughts on this matter. The article puts succinctly many of the thoughts I’ve had, and reaffirms my view of the futility of attempting to effect radical change in the world—something that I think is necessary for the species to survive in the long run.
I have had discussions with my friends similar to the ones the author describes. We talk about how we feel so many things in the world are not going in the right direction, but we do not talk about what we can do on a personal level to make change happen. We know inside, without speaking it, nothing can really be accomplished without major support from people and organizations that have the power to give new points of view a voice. We are no longer in the same culture that existed in the 1960s and ’70s; even the largest protests can have little to no effect on world policy.
The author manages to turn around and end her article with a positive message about how young people in the world can possibly begin to create positive change through intergenerational communication. It would take much more than just communication and understanding, but it seems a good place to start.
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