Comments on: Opinion: Are We the Silent Generation? http://www.esubulletin.com/2010/03/11/4404 The students' voice since 1901. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:28:22 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: emm http://www.esubulletin.com/2010/03/11/4404/comment-page-1#comment-9850 emm Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:36:03 +0000 http://www.esubulletin.com/?p=4404#comment-9850 We're not desperate enough. There is too much confort for us to take things too seriously yet. Right now we are just slackers and posers. When things get real there will only be a few willing to do anything, but until that time we get to stroke eachothers' egos with slogans that don't require any diversity of thought or opinion. It's cool to hate authority and question everything just for the fun of it, but that's not really pushing any boundaries is it? Smoking weed and attending environmental rallies - is that what we consider original? Everytime I read a "change the world" article here it sounds like the same ideas over and over. When will we apply our critical thinking skills to ourselves and experience original thought, not just the failed replay of the 60's? We’re not desperate enough. There is too much confort for us to take things too seriously yet.
Right now we are just slackers and posers.
When things get real there will only be a few willing to do anything, but until that time we get to stroke eachothers’ egos with slogans that don’t require any diversity of thought or opinion.
It’s cool to hate authority and question everything just for the fun of it, but that’s not really pushing any boundaries is it?
Smoking weed and attending environmental rallies – is that what we consider original?
Everytime I read a “change the world” article here it sounds like the same ideas over and over.
When will we apply our critical thinking skills to ourselves and experience original thought, not just the failed replay of the 60’s?

]]> By: Danielle http://www.esubulletin.com/2010/03/11/4404/comment-page-1#comment-7192 Danielle Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:49:15 +0000 http://www.esubulletin.com/?p=4404#comment-7192 Wow, intense ponderings. My first thought when I reflect on people of the past and what they accomplished is sacrifice. You must be willing and able to sacrifice so much to wholly throw yourself into your cause. Sacrifice future job possibilities as you might get arrested. Sacrifice current job options, as you need time off to go to protests, and may possibly lose it due to arrests, sacrifice movies, games, eating out - as that is a cost draining away from resources that could go to your cause, and as you pointed out, are added distractions. I just don't know if our generation has a strong concept of sacrifice. When you couple that with a sometimes willful ignorance of what is going on around you politically, environmentally, etc you have the sea of apathy that you feel you're drowning in. I know for myself at least, I watch movies like The Cove and I see people who spend almost every waking moment and resource towards helping those dolphins. And for a moment I think wow! I want to make a difference! I want to be there on the front of something that really matters! That makes a difference. But then I think...but I have a house. and a job. and pets. and friends, and my organizations that I'm majorly involved in. And I'm married, how does my spouse feel about sacrificing his 4 years he just put into getting a degree, and forfeiting jobs, etc. And then you wonder - how would I do it even if I wanted to? How do you survive without all the safety nets and 9-5 jobs, and the house, etc. Seriously? What is Ric OBarry doing to make money? And then it gets confusing and scary and I see I have a notification on facebook and I settle back down and stop worrying/wondering about these things. I don't have a solution unfortunately, just agreeing with your observations. Wow, intense ponderings. My first thought when I reflect on people of the past and what they accomplished is sacrifice. You must be willing and able to sacrifice so much to wholly throw yourself into your cause. Sacrifice future job possibilities as you might get arrested. Sacrifice current job options, as you need time off to go to protests, and may possibly lose it due to arrests, sacrifice movies, games, eating out – as that is a cost draining away from resources that could go to your cause, and as you pointed out, are added distractions.

I just don’t know if our generation has a strong concept of sacrifice. When you couple that with a sometimes willful ignorance of what is going on around you politically, environmentally, etc you have the sea of apathy that you feel you’re drowning in.

I know for myself at least, I watch movies like The Cove and I see people who spend almost every waking moment and resource towards helping those dolphins. And for a moment I think wow! I want to make a difference! I want to be there on the front of something that really matters! That makes a difference. But then I think…but I have a house. and a job. and pets. and friends, and my organizations that I’m majorly involved in. And I’m married, how does my spouse feel about sacrificing his 4 years he just put into getting a degree, and forfeiting jobs, etc. And then you wonder – how would I do it even if I wanted to? How do you survive without all the safety nets and 9-5 jobs, and the house, etc. Seriously? What is Ric OBarry doing to make money? And then it gets confusing and scary and I see I have a notification on facebook and I settle back down and stop worrying/wondering about these things.

I don’t have a solution unfortunately, just agreeing with your observations.

]]> By: Lucas http://www.esubulletin.com/2010/03/11/4404/comment-page-1#comment-7153 Lucas Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:34:40 +0000 http://www.esubulletin.com/?p=4404#comment-7153 Sounds like a speaker I would have enjoyed in my ESU days. Sounds like a speaker I would have enjoyed in my ESU days.

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