The 20th century was full of revolutions and young rebels standing against the unjust. As time has progressed, we have experienced many travesties: the threat of the NSA, biased news, and prejudiced education. However, unlike the activists of our past, this generation would rather sit on the couch playing “Candy Crush” than stand up against the wrongdoings by the nation’s leaders.
In the past century, the youth of America has stepped up against the government and society. According to NPR, in 1961 “the Freedom Riders set out for the Deep South to defy Jim Crow laws and call for change. They were met by hatred and violence — and local police often refused to intervene.” Many were met with death, but in the long run, they were one of many catalysts to our current equality. Unarmed student protesters at Kent State University were fired on by the Ohio National Guard during a presentation against the Cambodian campaign. This resulted in a national strike coming from youth across America. During the past century, even more students have grouped together and fought against the unjust.
Today, there are many opportunities that call for protest. The NSA continues to tap innocent people for those posing a potential threat to society. The biased education in American schools makes the United States appear as the ‘good guys’ in every conflict.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the United States has “commitment to strengthen Afghanistan’s sovereignty, stability, and prosperity and continue cooperation to defeat al-Qaida and its affiliates.” In theory, it is not a bad idea. But when more than 15,000 Afghan civilians and upwards of 2,200 American military members have died, Operation Iraqi Freedom does not seem to have a positive effect on either party.
Regardless of the unjust politics and biased education, the youth of today has severely slacked in standing for what is right.
The information is out in the open, but the youth fails to search for it. In the technologically reliant society of today, they want the information written on their hands or texted to them. Often choosing to revolve around their social life rather than finding solutions to pressing national conflicts, today’s youth are letting down heroes of the past.