Dislcaimer 2. I do not think that a lack of respect on the part of elders for youths is without its counterpart (a lack of respect on the part of youths for elders). We are both deserving of some disdain. I simply think that here in Western PA, there is a cultural preference based on age (as though older = better).
Not youth, but youths.
Of course I preface this by saying that if anyone can see the flaws in mine and surrounding cultures/peer groups, it's me. My carefully honed critical nature has certainly given me plenty of ammo to "rip my generation a new one," if you will. However, I feel like my friends and I need to defend ourselves for a moment to those older people who would either consider us a lost cause or dismiss us as inadequate to the tasks of adulthood. Neither of these condemnations are true.
Let's consider: never has a generation been privy to both the amount and accessibility of information as ours. Do you want to know the definition of the word auspicious? Dictionary.com I can find it in... about 3 seconds. I could research obscure diseases, donate money to a charity, buy groceries & home supplies (alice.com, love it) in probably 10 min. total.
We not only have access but we also have the technological know-how to instantly familiarize ourselves with this vast body of knowledge. We've come a long way from the days of DOS and there is no arguing with the immeasurably superior ability of people my age to interact with technology from our parents' generation: they have to constantly learn and work to know new technology whereas for most of us it is not only second-nature, it's our hobby.
Education has never been more common: statistically, we have vastly more college graduates in my generation already than my parents ever had. Now, whether or not this education is as academically challenging or not, it is certainly more beneficial to go to college than simply to graduate from highschool and enter the work force.
We have much more life experience at a much younger age than our parents and grandparents. Let me explain, international travel is not only easier, it is more sought-after. I have traveled more at 24 than at least 75% of Americans in their 40's and 50's (and that's a very generous estimate). While I may not have the maturity to glean the same insights into humanity as the result of these travels as an older person, I also have a more open mind to accept cultural differences without imposing western morals or ideals.
We have traveled more places, met more people/kinds of people, communicated in more languages, done more internships, had more creative employment, eaten more kinds of food, and simply seen more than our predecessors.
All of that said, of course I realize that the majority of my peers are irresponsible, spoiled, and have no work ethic. However, I think it needs to be said that those of us who get it, who really have a handle on life, are better equipped, better educated, and have more resources than any previous generation. I'm sure the same will be said of the next.
I need to say this because I look at people in authority, people who structure church & state, people who try to explain to me what life is like, and I feel unsure of the superiority of their vantage point. While I know there is no replacement of years, I chafe at the idea that years alone qualify someone as wise. I think true maturity comes from seeing the world as it is: I understand that war is difficult, I too have seen people shot; I understand that finances are challenging, I have lived in 3rd world poverty; I understand that life requires thought and self-improvement, I have extensively studied theology and philosophy... yes, my peers and I have a lifetime of growing up to do... but that does not illegitimize the fact that we have a voice that should be heard.
I'm not normally this cheesy (although I almost always go on these little tirades) - but the future belongs to us, let's make the pass-off as smooth as possible.
"As is the generation of leaves, so is that of humanity.
The wind scatters the leaves on the ground, but the live timber
Burgeons with leaves again in the season of spring returning.
So one generation of men will grow while another dies."
Homer, Iliad
5 comments:
I read and I agree. But it seems that as we seek to show our abilities, knowledge, and wisdom to our elders, many times (not all and not in every situation) in conjunction we utterly reject all that they are and believe. They're old hat. They don't understand. WE are version 2.0, superior in every way.
I think there is something to say about tradition. Many youths will read that sentence and throw a fit, struggle against it, create new ideas and beliefs, and in doing so create a tradition of their own. How ironic. But that's what we're all about these days isn't it?
Can't we BOTH learn from each other? Of course we can. After all, we're both stubborn aren't we?
And I hope you enjoy the coffee.
I also think there's something to be said for hard work. Our previous generations have worked at least ten times harder to achieve half the things we've done. There's a character building in that struggle we don't understand . . . I'm going to have to think on this.
I agree with you. In general, I think the wider climate of our peer group is irrational rejection of tradition and the elders who represent it. I have stumbled upon a context, however, here in Western PA that is a cultural anomaly (to me). I feel like here, older people can do no wrong and young people can do little right... it is such an amazingly depressed area... unhappy people who have worked hard and hated it and are simply too tired to dream of anything other than an early retirement.
I certainly think, especially in a religious sense, that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us... theologically and spiritually we are indebted to our predecessors for the wealth of material and creeds that we enjoy.
I think we have to be careful of two things: 1. Change for the sake of change (with no real goal) and 2. The mistaken idea that newer = better (as with hymns, for instance, substance can trump modernity).
I agree with you. In general, I think the wider climate of our peer group is irrational rejection of tradition and the elders who represent it. I have stumbled upon a context, however, here in Western PA that is a cultural anomaly (to me). I feel like here, older people can do no wrong and young people can do little right... it is such an amazingly depressed area... unhappy people who have worked hard and hated it and are simply too tired to dream of anything other than an early retirement.
I certainly think, especially in a religious sense, that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us... theologically and spiritually we are indebted to our predecessors for the wealth of material and creeds that we enjoy.
I think we have to be careful of two things: 1. Change for the sake of change (with no real goal) and 2. The mistaken idea that newer = better (as with hymns, for instance, substance can trump modernity).
This is very interesting. You have had a blog for a very long time! Thanks for sharing it! In so many ways I agree with your thoughts. It is sometimes very difficult as a youth to gain respect from our elders; and for them to pass along to us what has been their identity for so long. I imagine from the view of someone older than I, moving out of their positions of respect and title, it must be difficult because it is a symbol that they are no longer in their prime, they now must pass all that on to children, of whom's diapers they used to change. You know? To people that once relied upon them.
As a native Pennsylvanian, who has seen more of the world than PA, I can tell you that in a blue collar area like this that cultural mindset is very strong- that the adult is correct because of the position that they have worked so hard for. Sociologically, the mindsets of our work lives often translate into the mindsets of our home lives. And in a blue collar society, where you work your way to the top, probably from a young to old age and seniority in a company is honored, that mindset translates into the home life.
However...I don't think western PA is an anomaly completely. You should know from your experiences that there are many places in the world that are ruled culturally by filiel piety. Where the elders are held in high esteem, and the younger is to be compliant at all costs.
And one last thought- for all that PA is and is not, anthropologists (and world travelers) as a rule should treat each culture as gem to be discovered in all its intricacies and looked upon objectively. As I read some of your blogs and posts of facebook, I feel like you look down on Pennsylvania alot. And I know its no great shakes here and I have my own quams with it. But if you want to be heard by PA locals then that is something you ought to be careful of. I really like your ability to call it as you see it, but that is just the thing about all of us--we call it as WE see it. I think it is often important to look through the eyes of the other...in all situations.
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