In Joan Didion’s book, The White Album, she wrote about college kids who protested and demonstrated on campuses during the late 60s. She interviewed Huey Newton, trying to get him to answer personal questions instead of spouting off well-rehearsed slogans and lines. She talked about upper class white kids from Santa Monica who proclaimed they lived “like revolutionaries” on their private college campuses.
I was born right around this time. Growing up, I admired hippies because they were my parent’s generation. The women had long straight hair, wore bell bottom jeans and were pretty. The men had droopy mustaches, beards, long hair and sometimes afros or earrings. I learned that the hippies changed America for the better by protesting war, drug laws, violence, religion, and many other stifling aspects of societal and government control. Plus – the hippies were cool in my 5 year old eyes.
Didion’s descriptions of the hippie college kid protestors was far different than I expected. She talked about their inane comments about society, politics and power. She wrote of their hopeful righteousness and naive beliefs in their principles. She described kids, barely out of high school who used protests for performative dramatics, posturing, partying and fun.
She could have been writing about college kids who protest today. Naive. Hopeful. Inexperienced. Lacking nuance and wisdom. A bit silly. Somewhat performative. Overly invested in their own uniformed opinions.
Her descriptions and my own comparisons to college protesters from to 80s, 90s, 2000s and today align.
The issues might differ, but the payers are the same.
College kids are kids. They are just beginning to figure who they are, what they believe and their place in society. They are overly sensitive to criticism and overly invested in peer acceptance. They
Of course they are. So was I when I was their age. So likely, were you.
So I don’t pay much attention to the hand wringing by oldsters (esp. politicians and pundits) about kids on campuses today and their “anti-American” values.
They’re just acting their age. With time and experience, most will gain perspective about how the world works.
Their antics on campus and in their first “real jobs” might make a temporary (and annoying to us older people) impact but over the long term, will likely not matter much nor result in meaningful change.
So for my fellow old-timers, take a breath and relax. The kids will be alright.