Tuesday, 25 March 2008

• Currently Reading Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations By Alex Harris, Brett Harris see related

  Kid Myths and War Lies

  Do Hard Things: Ignore Social Myths and Get to Know a Real Kid
  
  I was provided with a copy of this book a couple weeks ago by a friend who thought I might find it interesting from a religious perspective and the perspective of the parent of a teen. The book is getting a lot of advance buzz in churches, youth groups, etc. and it's precocious authors have become heroes to the "society is going to hell because of kids these days" types who have certainly already made this an Amazon pre-order bestseller and will set the blogosphere afire with impassioned pleas for all teens to read it and be saved from their apathy and sloth.
  
  I don't question the authors' heart, faith or intentions. I think it could be an inspirational read for anyone (regardless of age) who may feel he or she isn't trying to live up to his or her fullest potential or that life has been lived in an underwhelming manner due to low expectations. The problem I have is the assumption by the authors and the vocal proponents that the vast majority of kids are lazy, entitled and uncaring. I don't believe that the vast majority of teens need a call to service or, for that matter, service in God's name. The many myths about Generation Y that abound today are not backed up by the facts. Actual polling data shows teens and young adults more politically involved (look at their voting numbers in this year's primaries!), more socially aware, less aimlessly materialistic (a teens material desires today are more likely to gravitate to a productivity tool such as an iPhone or some other gadget than expensive jeans) and more serious about school (they graduate and attend college at the highest rates ever) than young people in generations. Yes they are self-centered; most teens (most people, in fact) are and always have been. Today's teens simply have more technology with which to show themselves off to the world. The YouTube Generation is more the product of an unprecedented ease with technology than a heightened sense of "look at me". They are, finally, more religious than any generation since World War II. Simply put, most of today's teens do not need this book to tell them what they already know. But many adults, unfortunately, want to use it as an imprimatur of their mistaken beliefs and a sign that someone is trying to help kids save themselves from themselves.
  
  If you Still Think that the Bush Administration Didn't Lie About Iraq
  
  The PBS series Frontline has a history of producing great, but little known, exposes. This weeks Bush's War is no exception. If you refuse to recognize the tonnage of evidence that shows the Bush Administration built the case to invade Iraq on a foundation of deceit then you should consider checking out this two-part series with an open mind (if you are capable of having one). Based on interviews with those who were there, the series features evidence of a litany of moves that show the Administration had Iraq in mind during the very hours following 9/11 and sought only to make a connection between that day and Iraq whether the intelligence backed it up or not.
  
  We hear of former Asst. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz making the case that an Iraq connection must be made during the first White House meeting on 9/11, despite the CIA's quick identification of Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda as the responsible party.
  
  We see multiple confirmations of the fact that hijacker Mohammed Atta never met with an Iraqi agent in Prague (the FBI had him confirmed in Miami at the time) yet Dick Cheney continues to relay this as fact even two years after confirmation otherwise.
  
  Not to mention the voluminous stories of how the Administration botched the war's execution from the start -- flatly ignoring Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki's troop need estimates and being, of course, proven tragically wrong by the current "surge" and now 4000+ dead. How they have mocked International treaties such as the Geneva Convention over the protest of lifelong warriors such as Colin Powell. Or how they have, as we know, demanded the Government be given unprecedented power to spy on US Citizens within our borders.
  
  If you have not already chugged the Bush Kool-Aid, you will find yourself growing angrier with every minute of Bush's War. At the same time, you may feel a growing sense of relief that the clock is winding down on one of the most destructive Presidencies in U.S. history.
  

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