Note: This question was suggested by Jordyn, 14, from Westfield, N.J. Do you have an idea for a Student Opinion question we might ask? Post a comment here, or write to LNFeedback@nytimes.com.
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In your opinion, what is it like to be a teenager today?
In “A Generation Emerging From the Wreckage,” David Brooks writes:
I’ve been going around to campuses asking undergraduate and graduate students how they see the world. Most of the students I’ve met with so far are at super-competitive schools — Harvard, Yale, the University of Chicago and Davidson — so this is a tiny slice of the rising generation. Still, their comments are striking.The first thing to say is that this is a generation with diminished expectations. Their lived experience includes the Iraq war, the financial crisis, police brutality and Donald Trump — a series of moments when the big institutions failed to provide basic security, competence and accountability. “We’re the school shooting generation,” one Harvard student told me. Another said: “Wall Street tanked the country and no one got punished. The same with government.”I found little faith in large organizations. “I don’t believe in politicians; they have been corrupted. I don’t believe in intellectuals; they have been corrupted,” said one young woman at Yale. I asked a group of students from about 30 countries which of them believed that the people running their country were basically competent. Only one young man, from Germany, raised a hand. “The utopia of our parents is the dystopia of our age,” a Harvard student said, summarizing the general distemper.It’s not that the students are hopeless. They are dedicating their lives to social change. It’s just that they have trouble naming institutions that work. A number said they used to have a lot of faith in the tech industry, but they have lost much of it. “The Occupy strategy was such a visible failure, it left everyone else feeling disillusioned,” one lamented. “We don’t even have a common truth. A common set of facts,” added another.
Students: Read the entire article, then tell us:
— In your own experience as a young person growing up today, does Mr. Brooks’s understanding of your generation ring true for you? Why or why not?
— In what people, organizations or institutions do you place your faith and hope for the future, if any at all? Why do you think these groups have the power to make positive changes in our society and culture?
— What particular issues do you think are unique to your era — things that previous generations did not have to deal with as teenagers? Which of these do you consider to be the “defining challenge” of your generation and why?
— Overall, do you think it is harder to grow up in the 21st century than it was in the past? Why or why not?
— Compare growing up now to what it was like for Jem and Scout in TKAM, what is similar? What has changed? Which is better? Explain.
Yes most of the stuff that MR. Brooks said is true. Like the school shootings. There has been dozens of school shooting across the country. It's a terrible thing to experience. He said that we are now in “the shooting generation.”Also he talks about the war in Iraq. He went to some of the top colleges and asked how they feel about this.
ReplyDeleteI have faith in the President for putting a stop to all these things. Especially gun laws. They should make where you have to go through a lot of interviews to make sure you are trusted with a gun. If he can change that the world would decrease in the number of school shootings and the number of people being killed by school shootings or just in general. Another thing they shey should try to do is start making agreements with other countries and make them not our enemies.
Some things that we have to deal with that people from 100 years ago didn't have to deal with. One is school shootings. Back then they didn't have many guns. If you had a gun you were probably in the military or a cop. And they didn't give guns to random people. Because if they give guns to random people and there not trusted something bad could happen. Like in Florida I think the only thing that you need is a driver's license. They don't check to see if you're a criminal and have been to jail. They could have been to jail before and you would have no idea and that guy/girl could do something really dangerous with it.
No I think it's so much harder to grow up back then rather then now. That is because back then they didn't have schools,good paying jobs,etc. Now we have good education, good paying jobs and most of our schools now are safe.
How Jem and Scout grew up. Jem and Scout and a similar education. There education wasn't as good as now but the went to school and got off in the summer. There d parents also worked for money. But they didn't get paid as much because it was during The Great Depression. And they got paid like 1 dollar.
I like Sharp Cheddar.
ReplyDeleteYou really explained your self very well and yu were verry right in all the ways
DeleteHe is very right about the gun laws I think that there should be stricter laws on guns and who can purchase them and stuff because of all these school shootings and school threats. It’s verry terrible things and I think that it needs to have a stop to it. The president should definitely put stricter laws of things because the school shootings that have been happening. I wish that I grew up back then because I feel like everything was so much more simpler. Everyone was so much more less violent in my opinion. Yes there was less laws and people were more free with things but I feel like that’s what made everything a little more free. Now a days also everyone is based of there looks and what you should look like and there’s “goals” for some people and society shouldn’t be like that. Yes there was goals back then but we have instagram and things like that to remind us of what we should look like and what perfect is and that’s wrong too. But that’s just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and you did a good job at explaining it. All guns should be band and this world of ours needs to be fixed!
DeleteThe things that Mr. Brooks said about the school shooting is basically true. I think school shootings is a very sad and horrible experience for the people in that situation and out. I think all these shootings should just end and people shouldn’t be able to own guns for any causes. I know people would say different but it’s time that the law should be changed and band guns. I don’t know why after one shooting that happened they didn’t do anything about the gun situation but after the like 100th one they are discussing it. The world I feel like in my opinion was so much safer and you never heard about shootings or anything bad really But now the world isn’t falling apart and things are just gettin worse and worse and I don’t think it will ever never the same. Another thing in my opinion i feel like only the military and cops should haven guns because now that’s they are giving guns away to random people the school shootings are getting worse and it has nothing to do with “oh don’t gove it to the special people that need help” NO don’t give it to anyone period because now and days you really can’t trust anyone. Our world needs to be fixed! People shouldn’t be scared to have there child go to school. If I was a mom I would love to see my child go into school there learning and having fun not having to be worried about my child not coming home because of some shooting. Do you agree with me?
ReplyDeleteShe was right bout everything explaininn it well .
DeleteYes everything that Mr.Brooks said was true because our generation is now like he said , like the police brutality and the school shootings happeninn now . Guns shouldnt be banned for reasons but its also not safe if someone who doesnt kno how to use it has it . Its more hard to go way back and live the old because its not the same like now . All the education and jobs we have now people aint have back then .We also have all this freedom . Jem and Scout grew up similar because they had the same education back then. Parents worked during The Great Depression and barley made any money . Its better now because people get more education now and you work and earn good money .
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion what is it like growing up as a teenager in this time. Well i mean socially not hard due to the fact that things haven't changed much especially with popularity in school. I will say this though, it is a lot harder now with all the things going on now a days with a girl wanting to be called a man. Like this an actual problem. Okay last year i called a girl by her name, not her fake name that she gave herself, and people started going off on me for no reason. Everyone is too damn sensitive nowadays. You can't say anything to them types of people. Don't get me wrong i'm all for if your gay or something but this crap needs to stop that is one thing that makes growing up in this time this time very annoying. If were to say i put my faith in anyone for the future it would be, the government . Because there in control of everything that keeps us safe from either war terrorist attacks and stuff like that. Definitely the feminist movement and the transgender crap that's going around. Because in a world like today everyone is so sensitive and and stuff like this just feeds the flames. And it causes more problems and makes certain guys look bad for no reason. In my opinion growing up now a days is harder. I mean back then kids couldn't finish school because they had to help you there family on the farms. And how certain groups of colors had to deal with racism, but that still happens these days. But as i was saying growing up these days is harder because bullyings become a problem in person and on social media. That's a huge problem with kids these days because they can hide behind their screens or phones, they also have to deal with a world of constant fighting with other countries, rioting, sensitive people and many more. There is racism, there are kids who are poor, there is people who we would like to avoid who you usually don't see, but i guess not much has changed since then to now.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Kids need to get out more and focus more on other stuff in life than just material things.
DeleteI think that mr.brooks sounds true to what it is like to this generation because as the kids that he's asked how do they feel about this generation it's true we are the school shooting generation for the main reason that there has been so many that shouldn't have even happened in the first place and plus like another student said most of the government is corrupt and there is barley any good left in this world which. He quoted another student that said that we don't even have a set of facts better yet a set of truth in the world everyone just takes what they have been told and convert it into what would be better than them plus even worse throw other stuff that shouldn't be included in there. I think that JROTC will have a impact on the world because it exposes young adults to all different kinds of discipline and respect and should be known by everyone for the main reason that it shows respect and it teaches plenty of things that i would never have known without being in it. I definitely think the the main thing teenagers nowadays have to be facing a challenge is to be safe and not involve ourselves with drugs and all that because now it plays a huge roll in schools and juuls and all that kind of stuff is happening all over and try not to be with the rest of the “cool kids”. Honestly i don't think it is harder now just because back then times where harder and racism and segregation was way worse so i don't think it was harder but i do think that there is just more technology now. Now a days in the current time there just is a lot more technology compared to back then plus that's when everyone wasn't wealthy and didn't have much controlling on things like we have now like cell phones would be easier on having a phone to get quicker stuff with laws and lawyers and how we should always be grateful in the science that has drastically advanced and our government too
ReplyDeleteI think it's way more harder to grove up now than it was in the pass because there's a lot more things to worry about and a lot more distractions now than it was back in the days.
ReplyDeleteLike shootings in schools all across the country. Kids getting kidnap bullying on social media sites. Kids of today have to grow up being distracted with things.
like Facebook Twitter Instagram and Snapchat.
* The president of the United States and all of the crazy things that he says and dose the idea that don't make anny kind of sense to me like building the wall acrass the boarder
* With Mexico witch is crazy to me.
* * * * * * We have to worry about war all of the time because from i can remember every president that comes into that comes into power starts a new war.
For what I don't know.
The killing of innocent black people by the police and nothing happened to them smh. Witch start a new movement called
To show support for the people who don't have any.
Its much harder for kids to focus living now. And it's just too much going on every day it's so hard to keep up with all of it. Back in the pass kids just go to school and do there work and not have to worry about nothing but what they go to school for.
But it's the wild wild west in our schools this generation with all the shootings that's been done by other kids. So you have all of that on my mind when I walk into my school everyday and that shouldn't be going on. I should be able to go to school and not worry at all.
It's 100% much more harder to live in 2018. Than it was back in the days.
In the pass things was much more relax people didn't have to worry about going outside and getting run over by a car or truck driven by a crazy person religious beliefs about America.
But we have to be worried about all of these things and much much more too because if right at the front door when you walk outside. Look at what happened in Florida like a month ago when 17 people got shot in a school shooting massacre.