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For a few years now I have despaired the lack of younger people wanting to get involved in politics and social causes. Sociologists tell us that the generation aged between 25 and 35, the gen Xers, are more interested in material goods than their greedy parents, the Boomers. Consequently the rise of conservative opinion based on the "Me Generation". These disciples of Ayn Rand and David Frum have started to dismantle the society put together by their grandparents. Much to the dismay of those of us who support a "social safety net" and "universality".>
Professional fundraisers have also said that raising money for any charity is tough unless you can appeal to the self-interest of the donor. A "what's in it for me" attitude towards charity is evident from our adult children. But, there is a ray of hope. These same fundraisers have discovered that the children of these people, our grandchildren, do not exhibit the same self-interest as their parents. So smart fundraisers are concentrating on the "Gen XXers", and find them to very receptive to appeals.>
What does this have to do with this week's activities: everything. I knew that if I looked hard enough rays of hope could be found in the amalgamation debate. In an unexpected fashion the youngest politician in the debate: Pat McCourt from Hamilton Township, managed to make the most astute comment I have heard in a long day. Speaking last, as befitted her position as junior councilor she observed that nobody at that evening's public meeting was "under the age of forty!" and proceeded to state that her two children, of voting age, "go swimming in Port Hope, visit their friends in Haldimand attend school in Cobourg and they live in Harwood. They do not see political boundaries!" Such broadmindedness is refreshing and hopeful.>
Also a refreshing sight was the spontaneous rebellion shown by local High School students. Despite political and bureaucratic responses about the sources of funding for the "Millennium Book" the students still considered the expense to be misguided. To demonstrate the folly of spending $2.5 million on a book that contained a lot of empty pages they returned the books to the local MPP. In the spirit of an ungrateful recipient the MPP, mumbled about the protest being union-led and the conduct of the students. As some of the books, he alleged, contained graffiti and remarks of a sexual nature he considered them to be defaced. In response one student leader denied the charge and stated that all the books had been screened for such depictions. So the protest had been blunted by a scurrilous defense from the MPP (or his lapdog PR flack) and dubious retorts. Still the mechanics of the protest are not as important as the protest itself. The fact that students, who should know better than most the impacts of changes to the classroom, decided to point out waste is encouraging, but not unexpected. If you indoctrinate kids to root out waste you should not expect them discern good waste (the political propaganda) and bad waste (teachers' salaries). This expression coupled with the fact that most of the people protesting the WTO, in Seattle, are under the age of twenty-five, warms the democratic cockles of my heart.>
On Saturday I was invited to participate in a traditional demonstration, this was to bring attention to the fact that even in this booming economy there are still victims of plant closures in Northumberland. These people are asking the valid question, "If there is a boom when can I participate?" Perhaps to really be successful we should have invited our grandchildren to have been with us!>
Now
it's our grandchildren's turn!