The youth is not giving advice to others about how to make the better place. The youth is politicised because the world is not serving the youth’s interests.
Not that the youth is actually politicised — I find your estimate very high — but anyway...
You said “the youth is politicized” and then in the next sentence “not that the youth is politicized”…
Very little youth political activity is actually about issues that directly pertain to their own lives, and youths lack the expertise to reorganize society based on their interests anyway.
Youths must focus their efforts on learning how society functions and how they can best play a role that benefits themselves and society. That is how they become functional adults. To believe that reorganize the world before they become functional adults is deeply misguided.
"They know what they want" is not a very compelling reason why youths should shift their efforts away from learning how society functions and how they can best play a role that benefits themselves and society.
I think you do not comprehend what I write, Michael. Which is kinda weird, since I write them in the context of your own messages...
You say that “Very little youth political activity is actually about issues that directly pertain to their own lives”.
I disagree. In my view, much of the youth political activity is actually about issues that affect the youth's lives.
You say that “youths lack the expertise to reorganize society based on their interests”.
I agree, and I say that this might be true, and this is why most of the times do not run to become politicians but are merely politically active so that those who are in charge and supposedly do have the expertise will take into account the youth's needs and reorganise society accordingly.
I hope my comment is clearer now. If not, please ask.
1) Youth political activity is almost always a small minority who are driven by non-rational psychological impulses. Often those impulses are very anti-social. Youth are much more likely to have Dark Triad personalities compared to adults. Activism enables them to play out their destructive desires while pretending to care about society.
2) Youth activists do not reflect the values or needs of youths in general, nor do they reflect the values or needs of society in general.
3) Adults have always taken into account the needs of youths. They do not need a very unrepresentative minority to "take into account the youth's needs and reorganise society accordingly."
4) No one has the expertise to reorganize society. Our society has evolved based on the cumulative learning of hundreds of generations. It is hubris to expect that a new generation suddenly knows so much more than previous generations that they can "reorganize society." Attempts to reorganize society in the past have led to terrible outcomes.
5) Youths must focus their efforts on learning how society functions and how they can best play a role that benefits themselves and society. That is how they become functional adults.
6) Someone who claims that you are "writing about how to live a good life," you should be more focused on what youths should do to improve their own life. Political activism is not the means to do it.
The current structure of society does not serve the interests of the youth. The youth should strive to change the society within which they live, so that they will be able to live a truly good life. Therefore, political engagement is necessary if they want to improve the quality of their life.
Of course, other paths might also be available. They can learn how the current society functions, be indifferent to politics, and try to live a good life within the existing framework. From my research, I am confident to say that most likely, in most countries today, they will inevitably fail to do that.
I must say, however, that while trying to change society, they should indeed at the same time try to live a good life within the existing framework. They will not manage to live as good a life as they can if they manage to change society, but they might still be able to live a somewhat better life than now.
Nope. As long as there is government, there will be a need for adults to be at least somewhat involved in politics. Yes, adults who are very heavily involved in politics can be a danger to society as well, but someone has to keep them in line.
We need mature adults to be knowledgeable enough in politics to make informed decisions, but youth in particular pay the price if they become deeply involved in politics daily. Get your own affairs in order before worrying about other people's affairs.
The logical conclusion is that the franchise shouldn’t be so large. Age is just one factor though admittedly an easy one.
We don’t allow people to run for president before the age of 35, why let them vote? And I bet if the constitution could forsee extra longevity they would have put a maximum age on it too.
The reason the voting age got so low is because we were sending young people into the meat grinder via the draft. It’s also why political engagement by the youth in the 1960s was at least a bit more justified. But we have an all volunteer force now.
The youth is not giving advice to others about how to make the better place. The youth is politicised because the world is not serving the youth’s interests.
Not that the youth is actually politicised — I find your estimate very high — but anyway...
I disagree, nor is your statement coherent.
You said “the youth is politicized” and then in the next sentence “not that the youth is politicized”…
Very little youth political activity is actually about issues that directly pertain to their own lives, and youths lack the expertise to reorganize society based on their interests anyway.
Youths must focus their efforts on learning how society functions and how they can best play a role that benefits themselves and society. That is how they become functional adults. To believe that reorganize the world before they become functional adults is deeply misguided.
The youth might not know how to reorganise society, but they do know what they want—as much as one can know what one wants anyway..
"They know what they want" is not a very compelling reason why youths should shift their efforts away from learning how society functions and how they can best play a role that benefits themselves and society.
I think you do not comprehend what I write, Michael. Which is kinda weird, since I write them in the context of your own messages...
You say that “Very little youth political activity is actually about issues that directly pertain to their own lives”.
I disagree. In my view, much of the youth political activity is actually about issues that affect the youth's lives.
You say that “youths lack the expertise to reorganize society based on their interests”.
I agree, and I say that this might be true, and this is why most of the times do not run to become politicians but are merely politically active so that those who are in charge and supposedly do have the expertise will take into account the youth's needs and reorganise society accordingly.
I hope my comment is clearer now. If not, please ask.
1) Youth political activity is almost always a small minority who are driven by non-rational psychological impulses. Often those impulses are very anti-social. Youth are much more likely to have Dark Triad personalities compared to adults. Activism enables them to play out their destructive desires while pretending to care about society.
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/where-does-ideology-come-from
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/is-green-activism-based-on-good-intentions
2) Youth activists do not reflect the values or needs of youths in general, nor do they reflect the values or needs of society in general.
3) Adults have always taken into account the needs of youths. They do not need a very unrepresentative minority to "take into account the youth's needs and reorganise society accordingly."
4) No one has the expertise to reorganize society. Our society has evolved based on the cumulative learning of hundreds of generations. It is hubris to expect that a new generation suddenly knows so much more than previous generations that they can "reorganize society." Attempts to reorganize society in the past have led to terrible outcomes.
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/descent-into-a-man-made-hell
5) Youths must focus their efforts on learning how society functions and how they can best play a role that benefits themselves and society. That is how they become functional adults.
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/the-pathway-to-success-1-of-3
6) Someone who claims that you are "writing about how to live a good life," you should be more focused on what youths should do to improve their own life. Political activism is not the means to do it.
The current structure of society does not serve the interests of the youth. The youth should strive to change the society within which they live, so that they will be able to live a truly good life. Therefore, political engagement is necessary if they want to improve the quality of their life.
Of course, other paths might also be available. They can learn how the current society functions, be indifferent to politics, and try to live a good life within the existing framework. From my research, I am confident to say that most likely, in most countries today, they will inevitably fail to do that.
I must say, however, that while trying to change society, they should indeed at the same time try to live a good life within the existing framework. They will not manage to live as good a life as they can if they manage to change society, but they might still be able to live a somewhat better life than now.
Thank you for your comments.
A very short distance from this to arguing that no one should bother with politics because they are not smart or mature enough. Who is?
Nope. As long as there is government, there will be a need for adults to be at least somewhat involved in politics. Yes, adults who are very heavily involved in politics can be a danger to society as well, but someone has to keep them in line.
We need mature adults to be knowledgeable enough in politics to make informed decisions, but youth in particular pay the price if they become deeply involved in politics daily. Get your own affairs in order before worrying about other people's affairs.
The logical conclusion is that the franchise shouldn’t be so large. Age is just one factor though admittedly an easy one.
We don’t allow people to run for president before the age of 35, why let them vote? And I bet if the constitution could forsee extra longevity they would have put a maximum age on it too.
The reason the voting age got so low is because we were sending young people into the meat grinder via the draft. It’s also why political engagement by the youth in the 1960s was at least a bit more justified. But we have an all volunteer force now.
> The reason the voting age got so low is because we were sending young people into the meat grinder via the draft.
That was a bad reason. Functional societies have always had the young fight while the elders make decisions.
And frankly, their elders were WWII vets, they were perfectly familiar with what war is like.