Youth use web as source of action

Every time I hear a sentence that starts with “Kids these days … “ a negative assumption about Generation Y is sure to follow. Some parents, professors and peers think society has taken a dive into immorality rather than into progress within the past 20 years.

I disagree.

While our generation is certainly different — we don’t have to walk uphill both ways in a snowstorm just to get to class — that doesn’t mean we are less ambitious, successful or charismatic. Just as high schoolers in the ’50s were defying their parents by listening to rock ‘n’ roll, we are pushing the limits with online networking. While anti-war protesters made posters during Vietnam, our generation has created thousands of online groups in protest and support of the Iraq war. But this slice of similarities doesn’t scratch the surface.

We — the snotty, ungrateful, technology-obsessed Generation Y-ers — are sometimes associated with having minimal attention spans, inflicting bomb threats and shootings on our peers at school and not caring about the politics and government that run our country. In short, we’re selfish.

Not true.

Like every generation, there are those people who ruin it for everyone else. Luckily, we do have words and actions to destroy that reputation, quite a few from this very campus. Shortly after the Virginia Tech shootings — literally within hours — groups on Facebook.com were formed in support of the students and university. A dialogue among college students spread across the states like wildfire, offering condolences and sharing stories.

That same week, MSU students gathered at the rock on Farm Lane for a vigil in honor of the 32 students who lost their lives at Virginia Tech. My experience at the vigil was a circle of Spartans saying, “I’ve got your back.”

Our willingness to fight back may not be as visible as when students formed tent cities along the Red Cedar River, marched to the capital and blocked roads in protest of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but that doesn’t mean we don’t care. In fact, we’ve learned from past generations. While some disagree with the Iraq war, we know not to chastise those fighting it. There is a clear separation between the troops and the reason why they are overseas. Once again, the proof is in your browser. Facebook groups such as “10,000,000 Strong for our Troops!” and “I Support Our Troops � Just Not George Bush” validate the mentality that government actions are sometimes separate from those performing them.

Our Internet-savvy behaviors have boosted political involvement as well. More young voters nationwide have hit the polls for primaries this year than in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. Voter registration also has increased in several states, namely Pennsylvania, which was at more than 8 million in early April.

To be clear, I don’t want to condemn other generations. I, too, am enamored with the accomplishments and histories of other ages. After all, if those before us didn’t get as far as they had, we wouldn’t be able to get where we are today.

Our Web-based lives are criticized sometimes for good reason. When it was discovered that Cedar Fest was hyped up via Facebook, law enforcement officials and MSU students were on the edge of their seats. Could a networking site — the center of so many conversations for our age group — be responsible for destruction? The fact that this event snagged attention from people across the globe, is testament of what our communication capabilities can lead to — constructive conversations following a chaotic situation. After the riot, alumni and students alike charged rioters with ruining MSU’s reputation.

While I don’t condone students’ actions at Cedar Fest, riotous behavior is not new to MSU. In fact, it’s not exclusive to MSU — other universities in the Big Ten and beyond have dealt with similar gatherings gone wild. Realizing that this is not a generational or regional problem puts things in perspective — everyone encounters people and situations that reflect poorly on the rest of a group. Let’s not generalize by making blanket assumptions, whether they be about Generation Y or MSU students.

When I’m older and have kids of my own, I’ll try to refrain from chastising them for their lack of morals just because they have flying cars and I didn’t. Things change, but that doesn’t mean they’re worse.

Kate Polesnak is the State News opinion editor. Reach her at polesna1@msu.edu.

Published on Monday, April 21, 2008