NY Times- According to the World Values Survey, only about 30 percent of Americans born after 1980 believe it is absolutely essential to live in a democratic country, compared with 72 percent of Americans born before World War II. In 1995, 16 percent of Americans in their late teens and early adulthood thought democracy was a bad idea; in 2011, the number increased to 24 percent.
Young Americans also are disproportionately skeptical of free speech. A 2015 poll from the Pew Research Center found that 40 percent of millennials (ages 18 to 34) believe the government should be able to regulate certain types of offensive speech. Only 27 percent of Gen-Xers (ages 35 to 50), 20 percent of baby boomers (ages 51 to 69) and 12 percent of the silent generation (ages 70 to 87) share that opinion.
A 2016 Gallup survey found that a majority of both Democratic and Republican students believe colleges should be allowed to restrict speech that is purposely offensive to certain groups. A survey of students’ attitudes concerning free speech released on Wednesday by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education found that 66 percent of Democratic and 47 percent of Republican students believe there are times a college should withdraw a campus speaker’s invitation after it has been announced. And a survey published by the Brookings Institution in September found that 20 percent of Democratic and 22 percent of Republican students agreed it was acceptable for student groups to use violence to prevent a person from speaking.
5 comments:
Anyone born after Reagan was elected, has seen such abuses of democracy, malicious things done in the name of democracy, and purposeful misunderstandings of the first amendment. It is entirely understandable that their view of democracy and free speech is different from those born before 1980.
Re: Anon @ 12:50PM
Agree completely.
However, adding to confusion might be the 'Orwellian' dialogue that seems to further confuse people regarding just about every issue: Environment, Separation of Church and State, Gun Ownership, being Conservative, being Liberal, PAC political influence, Wall Street and Banking behavior, Political and Military involvement in foreign countries, Corporate "personhood", etc.
Libertarians offered an escape from Republican religiosity and foreign country involvement, but still retained mercenary economic policy.
Greens and Bernie offered an escape for Democrats.
So... in an insane attempt to maybe destroy the confusion, many people voted for what we have right now. Not that it helped any.
We seem to be on a 'downhill slide' away from ideas that involve more noble thinking. Greed vs FDRs plans and The Great Society. Conservative Religious principles (Dogma) v. Free (actually just about 'any kind' of) Thinking. And Hate vs. just about anything.
Must be a 'human trait'. Take the 'easy path'. Crowd mentality. "Try not to think about it". Appreciate what you have. Thank God and Pass the Ammunition.
"Daniel San: No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher. You too much TV." --Mr. Miyagi
"Look well, oh wolves." -- Akela
Cheers, Tom
Watch what you wish for as you may get it.
Apparently democracy is not essential anymore since the US is an oligarchy morphing into a tyranny. But it still must maintain its legitimacy and refrain from enslaving too much of the population. There are things that are more essential like surviving global warming or keeping out of prison. Boomers are not going to prison or dying disproportionately from coastal flooding so democracy is a bigger deal for them, and they either pay for it or know people who do. They vote for politicians who can raise campaign funds and spend on ads. This is democracy for them, as the Roberts Court has decreed it. Firmly entrenched supporters of oligarchy, they also prefer tyrants as a pushback against our weak president system, so they view the use of nuclear weapons as a good thing. Millennials have not yet discovered the word "revolution" for themselves but rather have been spoon fed a placebo by partisan oligarchs.
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