Today's Youth

“Mai 68 ne fut pas un mouvement révolutionnaire mais antiautoritaire. On voulait reformer la société. La jeneusse tout entière s’est reconnue dans cette envie d’aventure commnune. On oublie ce qu’était la France de l’époque. Les femmes n’avaient pas encore le droit d’aller travailler en pantaloon…on y était libre, pourtant, il ya avait des interdis partouts. Mais ça, les parties n’y comprenaient rien.” (Source: Dany, la légende)


“May 68 was not a revolutionary movement but an anti-authoritarian one. We wanted to reform the society. Everywhere, the youth identified itself with this common cause. We tend to forget what France was like at that time: women did not have the right to wear pants when going to work yet…we were free yet there were a lot of restrictions. And that was what the parties didn’t grasp.” (Source: Dany, the legend)

After the World War II society became extremely conservative: religion, patriotism and respect for the authority – father and government – were being excessively imposed on youngsters. Therefore the youth rose and said “Ça suffit! Enough! Basta!”…
Students all over the world organised a series of lock-downs, school occupations and closures and demonstrations in order to fight for change (in mentalities) and against social injustice (class and racial discrimination; violation of human rights, women’s rights, to name a few). The young were decided to change the world forever, which they did; for their legacy to us was: equality, sexual liberation and human rights.

2008…I look around and I feel like becoming a ferocious critic of today’s youth…
Portugal 1968-1974: our youth fought against the fascist regime; they fought for freedom of speech, freedom of all sorts of expression (verbal, sexual, artistic); they fought for democracy.
Portugal 1974-2008: our youth still dwells in the revolution of 1974; they chant past events, the acquired freedoms; without even cogitating of creating new causes to fight for…I look at them and I see them leaning against the 25th of April palm tree.
I watched on TV, last month, a student demonstration (in Lisbon) and it was quite interesting to hear the youngsters’ demands…they were asked the following question “Why are you demonstrating here today?” the answers were “Epá [1], because” “Epá, we are being treated as dogs. It is unfair! And we won’t allow it any longer!” “Epá, I dunno…I guess the situation sucks, pá [1]!” and then an eight years old kid answers “The Education Ministry is forcing us to drink low quality chocolate milk – we want first quality milk; they took the cakes with cream off the cafeteria and made us eat dry cakes – we want our traditional cakes backs; we have no computers in our classes – we must be the only country in the European Union with poor Academic conditions; our desks are bad for our backs – we are the future of this country…we demand for better Education!”
1 out of 4 presented fairly good arguments…and he was 10 years younger than the other 3.

I miss the days when young people paid cult to being positive, eloquent, articulated, cultivated; to being interested in politics, to fight for what they believed in…it was quite common to see groups of young people reading and passionately discussing literature; reciting poetry in piazzas, in dorms…where have they gone to?
I am presently under the impression that a growing number of young people pays cult to suicide, shooting others in High Schools, Playstation and anorexia…what has the world come to?

I wish the majority of our youth would be more like the young activists who engage in modern causes such as: fighting against AIDS, racism and discrimination; volunteering to help children and the elderly; giving assistance to the homeless; participating in the creation of policies to help young people making responsible decisions concerning their sexual health; building houses, water pumps in third world countries, and so forth…

How about you: what are your thoughts concerning today’s Youth?

[1] Epá, pá – Portuguese locution meaning in this case, «man! Dude!»

Image: "Youth with Ram" by Caravaggio