The Kids Are Alright
The Adults Need to Grow The Fuck Up
Teenagers are good at delineating right and wrong. They may often react poorly, but most subsequently, at least privately, recognize their misbehavior with greater ease than adults.
Why?
They haven’t accreted decades worth of sophisticated rationalizations and justifications to fluff up their egos. They haven’t curated satisfying repositories of prejudices that eliminate the need for empathy. They’re defensive, but with “rationally” weak, obvious defenses.
I don’t mean to minimize the activism of the Florida teens right now. They are courageous! But, they aren’t behaving in a generationally exceptional manner. They deserve your attention! But, they aren’t new species.
It’s easy to place your hopes for the future on the next generation. But, recognize that doing so is a comforting delusion, one that absolves you from responsibility. Children are doing the political work of adults right now because of too much adult absolution.
There is good reason to think the kids are pretty damn alright. But, helping them to stay that way as they grow is the responsibility of adults. And, it demands the sacrifice of those self-indulgent defenses you built up between now and when you were like them.
