Where are we?

In an op-ed piece from the New YorkTimes by Joel Bakan, he mentions that the kids are not all right. In his piece he writes about the power of corporations and how essentially instead of protecting the youth, they are placed in danger due to corporations. As well written the piece is and true it is, I only can think Yea, you just got the memo?

The kids are not all right, and let’s face it, they haven’t been all right for a while. They’ve been getting by, and mostly due to their own accord and will power. This isn’t to say that all parents are neglectful and terrible. Rather, it is not just the youth who are absorbed in the technological world and the media, it is also the parents. Children learn by doing. 

So what is to be done? Join a commune? Take away the internet? Force your kids only to read books? No, no, and maybe. Well, reading is my own personally opinion, but in any case eliminating technology and the media from youth is absurd. This generation and future generations are connected in ways that were only dreamed of in science fiction novels. It can be powerful and destructive. The person or people who can effectively use it to speak to the world will be the winners, and those who can’t will only follow. Breaking the connection is not the answer, but rather putting information and truth out on the networks. When you bring something to someone’s living room, the will listen.

In regards to corporations, those will be around for a while. Maybe you are anti-corporations, maybe you just don’t care, but in the United States and the world, they are here and they are ready to play. Mr. Bakan makes a wonderful statement when he says, “The good news is that we can — and should — work as citizens, through democratic channels and institutions, to bring about change.” How do we do that though? Get the message out. Don’t be radical about it, if anything that turns people off. Be steady in your actions and words. Make alternatives actually accessible. Organic food isn’t cheap, and hey, I’m living on a government stipend, I go for what is cheap. Yes, farmer’s markets now take food stamps, but who knows that? I’ll tell you when I saw friends get their food stamps they weren’t told of this, just that you can’t buy alcohol.

Yes, a change needs to happen, but it needs to be coming from all ages and groups, and truthfully the internet will be the thing connecting us all. Be it a mass text to attend a rally or a video on YouTube. If we want to change the world and opinions we need to connect with people from all classes and generations, and really, the net may be the only way that happens.