Democracy Today
Today’s complacency: Tomorrow's headache
"On the contrary, none but attentive and clear-sighted men perceive the perils with which equality threatens us, and they commonly avoid pointing them out. They know that the calamities they apprehend are remote and flatter themselves that they will only fall upon future generations, for which the present generation takes but little thought.” - Alexis De Toqueville
Today’s complacency: Tomorrow's headache
Sweet America. A country with a rich history of liberty and perseverance. A country constantly fighting for the future generations so that the world will ultimately be a better place. Throughout the years, it is certain that the generations of today and generations of the future are becoming and will be more and more complacent. They do not appreciate the benefits of living in America. Everything is taken for granted and working never crosses the mind.
You’d think that the above statement about America having a rich history would have more hold to it. Well, it doesn’t. Or at least not enough to motivate the generations of today. Decade by decade, Americans are getting lazier. As a matter of fact, it’s true. “From 1960 to 2009, the number of working-age men with full time jobs fell from 83 percent to 66 percent” states the “Incredible Shrinking Man”. There was a time where being able to work was a privilege and if you had a job you kept it. It was something to be proud of. It was something that men wanted to do. That type of value hasn’t stuck to the generations of today. Men in particular are losing that American- pride like steam that drives them to do manly things such as work. According to the U.S Census Bureau, 59 percent of men aged 18-24 and 19 percent of men aged 25-34 still live at home with their parents. Sheer laziness is not always the answer as to why some Americans cannot find work or a steady income. You could just as well blame the economy. However, in the economy’s defense, it cannot run itself.
With these statistics, it would seem that this country is heading in the wrong direction. A lot of people feel that way. During an interview I conducted, a security guard (who asked to remain nameless) said “I think this country is heading in the wrong direction because the kids of today just don’t give a sh**. It’s our time to step back and give them a chance to grow and take our place! They haven’t done anything. They’re lazy. My son is 24 and hasn’t left yet. He doesn’t go to school either.” Many older Americans feel that way. They are ashamed of the future generations. However this is contrary to what the future generations believe. I also interviewed Maliyah Moment from Paul Robeson High School. She’s a senior and she has faith in the country’s future. She said: “ I think America is heading in the right direction. Compared to our gruesome past, our only chance was to go up. While it might be true that men are getting lazier, it’s only because us women are stepping up in the world.”
In comparison to the security guard, older generations have less faith in the future than younger generations. Why is that? Is it because we don’t try as hard? It could be. 40 percent less of Americans attend school in comparison to the 1980’s on back. Around that time, people who are in their 30’s and younger are born. Alexis De Tocqueville once said, "On the contrary, none but attentive and clear-sighted men perceive the perils with which equality threatens us, and they commonly avoid pointing them out. They know that the calamities they apprehend are remote and flatter themselves that they will only fall upon future generations, for which the present generation takes but little thought.” What De Tocqueville is saying is that the older generations did as they pleased in terms of running this country. Older generations did not stop to think that perhaps their actions would take a toll on us. So now, here we are. In an America that doesn’t have the same values as when it was first built. What might be the only shocking thing about all of this is that now these same older generations are angry. No, it is not 100 percent they’re fault, but a country is only as successful as it’s leaders. What did they expect?
So what is my argument? While I do not support the idea of America’s decline, I understand why it came about. We younger Americans do not have to carry the burden of the flag. We have to carry the burden of the people carrying the burden of the flag. That’s who we are. No, claiming laziness isn’t exactly right, however, it was almost inevitable. We take what we’re given and try to build ourselves from the remains of a country that is now stepping into a new light. Change sweeps us up every single day. We’re in between America’s old phase and new phase so fitting in can prove to be difficult.