The Young

    When you were growing up as a kid you probably didn’t give much attention to what was going on in the news.  You were more interested in sports, or “teen idols” and what was going on in the “real” world of your little town after school.

     I know I would rush home after school (before I was old enough to have a job) and head straight to the television so I could watch the latest episodes of Superman and the Howdy Doody Show.  That was the type of thing that interested me.  There were no video games or websites that you could go to for information.  You didn’t have any “connections” with your friends over Snapchat or Instagram, etc.  WHAT was a cell phone?   

     According to marketing data, a remarkable 9 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States use Snapchat every month.  While they mostly send photos, the app’s Discover portal allows them a lens on events in the outside world – at least in theory!  Unfortunately, at least according to the app, the world is mostly gossip, celebrities in various states of undress, and kittens, so states the article “Kids Are Stuck Getting Their News from SNL and Snapchat.  Save Us, Linda Ellerbee!” by Eleanor Cummins.

     From the time period of 1992-2015, it was possible for some youngsters to get “news” like programming by watching “Nick News”.  It was THE place for younger ones to get a real taste of what news programming should be like.  It was serious and took its young audience serious also.  According to Bronwen O’Keefe, who helped to produce Nick News at the time, “We weren’t going to dumb anything down for the audience and we weren’t going to avoid things that were controversial.”

    You don’t see many young people sitting around in coffee shops, or libraries, or even in their own rooms reading the New York Times, the Washington Post, or USA Today!  It just doesn’t happen.  They would rather be on their phones, ipads, or tablets doing who knows what!

     The article previously mentioned by Eleanor Cummins also states, “For precocious teens and preteens interested in current events but unlikely to sit down with a newspaper, Saturday Night Live often serves as a glimpse at our current political moment.” 

     Most younger ones have to depend on their parents or teachers to help them not only “know” what is going on in the world of finances or politics, but they need to “understand” how these situations are going to affect THEM personally.  This will take an investment of time upon the adults who attempt to provide these explanations.

     It used to be that you could learn history and know that information would be the same 5, 10, or even many more years later.  Today, even the history that was taught in school is being questioned or it is being changed.  With everyone trying to be “politically” correct you are almost scared to make a statement that may be taken wrong by so many.

     Then the “current” history that is being written every day is happening so fast that you almost hesitate to try and learn it until you have some bit of certainty that it’s not going to change in the next few minutes.  It is almost like the weather in Colorado.  We always so say if you don’t like it just wait a few minutes and it will change.

     We sadly see this same atmosphere in so many other areas.  At one time it was BAD for you to eat hotdogs.  Then it was not a problem.  In the past the idea was (from Dr. Spock, NOT Mr. Spock) that you should never discipline your child.  Then it was learned that discipline is a necessary form of correction and education.  Some took that statement to mean that you were to BEAT your children to keep them in line, so now public correction is NOT appreciated.  Of course, we should all recognize that in any area extremes are not usually what is preferred.

     However, I digress.  This post is to help us as adults recognize that the younger generation needs to become more aware of what is going on in the world around them.  Not only the things that they may find personally interesting: celebrities, etc.  But world affairs that one day may mean a great importance within their lives. 

     We have an obligation to do this, but we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Talk to your Mom every day,

but give your Dad a few words too."