Is passion lacking in today's society?
First blog posting...third blogging attempt. Here goes another try! Happy reading!
I found this article today that had me emailing my friends around the world...from Cairo to Columbia...to share my insights. I had a few responses back that said: "Can I post this on my blog?" or "You should start a blog!!!" So here goes.
The article, "Democracy's quiet downfall" by Calvin White is on the Globe and Mail website "Facts & Arguments" column at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20061205.FACTS05/TPStory/Facts%20&%20Arguments
The author writes: "Peace and love were in. Non-violence was a concept about which everyone seemed to be aware; an idea everyone seemed to ponder. The point is not that anyone was right or wrong in their views. The point is that people actually had views and they actively expressed those views. They had discovered they had a voice and they used it to dress differently, to behave differently, to argue, to march, to demand change. All of this made Canada and the United States more alive, more capable of growth, and more progressive. It made for a healthier world."
The scary thing to me is that I feel young people today are absolutely lacking in passion. It isn't that we are right or wrong but that we are using our voice for productive, thought-provoking discussion.
The article goes on to talk about how youth especially have lost their "voice" and the loss of that voice only makes us better consumers, more predictable for market planning, unaware dupes for political manipulation, etc. It even says "nothing seems to get a rise out of us, raise us out of our dullness." Isn't that true? What do we really talk about now besides our new shoes, our bad haircut, or our lost keys?
What will it take to bring passion back to life? I'd love to hear your thoughts...
posted by Tara @ 12:23 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
first of all welcome to the blogosphere! As for my thoughts I think youths voice has dissapeared and apathy has increased once our world turned to one that is motivated by fear rather than dreams.
It is like our politicians and leaders speak in a different language, one where we should act to avoid shit hitting the fan and maintaining status quo. while youth speak a language of hope, one were we act to change how our world is turning to be.
When I was at the BAWB conference last month (Business as an Agent of World Benefit), something that was brought up is the idea that the youth of today use consumption as a way of influence rather than political activism. Being conscientious consumers. Rough method though, the whole fighting against hundreds of thousands of dollars of advertisements. But the politically active probably don't see that avenue much easier, eh? Anyways, that was sort of the premise of the conference, looking at the role businesses can and should take, given the the increasing power of corporations... the corporate hegemony, really. "Inclusive Citizneship" - Intro by (rockstar) John Gaventa reads: "In both North and South, citizens speak of moutning disillusionment with government, based on concerns about corruptions lack of responsibelness to the nededs of the poor and the absence of a sence of connection with eleccted representateives and bureacrats." Hrm, what came first...
Haha. Also - I FINALLY learned how to edit the links on my blog (ok, maybe I never tried before) so I liked yours to mine. One of my first connections. WOOT WOOT POO POO. ;p
To start, welcome to the blogosphere my dear, you gotta learn fast how to edit links and stuff, I want to see a link to my blog right there, will do the same with yours :)
As for your post, Just think that we witnessed maybe the biggest political manipulation and conspiracy of humankind history in 9/11 and the wars that followed... so many discrepancies in the official version of 9/11, the WMDs, the links between al qaida and Saddam hussein… so many lies... and where is the youth ? Bush got reelected and he is gonna finish his term easy as nothing happened !!!
Did u see loosechange ?
I don't feel we have lost our passion at all. What I do feel is that society has created barriers around free speech, or how to be 'Politically correct'.
Everyone in today's society is so sensitive, that we always have to watch how and when we state our opinion. And our politicians today aren't even speaking on a level that connects with youth, so how are we supposed to feel connected if we can't understand the political viewpoints of our country's own leader?
So when I sit down and talk to you, instead of being passionless, I just don't want to say anything that will be taken offensively. Is this partly a Canadian thing? Of course. Does this mean I am dull and can't express my opinion? No.
And that is exactly why blogging is becoming so popular and why I am writing a comment right now - because I can edit my text to ensure I am being politicaly correct and won't say anything too extreme.
How do we break down these barriers to allow free speech? Well, that's a whole 'nother topic :)
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