Today, we interrupt the constant discussion of politics to vent
our spleens at the under-30 generation, and at other random
portions of the popular culture who have little appreciation for
experience, history, manners and common courtesy, or respectful
discourse backed by sustained and developed logic.
For those under 30 who do not merit the criticisms herein — and
there are plenty of them — please accept apologies in advance:
You are not implicated, and you know who you are.
That said…. Here are some things too many under-30s don’t seem to
know, to value, or to understand:
1) A person’s level of technological proficiency is not a
sign of character. Sorry, but the ability to “text” or
to “Twitter” is not a window into somebody’s soul. And a refusal
to join Facebook or to be “LinkedIn,” or whatever, is not an
indication of being anti-social.
2) People actually still communicate by voice. It is
civilized. There are reasons why people actually want to
communicate by phone sometimes, or even in person. If somebody
asks for a return phone call, that means they want a phone call,
not a text message or an email. It means, probably, that they
have follow-up questions, or comments, that are dependent on what
you say to them. And it also allows people to express things, and
be judged, through tone of voice. As a corollary to that, if
somebody doesn’t reply to your email, it doesn’t mean they are
being rude. It probably means they didn’t see the message because
their inbox got too full. The proper response, therefore, to an
unanswered email (after a decent interval) is, yes, a phone call.
3) Things that people did and learned more than six or
seven years ago actually might be valuable. Young
conservatives, in particular, often seem utterly dismissive about
all the experience, the sweat, and the wisdom of everybody who
built conservatism into a political and governing force — with
the exception of Ronald Reagan, who the under-30s seem to revere
(good) while often completely mis-citing his record, his
philosophy, or his methods (bad). Yes, Ronald Reagan did
compromise, often. Yes, he did communicate personally with
liberals. No, he wasn’t a failure at restraining the size of
government. And no, as galvanizing and admirable figure as he
was, he could not have done what he did without the work and
brains and courage of a whole lot of people who are frequently
belittled by some under-30s.
4) Small-government conservatives and “social
conservatives” aren’t necessarily at odds. For that
matter, there is no automatic disconnect between “flyover
country” conservatives and coastal conservatives, nor between
Palin-ophiles and Palin-ophobes, nor between neoconservatives
(rightly understood) and just-plain-conservatives. Corollary: The
attitude of “either you’re with us or you’re against us” doesn’t
work in the real world. Further corollary: Not all “moderates”
are “squishes.” Some of them are weaklings with their fingers in
the wind, but others actually have a coherent set of “moderate”
beliefs that are worthy of respect and that, if you take the time
to actually understand them, you might find more amenable to your
position than you’ll ever know if all you do is castigate them.
5) Your own “personal space” doesn’t extend to all spaces
where you happen to be. Just because you are a
pedestrian with a right-of-way doesn’t mean you don’t have an
obligation to avoid holding up traffic. Just because you have an
iPod doesn’t mean you have the privilege of being oblivious to
your surroundings. Just because have one of those no-hands cell
phones doesn’t mean you have the privilege of talking loudly
while gesticulating in fast-food lines. Just because you and a
friend want to walk slowly down the sidewalk doesn’t mean you
should walk two abreast with the exact spacing necessary to keep
people walking behind you from passing.
6) Some subjects, and some words, and some sights, and
some behaviors, are not appropriate for general public
consumption. No, it’s not okay to talk loudly in a
public place about your sex life. No, it’s not okay to say “cr@p”
or even “$uck” around other people’s children. No, it’s not okay
to wear tank tops and short-shorts on airplanes.
7) An assertion is not a reasoned argument. Nor is a
series of assertions. Your opinion isn’t valuable
because it’s yours; it’s valuable if you back it up with
reason, with an explanation of cause and effect. And not all
opinions are equally valid. And emotion, especially anger, does
not an opinion make. And invective isn’t a proof of authenticity.
8) Esteem isn’t a right; it’s earned. And unlike
elite colleges, real life doesn’t award you a B+ just because you
show up most of the time.
9) There are certain things you must know in order to be
a good citizen, among them a basic understanding of American
history and civics. If you’re in college and don’t know
the difference between the First Amendment and the First
Commandment, you should be ashamed of yourself. If you don’t know
that the U.S. Civil War was fought in the mid-19th century, or
that the Constitution lists Congress as the first branch of the
national government, or that the Korean War occurred between
World War II and the Vietnam War, then you don’t have enough
sense to be taken seriously.
10) Discimus agere agendo: We
learn to do by doing. A political platform shouldn’t
mean more than a political record; a promise should mean less
than production; and a theory can’t replace practice. A position
paper isn’t statesmanship. And short-term success is no measure
of worthiness over time. Not to put too fine a point on it, but
an election to office while pushing reform means absolutely
nothing unless you can maintain your principles and authority to
beat back the bad-old-boys after your honeymoon is over
and they have re-grouped, re-strategized, and re-attacked you a
few years down the line.
There. That’s enough for now. Or maybe there should be an 11: It
should be only a rare occasion for columnists self-indulgently to
blow off steam about the self-indulgences of others.
