Student Leadership: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”

Years ago I gave a baccalaureate address. Oh yes, we used to have those commonly back in the days of democracy. Pastors from local churches would take turns giving words of wisdom to high school graduating classes at a church. And, graduates attended these gathering in approximately the same number and those who went to commencement. It was the days when the church had significantly more social clout and importance than in today’s more secular society.

Unusually at such events, baccalaureate or commencement addresses some old dude, very few dudesses, would spew forth nonsense about how these young people would now use their skills to take the responsible places in society and lead the world. My comments were that that was so much hogwash and they knew it. Upon graduation they would either enter the job market in low paying positions where they had very little authority to do anything, just do what they were told for their paycheck. And other might go onto college where society would not take them seriously for some time until they too entered the job market at the bottom end of the totem pole. They were not going immediately great leaders of the country, and if they ever would it would come after a great deal of time and effort.

What I did tell them was that had at this time in their lives a great opportunity to experiment. They could try out various lifestyles no longer under the thumbs of their parents and the prying eyes of small communities. They could see for themselves what they liked and didn’t like. They could have fun and in the process likely learn a bit about personal and collective responsibility. All in all it was well received excepting the local Pharisees that wanted them still under the authoritative thumbs.

In those days, many many students did exactly that. They experimented, some good experiments some not so good experiments. They often were caught up is social protests and would demonstrate on college campuses and beyond expressing their emerging views on how society should change. They could demonstrate and get by with it usually. There was a sense of freedom and challenge. I am nostalgic about those times. They rocked the boat and the ride was fun and frequently productive for society.

Todays students don’t seem to have much interest in boat rocking. In my day you could easily come out of college debt free and with very limited debt. That frees you. Today’s student are squashed with debt and they better mind the P’s and Q’s if they want good jobs to start paying off that debt over they lifetime.

It will be hard. They will make less that students that graduated before them, on average about 10% less and the job market is not good. We may be creating jobs, but we are replaced higher paying jobs with lower paying jobs. They don’t even have the opportunity to declare bankruptcy like a big business or a bank. They are just saddled with that debt.

And they have grown up with a macroeconomic theory, “trickle down economics” that has not worked for 35 years and despite the folk that continue to trot it out each year saying it will work, it won’t. It is rather like collective insanity using the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.

They also share the fears of society that government is so messed up and controlled by moneyed power brokers you can not try anyone. Today 20% believe the government will do the right things; 50 years ago 75% of thought they would.

Those who don’t go the college route will find lower and lower paying jobs because unions which created living wage jobs no longer have much force or power with only 7% of the work force belonging to them. Again, more distrust and fear.

We seem to be moved back to the uncontrolled capitalism of the 19^th century where they were a few very rich and a lot of folk hanging on by their toes. We are returned to a class society. Hey feudalism was so bad was it if you had a benevolent baron about that had a clue as to how to manage things. But poverty was the norm as we loose the war on poverty.

You’d think there would be a populist movement breaking out or a youth rebellion. You would think folk would stand up and holler, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore,” as did the TV anchor character going mad, in the movie “Network” played by Peter Finch. But that was done in 1976 long before our graduates were born.

Students and others may indeed be mad and hell and don’t want to take it anymore, but they need to be more than insane fictitious anchormen. They need to know who they should be mad at and have and idea as to what they are not going to take anymore. The wealthy fear mongers teach them to get mad at poor folk and social programs that help society rather than them. They are good at it.

I would suggest it is not the government, but those who have stolen the government. People like bankers who take risks with other people’s money and then get bailed out. Supreme court stooges that declare corporations are people and contribute to political campaigns without restraint. CEO’s who do and bad job of running companies and then get pay huge salaries and given bonuses.

We need more government not less but filled with folk who do not spend the vast majority of their time running election or re-election. We need a two party system that engages in real debate about how to help the country rather than just being toadies of the wealthy.

Rebel no matter what your age is by finding them and electing them. It requires study rather the mindless rhetoric. Otherwise it is serfdom.