Why aren't kids today protesting something meaningful?

Disclaimer: If you’re a law-and-order follow-the-rules sort of person, my suggestion is that you stop reading right now.  If you keep reading, you’ll probably just get annoyed.  You might not be able to tell immediately, but I'm a lot like you. I always follow the rules, that is, as long as they make sense, don’t hurt anyone, and as long as I don’t have a compelling reason from a higher moral authority to do something else. 

I believe in protest.  I believe protesting against societal norms that need changing is more than a right and a privilege, it’s a duty.  Perhaps it was because I was born in the post-World War II era, but from an early age, I believed that good people need to stand united against evil; otherwise the Hitler’s of the world will just take over.

Back in the day …
In the 1970’s, I was in my late teens and early 20’s and was fortunate enough to live in the San Francisco area. World issues felt vital, important, and meaningful. The old way of doing things was killing off my friends in a war nobody wanted, and we had to do something about it. You know, like marching for peace, for civil rights, for farm workers rights, to end the war, and get Nixon out of office. Follow the rules? Not us. We had an ideal of Peace, Love and Rock & Roll (that higher moral authority). Civil disobedience was a way of life, because we knew evil had to be stopped in order for us all to have a better future. 

This was my reality; I thought it was like this everywhere in the country. I believed in this fight. I knew everything we were fighting for was possible: peace and love and equal rights for all. We … those of us who were under the age of 30 in the 70's … had passion and energy and ideals. Collectively, when we focused our energy on those ideals and marched down the middle of the street waving signs and chanting, we had raw power.

Protesting is a young person’s game, though.  Young people have energy and passion and a desire to create the world in which they want to live, and a need to change old ways of thinking that are no longer viable.  Those early years of protest faded away when I became a parent and had other things to do besides march down the street carrying a sign.  I didn’t become complacent … I didn’t give up … but I did believe that I had my turn at protesting, and it was time for the next 20-somethings to pick up a sign.

Passing the torch ...
So, I did my time protesting and then I passed the torch onto the next generation. But someone dropped it along the way. I mean, look at what’s happening today—and our kids aren’t even paying attention. There are wars unending, civil rights violations, freedoms being taken away. Here’s an example… just look at our food supply: Monsanto, GMO’s, neonicotinoids (ingredient in pesticide that kills bee colonies), all legal in the U.S. but banned or restricted in Europe and other countries world-wide.

Is anybody paying attention? Do kids today care about what's happening in their world?

Back into action …
Maybe it’s time to get back into action. Call around, line up some concerned friends, pick a date and march against Monsanto or GMO’s or neonicotinoids. It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as a march to end the war or to get equal rights for all, but it’s just as important.

Oh, that already happened? You're telling me that on March 25, 2013, in some 400 cities across the country, people gathered to march against Monsanto? I don’t remember reading about it. Why wasn’t that ground-breaking news?

Sometimes age does matter …
Here’s the thing. A gathering of 20-somethings, all ramped up with energy and passion, marching down the street, fighting for their future by waving signs and pumping their fists up in the air will get everyone's attention. Some people would even fear those kids, but that's the sort of fear that creates change.

A march composed mainly of middle-aged people, 40- or 50- or 60-somethings, all marching down the street waving fists and carrying signs doesn’t have the same energy, doesn’t have the same effect. Does it seem like the recent march against Monsanto made Monsanto change its tactics? I don’t think so.

So, why aren't kids today protesting something meaningful?
I see riots outside of stores that sell the latest and greatest smartphone. Is that what's passing for a meaningful protest today? And then, what? I'm not advocating civil disobedience ... not in today's world, certainly. After all, even I learned to follow the rules ... at least most of them. But there are other ways to protest: get permits to gather, use social media ... get creative!

Come on, kids, it’s YOUR future, YOUR world, the health of YOUR children that’s at risk here. You're needed--the world needs your energy, your strength, the danger of your youth to make any immediate large scale change. 

So kids … here’s what you need to do … back away from the computer, go outside, and see if you can find a honeybee anywhere … No? What are you going to do about it?