The Other McCain

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Because Young People Aren’t Reminded Often Enough How Ignorant They Are

Posted on | October 25, 2011 | 17 Comments

In answer to a question about Occupation Wall Street: “Why does Generation Y blame capitalism — and not Obama — for its misfortunes?”

The teaching of “self-esteem” in schools has bred insolence in youth, so that it never occurs to young people to think: “Hey, maybe I’m wrong.”

Sixty-six percent of those under 30 voted for Obama. When his policies fail, they are incapable of thinking that perhaps their choice was unwise. Instead, it must be some sort of trick, for which scapegoats are to blame.

Category: Education

Comments

17 Responses to “Because Young People Aren’t Reminded Often Enough How Ignorant They Are”

  1. Matthew Vadum
    October 25th, 2011 @ 10:40 pm

    Good argument, Stacy.

  2. Anonymous
    October 25th, 2011 @ 11:30 pm

    The inability of youth to conceive that they might be wrong goes back further than the “everyone is entitled to self-esteem” movement, though it’s certainly gotten worse because of it. Obama won’t get the same young voters he got last time that’s why he’s concentrating on trying to get the young and dumb vote who were to young to vote last time.

  3. Denverwindowwashing
    October 26th, 2011 @ 12:06 am

    Blame the baby boomer generation first.

    Also, 66% of those under 30 don’t vote (I hope) in total, but of those who do vote I agree it is the job of elders to persuade them otherwise than to vote for Obama.

  4. Adjoran
    October 26th, 2011 @ 12:40 am

    The youth turnout in 2008 was unprecedented and based mainly on the myth of Obama as an inspiring, post-partisan miracle worker.  Now those voters have the highest unemployment rate of any demographic group.  They are most likely to revert to old habits and blow off voting altogether. 

    Obama will still win the demographic which gets most of their news from Stewart and Colbert, but there won’t be nearly as many of them with the motivation to turn out.

  5. Victoria D
    October 26th, 2011 @ 12:48 am

    Hire a teenager while they know everything!

  6. Joe
    October 26th, 2011 @ 1:47 am

    “Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever.” ? Aristophanes

    I love the classics!

  7. Joe
    October 26th, 2011 @ 1:53 am

    There is more stupidity around than hydrogen and it has longer shelf life.
    – Frank Zappa

    There is nothing more frightening than ignorance in action.- Goethe

  8. ECM
    October 26th, 2011 @ 2:24 am

    I’m not quibbling, but doesn’t your explanation apply to, basically, everyone on the left side of the political spectrum under the age of, oh, 45?

  9. Anonymous
    October 26th, 2011 @ 3:10 am

    Some of these young Republican types are pretty damned insolent, too.

  10. MrPaulRevere
    October 26th, 2011 @ 3:33 am

    I voted Democrat once. I was a boy then, when I became a man I put away childish things.

  11. Anonymous
    October 26th, 2011 @ 6:47 am

    I have voted “for” one Democrat in my life.  It was in the 2008 Democratic primary,a personal Operation Chaos (a week or so before Limbaugh, Coulter, et.al. began hyping it).  So I got to vote against the SCOAMF twice that year.

  12. Bob Belvedere
    October 26th, 2011 @ 8:42 am

    That phenomenon started with our generation [I’m turning fifty this December] and I think it’s because we and the subsequent conservatives were brought-up to be ideological conservatives, whereas a true conservative rejects ideology.

    Russell Kirk:
    ‘…For there exists no Model Conservative, and conservatism is the negation of ideology: it is a state of mind, a type of character, a way of looking at the civil social order.

    The attitude we call conservatism is sustained by a body of sentiments, rather than by a system of ideological dogmata….’

    ‘Ideology’ and ‘conservative’ are like oil and water.

    http://www.kirkcenter.org/index.php/detail/ten-conservative-principles/

  13. Achinacres
    October 26th, 2011 @ 8:58 am

    Hmmm….youth……stupidity……take a look at the majority of our congresscritters…..age and intelligence seem to be mutually exclusive…of course, the last time I was in DC, most of the aids were under age 30 and the only dirt under their fingernails was from picking their nose or hinder.  HMMMM…kinda like the SCOAMF

  14. DaveO
    October 26th, 2011 @ 10:53 am

    The big teaching gimmick in the last 20 years was the imposition of Groups in elementary education. Put 4-8 desks together, form a group, and whatever answer the group comes up with is correct. Usually there’s one smart kid, one natural leader, and the rest of the kids learn Bovinity in order to graduate.

    That’s why so many college students just moo instead of move along. The paradox is these bovines think they are free and free-thinking; and their peers in the service, where Group is rigidly enforced, actually make more mature, free decisions.

  15. Daily Pundit » The Inevitable Evolution of Education
    October 26th, 2011 @ 12:28 pm

    […] Because Young People Aren’t Reminded Often Enough How Ignorant They Are : The Other McCain The teaching of “self-esteem” in schools has bred insolence in youth, so that it never occurs to young people to think: “Hey, maybe I’m wrong.” […]

  16. 1389
    October 27th, 2011 @ 8:16 am

    See: Does the #Occupy Movement Speak for You?

    Some youthful hangers-on have been fully indoctrinated by the public screwel system and the leftist media. Others are being paid to be there. Still more are simply looking for an opportunity to act like pigs in public and get away with it (or so they think).

  17. Anonymous
    October 29th, 2011 @ 2:41 pm

    I read somewhere that most of these #OWS kids are called the “Trophy Generation” where everyone gets a trophy whether they win or not.  Sad.  No need for real accomplishments. Just show up and go through the motions.