Intergenerational Awareness

Reacting to a survey purportedly showing that “racism” is almost as high among Brits 18-24 years old as among over 55s, Vanishing American writes:

I would love to think that the younger generations will save the day, but the poll results noted in that post of mine contradict the hints of a politically incorrect sensibility among the young adults. After all, that age group is most often the one in which young people like to outrage the sensibilities of their elders and say things meant to shock, annoy or to set themselves apart from their ignorant parents. Being politically incorrect is just part of that; witness shows like South Park, which, politically incorrect as they are, are not expressions of healthy ethnocentrism.

I would add to this that ought not interpret these generational differences as a harbinger of shifting public sentiment.  Sometimes these age bracket gaps remain static as the individuals move between them, adopting new opinions to suit new circumstances.

For instance, I remember reading forever ago how young people were more prolife than old people.  Those youngsters are all grown up now and presumably running things, yet somehow that hasn’t no changes in policy have actually materialized.