Civil War
There is a civil war raging unnoticed in the country. There are daily and nightly battles in every village, town and city, briefly fought, then the combatants retire to houses and flats to complain bitterly about the conduct of the other side. Very few wars are fought with such animosity, hatred or sheer lack of understanding for the motivation of the opposing position. The war is that between young and old.
On one side, the view is that gangs of teenagers wander the streets terrorising all that come into contact with them, drinking alcopops, smkoing and with no consideration for, or respect, for others. These gangs need to checked up on, kept eyes on and generally monitored before they commit crimes, both petty and otherwise. They are vandals, they need to be subject to anti-social orders, curfews and other regulation.
On the other side, there is boredom, resentment and a feeling that no provision is made for their needs or desires. Feelings of being trapped, not motivated or excited by life as it is presented, accompanied by the resentment of being constantly monitored, accused and suspected. Movements are subject to rustling and moving curtains and being chased away from any enjoyment at all.
My long-held theory is that as the world moves ever more quickly, the gaps between the generations increases greatly.
(1) Technology has increased exponentially: when I was in my last year of primary school we obtained a BBC Micro computer. The school's video player was old and clunky, indeed at secondary school the only video they had was Michael Jackson's "Thriller", so when a teacher was not available we tended to watch that. I suspect Michael Jackson might not be the most popular artist in schools today!
(2) Entertainment and television are unrecognisable from 20 - 30 years ago. Alcohol is presented in a very different and enticing manner. Television is presented in soundbites: children's television is on all the time and can only add to attention deficit disorder. It is just an easy outlet for parents with bored children, but causes as many problems as it solves. Having many hundreds of channels also means that viewing habits are split and marginalised. Familes have to make a special effort to sit down and watch a documentary or a piece of entertainment suitable for the whole family. The days of everyone sitting down together to watch the Generation Game or the Morecambe and Wise Show are long gone. Trash television (Tricia, This Morning, Jerry Springer) has risen and risen, along with the celebrity culture.
(3) Politicians fail to engage with their constituencies. The current UK election is about chasing focussed votes in marginal seats, so the 500-odd seats that are not on the target list don't seem to matter to the politicians. A few years back, the Conservatives set William Hague up as a young leader to attract the youth vote, and even dressed him up with a baseball cap. Was that ever going to work?
(4) Temptations are far more available. Illicit cigarettes were about as close as you got to being "bad" in the 1980s, and I managed never to indulge in those. Now, there is a far bigger range of chemical stimulant.
(5) Travel and communication are much enhanced: the world seems smaller and yet more parochial. Children are exposed to many more cultures, often at the expense of their own ways, which leads to alienation from parents and grandparents. Overseas travel is far more easy, and holidays (thus escape) more facile. Families have moved around much more, and there is no longer a sense of belonging to an area. Children from a small village like West Hendred can no longer afford to live there - they move to the towns and cities while the houses are bought by rich Londoners. The connection between people and their roots is far weaker.
The main point is that these changes have been far greater in all areas between this generation and the last than any previous generations. The rates of change are accelerating. This means that each generation is far less in touch with the experiences of the nect generation, Whereas there was a similarity between the generations in Victorian and pre-WWII Britain, the generation of the 1960s had a different experience to their parents. It was still comparable and those people have,in many cases, had their reelion then grew up into their parent's views. However, the generations of the 1980s and beyond had formative years completely alien to those of their parents, in turn leading to the misunderstandings and alienation which gives the civil war now ongoing.
Solutions? On a postcard..., or possibly in the comments field. There's another example of the changes for you!
On one side, the view is that gangs of teenagers wander the streets terrorising all that come into contact with them, drinking alcopops, smkoing and with no consideration for, or respect, for others. These gangs need to checked up on, kept eyes on and generally monitored before they commit crimes, both petty and otherwise. They are vandals, they need to be subject to anti-social orders, curfews and other regulation.
On the other side, there is boredom, resentment and a feeling that no provision is made for their needs or desires. Feelings of being trapped, not motivated or excited by life as it is presented, accompanied by the resentment of being constantly monitored, accused and suspected. Movements are subject to rustling and moving curtains and being chased away from any enjoyment at all.
My long-held theory is that as the world moves ever more quickly, the gaps between the generations increases greatly.
(1) Technology has increased exponentially: when I was in my last year of primary school we obtained a BBC Micro computer. The school's video player was old and clunky, indeed at secondary school the only video they had was Michael Jackson's "Thriller", so when a teacher was not available we tended to watch that. I suspect Michael Jackson might not be the most popular artist in schools today!
(2) Entertainment and television are unrecognisable from 20 - 30 years ago. Alcohol is presented in a very different and enticing manner. Television is presented in soundbites: children's television is on all the time and can only add to attention deficit disorder. It is just an easy outlet for parents with bored children, but causes as many problems as it solves. Having many hundreds of channels also means that viewing habits are split and marginalised. Familes have to make a special effort to sit down and watch a documentary or a piece of entertainment suitable for the whole family. The days of everyone sitting down together to watch the Generation Game or the Morecambe and Wise Show are long gone. Trash television (Tricia, This Morning, Jerry Springer) has risen and risen, along with the celebrity culture.
(3) Politicians fail to engage with their constituencies. The current UK election is about chasing focussed votes in marginal seats, so the 500-odd seats that are not on the target list don't seem to matter to the politicians. A few years back, the Conservatives set William Hague up as a young leader to attract the youth vote, and even dressed him up with a baseball cap. Was that ever going to work?
(4) Temptations are far more available. Illicit cigarettes were about as close as you got to being "bad" in the 1980s, and I managed never to indulge in those. Now, there is a far bigger range of chemical stimulant.
(5) Travel and communication are much enhanced: the world seems smaller and yet more parochial. Children are exposed to many more cultures, often at the expense of their own ways, which leads to alienation from parents and grandparents. Overseas travel is far more easy, and holidays (thus escape) more facile. Families have moved around much more, and there is no longer a sense of belonging to an area. Children from a small village like West Hendred can no longer afford to live there - they move to the towns and cities while the houses are bought by rich Londoners. The connection between people and their roots is far weaker.
The main point is that these changes have been far greater in all areas between this generation and the last than any previous generations. The rates of change are accelerating. This means that each generation is far less in touch with the experiences of the nect generation, Whereas there was a similarity between the generations in Victorian and pre-WWII Britain, the generation of the 1960s had a different experience to their parents. It was still comparable and those people have,in many cases, had their reelion then grew up into their parent's views. However, the generations of the 1980s and beyond had formative years completely alien to those of their parents, in turn leading to the misunderstandings and alienation which gives the civil war now ongoing.
Solutions? On a postcard..., or possibly in the comments field. There's another example of the changes for you!
posted by Jonathan | Sunday, April 24, 2005
1 Comments:
I completely agree with all your points bar 2
1) this is not a civil war, but a war of attrition against all we know in the name of progress. Progress is bollocks lets have the old happy days (not with Fonzy obviously).
2)I feel sorryfor kids today. Take away th play stations and stuff and make them play in the woods and stuff like we did, nuffin to do round ere my arse, use your immagination - this does not include stealing cars.
However, I bet the dinosaurs used to say things were better in the jurrassic period eh.
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