What do youth really need to tell the government?

[Pangloss]

Ok, just a question here: is anyone who has posted here a member of a political party, even a youth wing, involved in a political issue (as an activist, or even stuffing envelopes for your local community center), or involved in politics to any serious degree?

If not, then most everyone here is, how to put it? "Talking out of their asses," yeah, that's it.

I have been politically active all my adult life, and teenagers and young adults are more involved than ever before. They just don't tend to join parties - they get together for an issue, form some kind of ad hoc group, fight the fight, and then move on. The loyalty is to results on a particular issue, not to any group per se.

Major political parties, even the Greens, are soiling their pants about this: big machines need large groups of loyal supporters who will mostly do what they are told. Temporary allies cannot be taken for granted the same way.

It would be awesome to read a reply about from an actual young person who was actually politically active - if that person disagreed with me, I'd take them seriously. Or how about a staffer from one of our national political parties?

Even the information I've got is mostly second hand or a couple of years old.

Pangloss

 

[vishliberal]

I am 16 years old and am a member of a youth wing of a federal and provincial political party, and I can say that I do care about current events and politics. I am very interested with politics and keep up to date with it. Unfortunately, or some can see it as fortunate, many teenagers do NOT. Having grown up and talking to these youth I've noticed their main issue. 1) theyve never really started looking into the issues and the political storyline so its hard to follow. 2) their just not interested. However, the problem I see with it is that they do care but the issues they care about are not neccesary the headline issues in politics today. I mean now a cleaner environment is one, but a main and important thing high school students are passionate about is social justice. We have a social justice club at my school with over 200 students. It sends a clear message that they do care. They care about what driving laws are being changed, etc becuase it obviously affects them. Thus, if the politicians target the issues that interest and even affect youth, they will listen. Youth, though they dont always speak out, bring a fresh and critical perspective once their informed and its important to try to get them informed. They actually had some kind of mock youth election for the federal election on the same day it was going on for the Youth. The youth all over canadian high schools got to vote, obviously it was not for real, but they had a chance to cast a vote and see what its like and see who they want for prime minister. It was interesting to see the results. I think Harper won a majority:lol: :angry3:

 

[wallyj]

Youth is wasted on the young. I believe that while many of our youth can contribute to the political process, they really don't understand what life is about until they have worked,lived and paid taxes for a few years.It is easy to cry out for social justice and equality for all when the working class are supporting you and your causes.

 

[Pangloss]

Youth is wasted on the young. I believe that while many of our youth can contribute to the political process, they really don't understand what life is about until they have worked,lived and paid taxes for a few years.It is easy to cry out for social justice and equality for all when the working class are supporting you and your causes.

So, according to your logic, nobody under, say, twenty five has a damned thing to say? Inane off-the-cuff pontificating.

A good idea is a good idea, wherever it comes from. Nothing as stupidly irrelevant as paying taxes will make an idiot wise, so how does not paying taxes make a person useless to listen to?

I happen to work in a industry dominated by very young people. Gee, Wally, some of them seem pretty smart and sensible. And some of the old folks can be pretty dumb - they do things like spew opinions without thinking about them.

And I have to ask, Wally - what is life really about? I mean, you sure sound like you have a pretty solid, old man been-paying-taxes-for-years handle on it.

Experience does not necessarily equal expertise.

Pangloss

 

[wallyj]

So, according to your logic, nobody under, say, twenty five has a damned thing to say? Inane off-the-cuff pontificating.

A good idea is a good idea, wherever it comes from. Nothing as stupidly irrelevant as paying taxes will make an idiot wise, so how does not paying taxes make a person useless to listen to?

I happen to work in a industry dominated by very young people. Gee, Wally, some of them seem pretty smart and sensible. And some of the old folks can be pretty dumb - they do things like spew opinions without thinking about them.

And I have to ask, Wally - what is life really about? I mean, you sure sound like you have a pretty solid, old man been-paying-taxes-for-years handle on it.

Experience does not necessarily equal expertise.

Pangloss

You seem a little angry. Maybe it is time for a time-out. I did not say that no one under 25 has a damn thing to say,you did though.Paying taxes is irrelevant.Not a chance child,paying your own way does mature a person in thought and in spirit. Experience does not necessarily equate expertise,but in almost all cases it is required. As for what is life really about? Well,This old man knows what keeps him happy,once you have lived for a while,hopefully you will find out for yourself. Cheers.

 

[Pangloss]

Well, thanks for the patronizing little pat on the head Wally.

Pangloss

 

[wallyj]

You are welcome. One thing about getting older is that you realize that your survival as "what you are" is totally dependent on youself.You may want to put people on your path to happiness,but they will resist,most women would rather clean up the empties and do you, than discuss gore and suzuki

 

[able]

I still remember my youth, it was an endless period of shut up, sit down, and speak when you are spoken to. Looking back on it, many of the people who told me that, weren't all that intelligent, but they did have a sense of reality. Reality isn't intelligence, but it is something that has to be learned. It requires you to realise that the world consists of more than your impatient need to change everything in order that you can get your one plank nailed firmly to the platform. One idea may be your most important issue, but it isn't the most important, others have something to say as well. We have to learn this, and it takes time, not impatience.

 

[Pangloss]

Who says, wally? Maybe in your world, but that doesn't sound anything like the one I live in.

Wait a second, wally - I might be on to something. Maybe it's not just how I live, or how you live, maybe it's how each individual lives! Maybe there are a multiplicity of ways to live and experience this world, and trite one paragraph descriptions are for simplistic fools!

Whattya think, wally?

Pangloss

 

[Libra Girl]

I still remember being 7 years old and watching CBC: The National every night at 10 pm...

I know this is completely off topic, but I just gotta know... You were allowed to still be up at 10pm at the age of 7? :-?

 

[sanctus]

I know this is completely off topic, but I just gotta know... You were allowed to still be up at 10pm at the age of 7? :-?

He is (thankfully) no longer a member of this site Libra, so he shan't be able to respond. No matter, he was probably lying as usual;-)

 

[Libra Girl]

He is (thankfully) no longer a member of this site Libra, so he shan't be able to respond. No matter, he was probably lying as usual;-)

Well, I hope he was sanctus, for a moment there I thought I had been ' short changed' as a kid. lol

Gosh, so he's left...

 

[Mitch L]

Why is that I am always reading the same thing over and over again? People bitching about the way the government treats them, as if bitching that much is acctually going to do something. When a democratically elected government mistreats its citizens, you overthrow it.

The concept of Canadians overthrowing their government would seem so foreign to us, becasue it is just not in our nature, as a democratic nation to even think about that kind of thing.

The youth are the future of this counrty, and they should all share some intrest in politics, but as said already in this thread, they don't care because the future is always going to be horrible. But that's only the case when people do not act on the issues.

I am a youth. I have a thread started on this site called "New Brunswickers fed up with government", but have I gotten any responce to that thread? No. And why not? Becasue I am a youth.

None of you have acctually been correct on this subject. I find that alot more people my age have some sort of opinion on politics than not, and all seem to really enjoy a good conversation on the subject. The reason they (we) don't show much intrest is becasue people are so goddamned bias towards us. They claim we should have more intrest, we do, than are opinions don't get taken seriously becasue of our age.

 

[Pangloss]

Why is that I am always reading the same thing over and over again? People bitching about the way the government treats them, as if bitching that much is acctually going to do something. When a democratically elected government mistreats its citizens, you overthrow it.

The concept of Canadians overthrowing their government would seem so foreign to us, becasue it is just not in our nature, as a democratic nation to even think about that kind of thing.

The youth are the future of this counrty, and they should all share some intrest in politics, but as said already in this thread, they don't care because the future is always going to be horrible. But that's only the case when people do not act on the issues.

I am a youth. I have a thread started on this site called "New Brunswickers fed up with government", but have I gotten any responce to that thread? No. And why not? Becasue I am a youth.

None of you have acctually been correct on this subject. I find that alot more people my age have some sort of opinion on politics than not, and all seem to really enjoy a good conversation on the subject. The reason they (we) don't show much intrest is becasue people are so goddamned bias towards us. They claim we should have more intrest, we do, than are opinions don't get taken seriously becasue of our age.

So we should overthrow the gov't? Hmm, would that make things better? Probably not - but hey, thanks for the inane idea.

Maybe you didn't get any response to your thread because is is a crappy thread. I haven't read it, but have you considered the possibility you asked a question or posed a topic in a way that appeals to nobody?

None of us have been correct on this subject? Ok, so now it's arrogant blanket rejections of whatever anyone else has to say. Awesome - maybe that's why your thread was ignored.

Pangloss

 

[Mitch L]

None of us have been correct on this subject? Ok, so now it's arrogant blanket rejections of whatever anyone else has to say. Awesome - maybe that's why your thread was ignored.

Pangloss

Arrogant blanket rejections, or rejecting the same two opinions of this subject mentioned 30 some times? The mention of my thread being ignored wasn't me complaining, it was an example. I'm not wrong about what I said in my reply to this thread. And I was far from trying to start any sort of argument, so grow up.

 

[darkbeaver]

"What do youth really need to tell the government?"

Tell them if they don't stop sleeping with the corporate pigs youth will destroy them.
Tell them if they don't get with a national energy program, youth will destroy them.
Tell them if they don't stop licking the boots of the empire, youth will destroy them.
Tell them if they don't educate for free, youth will destroy them.
Tell them if they don't start seriously working on the environment, youth will destroy them.
Tell them if they don't look after the children, the old and the infirm, youth will destroy them.
Or you could save your breath and destroy them first.:smile:

 

[Mitch L]

None of us have been correct on this subject? Ok, so now it's arrogant blanket rejections of whatever anyone else has to say. Awesome - maybe that's why your thread was ignored.

Pangloss

Arrogant blanket rejections, or one rejection of the two opinions reworded and said over and over again 30 some times? I wasn't trying to start an argument with my post, but arrogant assholes such as yourself seem to think that your opinions are the only ones that really matter, so when an idea like overthrowing the government comes into the conversation well, thats just unheard of, becasue we Canadians are too soft to do what really needs to be done, and seem to rather bend over and take one up the ass. "(insert current issue here), perhaps I'll bitch about it untill my face turns blue, forget about it, (after nothing gets done, of course), and carry about my contridicting ways." Typical.

Tell me, "Pangloss", how, exactly, do you think we should solve all of the issues in Canada, and try not to name off BS that has already been said/done, and failed miserable.

 

[Mitch L]

"None of us have been correct on this subject? Ok, so now it's arrogant blanket rejections of whatever anyone else has to say. Awesome - maybe that's why your thread was ignored." Pangloss

Arrogant blanket rejections, or one rejection of the same two opinions reworded and said over and over again 30 some times? I didn't intend on starting an argument with my post, but arrogant assholes like you seem to think that your opinions are higher than everyone elses. Here's an idea; perhaps the concept of overthrowing the government is crazy, or 'won't make things better, becasue Canadians such as yourself, and most everyone else, would rather just bitch untill your face turns blue about the issues, than, after NOTHING gets done, you forget about it, bend over, and take one up the ass? Yeah, I'm going to go with that, becasue thats all anyone ever sees. And about my thread getting ignored, I was using that as an example, I wasn't complaining about it, so Don't start senceless arguments.

 

[Pangloss]

Mitch, you flaming little troll - don't you know smart people can't be baited?

Pangloss

 

[Mitch L]

Mitch, you flaming little troll - don't you know smart people can't be baited?

Pangloss

Flaming little troll, eh? Meh. Wasnt my intention, niether was posting that many times, sorry to everyone for that, my replies werent showing up right away. And not that I'm trying to keep this going, but what exactly was it about my post that got you kinda bein' a dick?