Lots of talking points (for me, anyway) in BroodBuster's post, but I'll try to limit it to a couple that are of particular interest to me.
I think what we are seeing is a well educated, and globally wired, youth who don't see much of a future outside of peddling fruit at a fruit stand or greeting customers at a Wal-Mart.
I suspect and hope you are right. A general awakening of the younger generations is exactly what this world needs to turn the Global Economy into something that benefits more than just the wealthiest individuals. If that is what is happening, then these are indeed exciting times.
The old, rich farts running this world have already got theirs and are doing what they can to hold on to it (read wall street bailout). That's all fine and dandy if the next generation has hope for a better life for themselves but what happens when, with degree in hand, there are no jobs?
This is an important question, and it speaks to my biggest concern around the education strategy outlined by the President in his State of the Union address. On the surface, an effort to get a higher percentage of our youth college-educated sounds great, even if one does question where the money will come from. If it comes to fruition, however, we will have a glut of white collar candidates in the job market, and there won't be enough jobs to support them. Furthermore, increasing the number of people holding degrees will devalue those degrees significantly, so salaries for the jobs requiring those degrees will decline, further tilting the distribution of wealth in the favor of the very wealthy. Without manufacturing jobs and the like (which the current administration seems to be writing off altogether), the foundation of our middle class will be gone, and we will be left with two classes: rich and well-educated poor.
Any chance we start to see policy's that promote hiring our own citizens as opposed to those in other country’s? Or do world leaders dig in their bootheels and hope the average person is happy with a few crumbs (albeit with piece and security)?
Or am I totally missing the boat here and kids today are happy as long as we keep them into video games and I phone apps?
I'm not sure how it can be accomplished, but I think bringing our jobs back home is critical. Kids will cease to be content with toys alone when they reach working age and are unable to find jobs to support themselves and their gaming/technology habits. That may be the time when our youth follows the example the Egyptians are setting today. The way things are headed, I think we may find out soon.
Always fascinating when history plays out in front of your eyes especially when no one really saw it coming!
Indeed.
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