Another great article, Mike. I recommend you check out Jeanie Suk Gersen's jeremiad in The New Yorker. It is frustrating in its fatuousness, but may be a macguffin for a spiel.
These poll results don't surprise me, sadly - I have two nieces attending Ivies right now and they're very caught up in anti-Israel fervor. One thing this - and much of the binary thinking on the political left these days - makes me think of constantly is dopamine. I don't think people, especially young people (including me when I was young), know the simple equation that righteous anger triggers dopamine and that's why it feels so good, so best keep things simple (i.e. un-nuanced) so you can have the purest feelings of righteousness. I don't know if people like Lukianoff ever explore this specifically, but - with the issues of disconnectedness and (perceived) poor mental health among young people generally right now, it makes sense that a large proportion would be drawn to politics that make them FEEL STUFF.
I’m a public high school librarian on sabbatical curating recordings of student discussions on google meet, syllabi changes, emails, texts, student posts, etc that I compiled from 2020-2023. It paints a grimmer picture than the polls if you want to check any of it out.
I attribute some portion to the increasingly popular sentiment that any tactics are justified once you are certain you are fighting on the side of good vs. the side of evil. The trump era accelerated and popularized this way of thinking. First trump inspired his folks with his complete commitment to winning at all costs, conventions and decency were abandoned. Then Trumps opponents followed. Trump Derangement Syndrome is real, and characterized by willingness to abandon all principles to defeat him. We are left with a large proportion of society who believes principles and integrity are no longer relevant. Once you believe you are right and the other is wrong, even the most appalling tactics are permissible.
Regardless of ideology, I find the assertion that there is a "correct answer" to any poll is disturbing. A poll, by definition, can never have a correct answer as it requests an opinion, not a fact.
The indoctrination doesn't start in college. It starts in kindergarten. This is decades in the making.
In most high school history books, the Holocaust is a mere 2 paragraph mention. And they don't even explain it properly. There are some books that are read in english class about the Holocaust but only under certain circumstances and not across the board. My father was a teacher in a Florida school district and he was told that the only Holocaust education they do is to have children read the Diary of Anne Frank if they want to.
When college students, at elite colleges, who chant from "The river to sea Palestine will be free," are asked what river and what sea, those asked actually had no idea. So this in effect is even scarier. Young adults chanting for genocide but completely ignorant of the issues involved in the conflict or where it is taking place.
In truth this is not simply about the Holocaust or antisemitism. It is truly about the how the public educational system in the US is a disaster. Our children are not taught to read, write, do simple math,or think critically. (There is a movement to actually bring back phonics, as if that is revolutionary.)
These polls, however poorly worded or created to cause controversy, do point to the fact that our children are not being educated. It's why homeschooling has boomed since the pandemic. Parents actually paid attention to what their children were being taught. Until then, people actually believed that the children were getting the same education that we had gotten back in the day.
I think it is also about how influential social media platforms are. Children do start on them as early as elementary school too. It is shown that social media is rife with antisemitism and hate of all kinds. Children spend more time on social media than they do reading books. That is also about a lack of parenting.
Thanks, Mike, that was terrifying
Another great article, Mike. I recommend you check out Jeanie Suk Gersen's jeremiad in The New Yorker. It is frustrating in its fatuousness, but may be a macguffin for a spiel.
These poll results don't surprise me, sadly - I have two nieces attending Ivies right now and they're very caught up in anti-Israel fervor. One thing this - and much of the binary thinking on the political left these days - makes me think of constantly is dopamine. I don't think people, especially young people (including me when I was young), know the simple equation that righteous anger triggers dopamine and that's why it feels so good, so best keep things simple (i.e. un-nuanced) so you can have the purest feelings of righteousness. I don't know if people like Lukianoff ever explore this specifically, but - with the issues of disconnectedness and (perceived) poor mental health among young people generally right now, it makes sense that a large proportion would be drawn to politics that make them FEEL STUFF.
I’m a public high school librarian on sabbatical curating recordings of student discussions on google meet, syllabi changes, emails, texts, student posts, etc that I compiled from 2020-2023. It paints a grimmer picture than the polls if you want to check any of it out.
I attribute some portion to the increasingly popular sentiment that any tactics are justified once you are certain you are fighting on the side of good vs. the side of evil. The trump era accelerated and popularized this way of thinking. First trump inspired his folks with his complete commitment to winning at all costs, conventions and decency were abandoned. Then Trumps opponents followed. Trump Derangement Syndrome is real, and characterized by willingness to abandon all principles to defeat him. We are left with a large proportion of society who believes principles and integrity are no longer relevant. Once you believe you are right and the other is wrong, even the most appalling tactics are permissible.
Regardless of ideology, I find the assertion that there is a "correct answer" to any poll is disturbing. A poll, by definition, can never have a correct answer as it requests an opinion, not a fact.
The future aint what it used to be
Oscar Wilde nailed it: “Youth is wasted on the young.” And the current crop more than validates his observation.
The indoctrination doesn't start in college. It starts in kindergarten. This is decades in the making.
In most high school history books, the Holocaust is a mere 2 paragraph mention. And they don't even explain it properly. There are some books that are read in english class about the Holocaust but only under certain circumstances and not across the board. My father was a teacher in a Florida school district and he was told that the only Holocaust education they do is to have children read the Diary of Anne Frank if they want to.
When college students, at elite colleges, who chant from "The river to sea Palestine will be free," are asked what river and what sea, those asked actually had no idea. So this in effect is even scarier. Young adults chanting for genocide but completely ignorant of the issues involved in the conflict or where it is taking place.
In truth this is not simply about the Holocaust or antisemitism. It is truly about the how the public educational system in the US is a disaster. Our children are not taught to read, write, do simple math,or think critically. (There is a movement to actually bring back phonics, as if that is revolutionary.)
These polls, however poorly worded or created to cause controversy, do point to the fact that our children are not being educated. It's why homeschooling has boomed since the pandemic. Parents actually paid attention to what their children were being taught. Until then, people actually believed that the children were getting the same education that we had gotten back in the day.
I think it is also about how influential social media platforms are. Children do start on them as early as elementary school too. It is shown that social media is rife with antisemitism and hate of all kinds. Children spend more time on social media than they do reading books. That is also about a lack of parenting.