[nfb-talk] Teach your leaders, teach your children!

Sun Dec 2 17:06:59 CST 2007

The generational lack of faith is truly a natural phenomena.  That doesn't
make it any more, nor less, true, but it is a phenomena of age to think that
youth are lazy, irresponsible, unrealistic and so on.  And, they are!  

On the other hand, we shouldn't mistake our feelings for any real
predictions about how the next generation will do.  In the "roaring 20" of
the previous century adults were certain that youth were irresponsible,
impolite, they were dancing, didn't write letters like they should, were
drinking alcohol, unwilling to take care of their elders, Etc.  Emily Post
wrote eloquently about this horribly gone awry generation and many talked
about the end of civilization as we know it because of all the rampant
youthful disrespect for their elders.

Then, along came the economic depression of the 30's and the World War of
the 40's.  The lazy disrespectful generation is now known as the "great
generation."  Silly of course from hindsight to see how fickle our
observations were and it will probably be seen as silly somewhere down the
line to see what baby-boomers are now saying about younger generations.

Incidentally, while we're on the subject of baby-boomers.  This is the
generation that brought generational irresponsibility to new levels with
free love, psychedelic drugs, marijuana, cocaine, and anti-establishment
revolution of all kinds.  This generation promised to care about the
environment, end war and love others.  What have they done?  Well, they have
contributed to the largest increases of pollution ever seen, higher national
deficits than at any other time, and have little to show other than
selfishness for having been here.  So, perhaps those of us in the baby-boom
generation should beware of throwing stones.
As to the NFB, I can only say that all organizations change generationally
and we will as well.  Will there be some unfortunate shocks along the way as
the new generation naturally separates itself from the old?  Of course there
will be.  Will the youth make mistakes?  Of course they will, as did we.
And, will we perhaps lose some hard fought rights because of the
indifference of the youth of today?  Well, yes, perhaps we will.  Such is
the nature of generational change.  Over all, it will probably be money
though that determines supremacy over the next twenty years.  The reason AFB
and their allies were predominant in the fifties and sixties is because they
had the money and the prestige.  That mantle more and more falls to NFB,
because we now control more of the reins of power.  Will we someday be
toppled because of complacency or an inability to see next steps in
progressing?  Perhaps so, but that too, is a page yet to be written.
Mike Bullis

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Mike Freeman
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 3:38 PM
To: NFB Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Teach your leaders, teach your children!

While I understand what you say below, I *do* think that many today (kids
and young adults) don't realize how perilously close we are to losing some
of what we've gained over the years.

Mike

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Sekhon, Harmeet
  To: NFB Talk Mailing List
  Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 7:06 PM
  Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Teach your leaders, teach your children!

  While I can agree with some of what you're saying Joe, in the sense 
that
  all people ought to understand that they've got to pull themselves up 
by
  their own bootstraps, I am getting pretty sick of the old, worn out
  notion that kids these days just don't appreciate anything and that
  they're spoiled and don't want to work for what they should get. 
People
  of your parents' generation are saying it about you, people of their
  parents' generation said it about them, and on and on and on deep into
  the dim recesses of history.  It didn't change the fact that the world
  and its culture evolved then, and it shouldn't now.  Every generation
  says this about every subsequent generation.  And guess what?  This
  thing hasn't completely imploded yet.  Now, obviously the NFB as any
  other movement that wants to survive, needs to evolve.  Instead of
  bemoaning what might happen if we bend to the young people, shouldn't 
we
  be trying to figure out how to market this movement to them?  I, in 
know
  way, want to water down the philosophy of the NFB or change the fact
  that Federationists as a group work hard to live blindness as what it
  really is rather than what much of the world would have us believe it
  is, but if we can't communicate what this is all about and convince 
the
  next generation of leaders of its value, it is on its way out folks.
  And it won't survive if all we do is complain about what might happen 
if
  "kids these days" take it over.  A lot of the apathy, I think, has to 
do
  with the fact that they don't feel welcome.

  Harmeet

  -----Original Message-----
  From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
  On Behalf Of Joe Orozco
  Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 5:39 PM
  To: NFB Talk Mailing List
  Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Teach your leaders, teach your children!

  Eric,

  I hope your comment about giving young people what they want was a bit
  of
  holiday humor, or pray that I am too narrow-minded to see the sarcasm.
  Young people already get too much of what they want.  My generation is
  spoiled, and we do not appreciate the effort it took to get what we do
  have
  until we find ourselves without it.  I agree in accommodating general
  trends
  to expand recruitment, but I am against pampering individuals as a
  method of
  keeping them in my ranks.  If we're going to teach our children 
anything
  at
  all, let us teach them how to come up fighting after they take a fall.
  Maybe that's the only way we'll impress upon the younger generation
  about
  the importance about thinking of more than just ourselves.

  Joe Orozco

  "Politics is not predictions and politics is not observations. 
Politics
  is
  what we do, what we create, by what we work for, by what we hope for 
and

  what we dare to imagine."--Senator Paul Wellstone
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: "eric calhoun" <chargerdodger at yahoo.com>
  To: <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
  Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 7:59 PM
  Subject: [nfb-talk] Teach your leaders, teach your children!

  > Hello, folks!
  >
  > Here it is, about December 1, and I first want to say
  > that I really have enjoyed this discussion of ACB
  > versus NFB.  I'd like to make a few points.
  >
  > 1.  NFB-ers must stop "coddling" people, and telling
  > people the right way to go.  We all know that the
  > right way to go is by listening and associating.
  > Having an NFB cane is very useful, but does not
  > substitute the use of the long, white cane, especially
  > in NFB-approved training centers.
  >
  > 2.  We've got to start associating more, and
  > bad-mouthing less.  Part of the reason NFB has
  > blossomed into "the engine" that could, is because of
  > leaders like Ten-Broek, Jernigan, and Dr. Maurer.
  >
  > Finally,
  >
  > We've got to give the younger people what they want: a
  > chance for everyone to come to an organization where
  > they are supported, not told how to live their lives.
  >
  > Eric Calhoun
  >
  >
  >
  >
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