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Tthis is the fourth of a series of posts on teenagers and political rebellion)
There’s no question in my mind that psychological oppression (manifested by widespread apathy and resignation in the face of major corporate and government attacks on working Americans) is at an all time high in the US. Historically (see my last two blogs on Soweto and the Palestinian Intifada), it’s typically a strong and sustained youth rebellion that enables a society to throw off severe psychological oppression. Thus I’m naturally curious about the chances of a youth resistance movement developing in the US. The following is a breakdown of the forces favoring and countering the formation of a generation Z uprising in the US:
The demographics:
- 35% of the US population is under 25.
- Total unemployment among age 16 -25: 24-25%, with many facing permanent unemployment.
- Percent of non-white unemployed youth: 46%
- Unemployment among African Americans under 25: 40.7%
- Unemployment among Hispanic Americans under 25: 35%
(Source: http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/press/aflcio_july11.shtml and http://westorlandonews.com/2011/07/15/hispanic-youth-unemployment-rate-jumps-to-35-percent/).
Forces favoring a generation Z uprising:
- Extremely high levels of teen homelessness
- Excessive parental work demands, leading to a general breakdown of parental authority
- Reduced influence of the middle class (which is being systematically dismantled) and the conservatizing influence of teachers, lawyers, ministers, social workers, who play a critical role in setting standards for appropriate behavior
- Increasing non-white demographic, coupled with high unemployment among minority youth.
Forces countering a generation Z uprising:
- Highest rate of imprisonment (which disproportionately targets youth and minorities) in the industrialized world.
- Widespread availability of illicit drugs to dampen youth resentment and anger, especially in minority communities. Ever since the opium wars in China, addictive drugs have been a favorite weapon of the British and American elite to suppress resistance movements. The late Gary Webb and other who have studied CIA involvement in narcotics trafficking have documented disproportionate targeting of minority neighborhoods with both heroin and crack cocaine. This is no accident.
- Heavy uptake by US youth of addictive social media platforms (Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube), which have all been heavily financed and penetrated by US intelligence.
To be continued, with a discussion of the epidemic of teen homelessness in the US.
