Post -Ideological, Post-Partisan, Post-Political
Posted by: eric on December 11, 2009 at 11:33 am
Determined to find their own solutions to the major problems we face, and convinced that their unprecedented levels of education and technological prowess will enable them to do so, Generation We shares a social orientation that might best be described in terms of what they have left behind. Speaking in broad terms, Generation We is post-ideological, post-partisan, and post-political.
They are post-ideological because they are uninterested in learning about and defending the “conservative” or “liberal” approaches to the problems our country faces. Instead, they are pragmatic, open-minded, and innovation-oriented, eager to experiment with new solutions no matter where they may come from and no matter what political orientation they may be associated with.
They are post-partisan because, although they lean Democratic, they are disgusted with what they perceive as the narrowness, pettiness, and stagnation that often characterize both major parties. Though they are open to the possibility of a third party, the Millennials are far more interested in getting beyond party identification altogether and in focusing on cooperative efforts to make America and the world a better place.
They are post-political because they are fed up and bored with the interest-group conflicts, identity-based appeals, and power-seeking maneuvers they see as dominating the public arena. More tolerant and accepting than any previous generation, Generation We is ready to call a halt to “culture wars” that pit people of different religions, races, ethnicities, regions, cultures, values, and sexual orientations against one another for political gain. They believe that all of us—not only all Americans, but all humans around the planet—will ultimately share the same destiny, and therefore must find ways to work together for the common good. And they stand ready to lead the effort.
December 13th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
I have to admit I am only staring to read this book, but I have passed it on to several of my younger friends of the “WE” generation. They have immediately passed it on to their friends.
Just a thought at this early stage; this book seem to be describing the Green meme of Spiral Dynamics Integral. I don’t know if the author is familiar with this concept of cultural developmental stages, but if not he should be. There are several stages of development above this on, though the number of people at these higher stages of development are still few.
Also one of the more important issues,in my opinion, facing America is reclaiming Democracy form Corporate rule…as in amending the Constitution to exclude corporations from “personhood”. Much of the demise of America, environmentally and economically, can be traced back to this issue in one way or another.
February 25th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Holy Cow! the comments above are so vitriolic – and so negative about Generation WE that one might suspect they are the result of an organized campaign to discredit the positive thrust of the current generation towards solving our problems rather than attacking the problem solvers
As a grandfather of 12 Generation WE citizens of the world, I know that this generation is poised to change the game, and no amount of poisonous negativity as evidenced in the comments to this post will deter Generation WE from acting to help the US and the people of the world to successfully address the problems that face us – particularly those entwined in our nation’s seemingly unbreakable addiction to oil and the myriad wars and planetary damage we are now suffering as a result.
quit bitching about the “proressives” and join the movement to support Generation WE and its alternative energy project.
May 27th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
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