Hey it's Jenn
Currently in class we are discussing various texts from different Puritan writers, and a few days ago, we talked about how Puritans, as a religion, disappeared(although its impacts and influences are still significant to this day) after about a century. The breakup of Puritan society was largely due to the fading of faith, its exclusionary principles, and internal conflicts. If I remember correctly, we also talked about (mainly on blog) how the newer generation seems to grow more and more rebellious against the tradition.
We all tend to agree on the point that younger people are more rebellious to the established structure, whether it be culture or religion, than the older generations. The more orthodox the religion, it's easier to break away from it. What are the factors that make us, young people, more likely to disagree with the current system? Why are our parents more "stubborn"? Also, how come our trends change so rapidly? Lastly, what causes America to grow more liberal+less traditional as it gets older comparing to the Puritan societies that first settled here a few centuries ago?
(Jennifer Park)
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7 comments:
Isn't this all just based on perception, not to mention very general and catholic (first time I actually used a vocab word in a sentence outside of class)? To older people, America seems to be becoming more 'liberal,' but I don't think that the same can go for everyone else, especially those of a younger generation. I would think that they would not even notice such a 'change.' Also, to younger people may only seem rebellious to some.
I think that, in general, people don't agree with the current system when it really starts to inconvenience them. I think that at that point, people try to improve their situation by attempting to change the situation or simply break away completely.
Well, one reason is that each new generation grows up questioning what the previous generation has established. Curiosity is a normal trait, and when we're young, we tend to ask the question "Why?" more than anything else. When no satisfactory answer is given, the new generation might invent a new one and disagree with the current consensus. In that manner, each generation tends to progress and break new ground.
It's not that our parents are more "stubborn." They too once were the "new generation." But as generations mature, they tend to settle more in the assumptions they have formed, just waiting for a new generation to come along and start the whole disruptive process again.
Just as Mr. Lazarow mentioned, almost all major movements that consist of breaking away from traditional practices have been inspired by the young people. I feel that we once discussed that it was human nature to want to succeed our parents in a showy fashion (AP Euro). Parents are only "stubborn" when they are content with their surroundings. Children that come from poorer families tend to (qualifier) be encouraged by their parents to bring about change, to stray away from an unsuccessful path. For example, my parents hope that I will follow a path similar to their own because they have found it to be fulfilling. To try anything else than what they have outlined may seem to them a looming disaster in the making. If my parents were unhappy with their current situation, they would warn me of this and make sure that I headed South of their current direction.
Present-day America distances itself from tradition because of our liberty to question that to which we are exposed. Our interrogation of the world is protected by the civil rights amendments to the constitution. We won't be hung for liberal ideas. Even those who practice "witchcraft" are left alone to peacefully tend to their own business. As our world grows more radical, we accept the craziest things.
(Sam Maliha)
Younger people tend to have more open minds and adjust much more easily to change. As people get older, their ability to learn is diminished. Look at a two year, adding words to his vocabulary every day in the process of learning a (or more) language. Take a look at a ninety-year-old-- he has a much more difficult time processing and learning new information.
I think this is very similar to how society grows more liberal and open to new ideas each generation. Younger people adjust to change more easily, therefore they adjust to trends more easily. Trends can include styles of clothing, beliefs, opinions, TV shows, etc. Older people tend to be more "set in their ways", well adjusted to what is the norm for them.
Emily T.
If I'm not mistaken, everything is tied back to the concept of progress. After all, weren't conditions and ideas stagnant for centuries when culture that was a slave to tradition was perpetrated generation after generation? As soon as the idea of progress came into play - the concept of change - the world began to move towards its current state. The idea that each generation should exceed the previous generation in accomplishments? Progress. The basis of capitalism? Change.
Thus, wouldn't it logically follow that as time goes on, change will continue? Human beings are impressionable for once a trend is set in motion, it's probably going to continue for a while. Being "more rebellious" is simply a manifestation of being more accustomed to bringing about and accepting change.
"Why are our parents more "stubborn"?" -Jen
I would just like to add at this point that our parents may seem more "stubborn" to us, but, in reality, our parents are probably a lot smarter than us and have grown cautious. They have spent their entire lives gaining experience, and with experience usually comes maturity from learning from mistakes. Parents probably also feel a sense of frustration at their inability to convince us not to make the same mistakes they did. I just thought I'd put that out there...
Emily T.
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