Young Americans Want Traditional Values

Townhall.com ^ | October 11, 2011 | Susan Brown

[Kaslin]

Appearances can be deceptive. In this age of open disclosure and the Internet, one would think we have access to all knowledge, but we don't. We are still at the mercy of those in charge of providing any given piece of information. Unless we are satisfied with the lop-sided information being spoon-fed to us by those having an agenda, it is up to us to do our own digging for the truth.

Odds are you haven't heard much about the results from the portion of the October 5, 2011 Gallup Poll that asked young people from the age of 18 to 34 the objective question: "Some people think the government should promote traditional values in our society. Others think the government should not favor any particular set of values. Which comes closer to your own view?"

With media hype surrounding the "Occupy" protests suggesting America is on the throes of revolution, and this purported revolution is being executed by young Americans speaking for the majority of their age group, you'd be surprised to find that 53 percent of the young people participating in the Gallup poll said they believed government should promote traditional values.

Most intriguing is that Gallup found what appears to be a sure and steady climb toward traditional values over the past three years by the same age group that had overwhelmingly embraced the antithesis of traditional values when they backed Barack Obama's hope and change campaign. Prior to the election, in September 2008, just 38 percent thought the government should promote traditional values. In 2009, the numbers rose to 41 percent, 47 percent in 2010, and climbed to 53 percent this year.

I'm not a statistician or a pollster, but I do know if one takes this poll seriously, it seems the word "revelation" rather than "revolution" better describes what's going on in the minds of tomorrow's leaders who have witnessed firsthand what happens when an ideologue takes over the Oval Office.

The evolution of the grassroots TEA Party movement taught us that disciplined anger expressed by way of peaceful protest or sensible debate is both healthy and productive. Given the current state of the economy, no one can blame young people without jobs for being angry. Problem is, their anger is misdirected.

Young Americans should also be angry that they were lied to about green energy being the industry of the future and then watched more than a half billion dollars to fund it disappear overnight. They should be outraged that the president they adore saddled them with more debt than could be paid off in a lifetime. They should be livid they were promised a strengthening of America's economic standing in the world instead made it the laughingstock.

Young Americans should be infuriated at the one who promised to transform the way Washington worked but instead became its biggest offender. They should be incensed that a Constitutional lawyer promising to work for the common man provided the environment for the common man to lose his ability to work. They should be irate that a Chicago community organizer promised to bridge the gap between the Left and Right has only served to agitate either side, thus creating what now seems like an insurmountable divide.

C.S. Lewis once wrote: "What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are." Digging for truth takes much effort, but from where I'm standing, it makes a lot of sense for young Americans to take GOP presidential-hopeful Herman Cain's recent advice and move their protests to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

[RC2]

I guess that traditional values to me would take me back to the 40’s & 50’s when you could walk the streets of any city in perfect safety. I don’t think we will ever see that again.

[Buckeye McFrog]

so how does this square with their previous polls that show exploding levels of support for gay marriage?

[Spktyr]

Why should gay people be exempt from being traditionally miserable as well? :P

[RipSawyer]

It is a question of what they SEE as being traditional values. I’m betting that those of us who think of traditional values in terms of the 1950s are way out of phase with these young people. They probably figure traditional values are the values of the Clinton administration.