Old Man Newquist Tells Aberdeen's Youth: "You Kids Get Off My Yard!"
Aberdeen's David Newquist says the youth of today are a troubled, bigoted, divided, intolerant bunch. Read: Bad day at Sixth Avenue and Dakota Street
I can imagine The Newk hiking his pants up to his nipples, putting on a pork pie hat, wearing a powder blue polyester short-sleeved jumpsuit, and screaming out his front door, "You kids get of the yard!"
An excerpt:
Over the years when I have asked freshmen students to write analytical papers about their educational experiences, they all acknowledge the divisions of students into the popular kids, the preppies, the gangstas, the motor heads, the druggies, the gothics, the jocks, and on and on. The papers all reflected a bitter disdain held by the factions toward each other. They were remarkable in that only an isolated few reflected any inclination toward tolerance, good will, and the acceptance of differences.
Sounds like Yankton High School circa 1976 to me. Druggies, jocks, preps, sluts, gear heads, and nerds. Or go watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). High school is high school. Most of us get through it and grow up into decent humans.
The Newkster talks about bad behavior by the kids on both sides of the abortion divide election day, essentially yelling at cars and each other. It's all sound and fury, signifying nothing. And I have no doubt Dr. Dave has accurately reported the scene election day in Aberdeen. It was probably not pretty.
But I had a far different experience with the youth of South Dakota while working against Amendment C.
We had straight and gay high school and college students (and youth that age who were working) as volunteers. To a person, they were hard working, thoughtful, and respectful. Many of our volunteers handing out palm cards to voters as they went to the voting booth were under 21. I observed several polling places and our youthful volunteers were friendly and respectful. If someone didn't want literature, they respected that. If someone yelled at them about being against Amendment C, they said thank you and have a nice day. Some of our college age volunteers even rescued a lady's cat who had run out of her house when they were canvassing--after she had told them in no uncertain terms she was voting for Amendment C.
Prior to election day, our youthful volunteers worked hard. They took direction from me and other SDAD staff. They took part in our planning sessions and offered excellent ideas for GOTV. We did not have a single youthful (or otherwise) volunteer flake on us election day.
In talking to many of these youth, they said they didn't think their parents took the time to get to know them or to realize that they were good kids, not punks. That is a failing of us older folks, not our children and our young citizens.
Unllike Dr. Newquist, I came away with quite a different view of South Dakota's young people--they are caring, hardworking, thoughtful, and reliable. Are there some bad apples in the bunch? Sure. But no different than any group of South Dakotans. If anything, I am more hopeful about the future of our state based on what I saw from the young people who I worked with this election.
Dr. Newquist, I guess I'm just a damn sunny optimist.
Todd Epp
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Reader Comments (6)
Bottom line - young people have all kinds, just as old people do.
In saying that my post says our youth are "a troubled, bigoted, divided, intolerant bunch," you are absolutely wrong. I am wondering if you are trying to replace Sibby in the disjunction department. Or trying to compete with South Dakota Politics in the misquotation enterprise. I was reporting on an incident which received comment today in our local newspaper, in which I had two children participating, and in which I had some involvement. I am saying that young people tend to excesses and need coaching at times, but I am by no means condemning them in the terms you stated.
While the image of the crotchety old fool berating the young may give you pleasure, I hope your readers will follow the link you provided, such as Young Person above, and read what the post was all about. As a retired professor, I am still working with young people who have been alienated by the factional divisions in high school so that they might have other chances to obtain educations.
The point I made in the passage you quoted was that my young writers accepted the factionalism, as you do, as the norm, without much thought as to the damage done to those who are disaffected and driven off by it. That is not a testy condemnation of all young people. It is a concern about something that interferes with their educations.
I deeply resent your mischaracterization of what I said. But then in blogland, interpretation, not the actual language, is what matters.
"Our children did not do us proud that day. But they are expressions of what they learn from us. Don't disparage the kids. Examine our failings as a culture and a society."
Why do you assume that young people invovled in campaigns automatically have nothing positive to contribute, other than doing grunt-work like stuffing envelopes. At what age do people earn the right to an opinion?
I completely respect that "older" people on campaigns have (sometimes) been doing this work for considerably longer than I have, but that doesn't automatically make their opinions more valid. Sometimes fresh ideas and strategies are exactly what campaigns need. Using the same strategy over and over (with little regard for whether or not it resulted in actually winning), simply because that's how it has always been done isn't going to help anyone in the long run. Discounting an opinion simply because it came from someone under the age of 40 is not only unfair, it just doesn't make sense.
I'm so tired of "older people" complaining that young people aren't involved in politics, when people like you seem to get so bent out of shape when we do. This patronizing "youth should be seen and not heard" attitude is ridiculous. If you ever wonder why young people don't vote in larger numbers, you need only go back and read your own post, David.
If "older people" continue to view young people as useful for little more than envelope stuffers, instead of creating young leaders, it will cripple the long-term progressive movement. If you want people to continue doing this work long term, stop acting like everyone on a campaign under the age of 40 is stealing your turf.
I think you are the one who needs to go back and read my post. It is not about attacking or dismissing the efforts of young people. It is about our failure to work with them in ways that produce more constructive results.
After spending the better part of a lifetime teaching, I do have concerns when education and the transmission of knowledge and skills is not working.
I neither said or implied anything of the things you impute to my post.
At least have the decency to read what the post is all about and what it actually says. Take your F and try again, or go to the reading lab and get help.