Other times it looks like to me that some young people know/ hear/ sense their callings quite early, and the pop culture doesnt hold their interest… in fact they scorn it.

I think you are right, however, as in accurate: there is a huge number of kids who are easily led, who are vulnerable to pecking orders, who worry deeply about worth, who want to be resonant with pop culture as proof of any number of things.

There are many young adults I know who have various thoughts about the war; the more naive, the more excited to think/go to war, it would seem. The more wise, in my experience, the more the young struggle with 'what is the right thing to do' regarding others, including those who suffer.

As you infer Marlowecan, we do not often hear much from media about what actual regular people think, including the young, unless its bizarre in some way

Maybe we can change that a bit. let's think about how. ONe way might be blogging. I notice 'the spokespersons' of times past have lost a huge amount of 'on time,' as other credible people write online with some consistency. Ralph Reed, Jesse Jackson, David Duke, Alan Keyes, and other folks from both sides and all over, seem to not be any longer 'the only ones' who get to speak about an issue. It's an interesting change in our culture, I think. One for the better ? In some ways at least?

thank you always marlowecan
dr.e

I was reading Brittan's “Testament of Youth” a couple of months back, and thought about how WW I marked a pivotal period for the “flaming youth” of that era.

Yakup was just a teenager, one of millions, fighting in that war.

Then it was WW II. Then Vietnam. Preoccupying teenagers of later years.

“Speaking of Basra and Baghdad”…but do kids (outside Iraq) care much about it, Dr. E, as the young did about previous wars?
It seems gossip blogs, American Idol and Youtube dominate their consciousness.

Perhaps I am wrong.