Why the Shock - and Anger - Over Some Good News About Teens?

My new teen book, The Emerging Millennials, won’t be out for about two-to-three more weeks. But already, media attention – notably that of Maclean’s (April 13th cover story) and the National Post (April 7th) – indicating that the overall findings about teenagers are positive is being met with predictable anger by some people. That’s not surprising. What’s surprising is that anyone should be surprised – as this short excerpt from the book explains.

Are We Making Progress?

In Canada, we continue to make young people a very high priority. Precisely because we want “our kids” and “our grandkids” to turn out well, we direct significant resources toward their well-being. Part of the Boomer legacy has been the creation of government departments that have specialized in enhancing the well-being of youth. Along with multi-faceted school programs, such government initiatives address a wide range of themes, including education, employment, drug abuse, personal development, recreation, family life, and personal counselling.
Further, the explosion of information has been accompanied by the emergence of a seemingly endless number of information industries, many of which specialize in youth. Government departments and schools routinely draw on people who provide expertise in any number of areas, as illustrated by the roster of a major teachers’ convention, or a one-day training event for people involved with youth.
Consequently, it’s ironic that we continue to engage in considerable hand-wringing about young people today. Like so many adults before us, we frequently repeat the old adage about teenagers facing more challenges than ever before. In addition, we express concern that they are not going to turn out as well as the emerging generations that preceded them.
Why do we continue to say such strange things? If we are investing those millions – no, billions – of dollars in young people and providing them with the unprecedented body of resources that we have at this point in history, why on earth would we expect that they should turn out worse than previous generations of teenagers?
Such morbid negativism amounts to a damning indictment of the collective resources being directed at youth, including the hundreds of thousands of women and men employed in the youth sector who are giving their lives to elevating life for young people.
For example, I’ve sometimes been appalled at the negative reaction of people involved in the drug field when I bring some good news about drug use being down – or the wincing of teachers when I suggest students are feeling more positive about school than they did in the past. I am treated like the bearer of bad news. Heavens, if people have been doing their jobs well, those are precisely the findings we would expect to uncover.

The more appropriate response? Give some credit, and take some credit!

Source: Reginald W. Bibby. The Emerging Millennials: How Canada’s Newest Generation is Responding to Change and Choice. Lethbridge: Project Canada Books, 2009:67-68. Available in bookstores and via www.projectcanadabooks.com.