Soldiers defy stereotypes projected onto a generation                                  Susanne Kappler    Leader Staff

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” most commonly attributed to Socrates Socrates certainly didn’t hold back with his opinion about young people. Interestingly, a lot of what he said 2,400 years ago sounds just like what people are saying about today’s youth. Being closer to 40 than 20, I catch myself getting annoyed by teenagers who roll their eyes and say, “Whatever,” when their parents ask them to do something. Don’t get me started on seemingly endless conversations on the latest and greatest cell phones — just to hang up and send an urgent text to one of a hundred BFFs (that’s “best friends forever,” for those not initiated in text speak). “Children are now tyrants,” indeed. That reminds me of an episode I once witnessed at a store. A young girl, maybe 4 years old, threw herself on the floor and started to cry when her mother wouldn’t buy her the toy she had an eye on. What a spoiled little ... Oh wait, the image is getting clearer, the scene actually happened in the mid-70s and — oh my— the spoilt little something turned out to be yours truly (so much for my generation). Maybe us “old folkies” should try to be less judgmental and generalizing in looking at the younger generations. Working as a reporter on Fort Jackson offers me the great opportunity to meet with Soldiers who are in basic training. Some of them are young enough to be my children and all are brave enough to humble me. The countless chants of, “Yes, drill sergeant.” echoing throughout the installation are testimony to their acceptance of authority. Their willingness to wear the uniform is testimony to their sense of duty. I sometimes hear that young people lack ambition. I remember talking to a young Soldier who knew that he wanted to serve in the military when he was 5 years old. He worked hard to make his dream come true and nothing could deter him. He graduated from Basic Combat Training last year and talked to me about the goals he has for his military career. He is young, ambitious and defies the perceptions that are projected onto his generation. Another trainee told me he wanted to be pushed to his limits by his drill sergeants to become a better Soldier. He would look at any score below 300 on his physical fitness test as a failure. He is young, disciplined and defies the perceptions that are projected onto his generation. Maybe we need to remember these examples of the younger generation next time we are tempted to hastily agree with Socrates. Maybe we need to substitute his words with those of Confucius: “A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do you know that his future will not be equal to our present?”