It Never Ceases to Amaze Me

that young people will protest just about anything, without understanding much about the issue in question. Someone else is in power running the country, and there must be something wrong with the way the powerful are implementing their decisions. Of course, the powerful - whoever they are - have never been young, never had sex, never tried drugs and/or alcohol, and could not possibly understand the angst of today's youth... Nothing new under the sun? HA! The world has never seen anything like our generation! Yes, down with the man- we can do better! Uh-huh.

A few examples:

• The 'globalization' protests of the late 1990s and 2000s: the protesters had no clue that globalization and free trade has raised the standard of living in most parts of the world, including here in the United States; they only believed that crap Nader spoon-fed them about losing 'American' jobs
  
• The recent protests in France over the law that would allow French employers to fire workers under 26 years old at will: Unless France can enact more laws that repeal the old, economically crippling ones, the current unemployment rate of about 10% will look like child's play, and France will eventually become a poor country
  
• The Mexican-American youth currently protesting the various iterations of the immigration bill here in the U.S.: Most versions of the bill allow their illegal immigrant relatives the chance to stay in the country and gain permanent legal residence over time- that's what they really want, verdad? Why protest against the thing you want most?

Someone far wiser than myself once said, "if you want to truly understand something, try and change it." Perhaps these angry youth should try and change it, not by blind protest, but by learning more about the issue at hand. Take some basic economics courses. Maybe a law class or two. Learn how the world really works. Get involved in a political party, or start your own. Vote (if you're a legal citizen). Run for office!