Why don't we listen to young people more?

Question

Have you noticed that adults tend to dismiss what children have to say as silly? They, and teenagers, often make astute observations about themselves, us (adults) and the world in general. Even we in our twenties are barely recognised in matters of importance.

The voice of the young is most notably ignored in politics, whereby old people, usually with no understanding of the financial hardships many members of the public go through, make decisions for all of us, at all ages. Not that I criticise age as a component of leadership, but there is no representation whatsoever for younger people, and I think youth in general are not given enough credit for being able to think and reason. Why do you think that is, and how can we change it on a large scale?

Shmoops - I think you'll find I wasn't insulting older people or suggesting they aren't in a good position to make decisions. If you put your glasses on and read the question, you'll see I'm asking why young people are not represented. Youth still make up a reasonable component of the population and need to be adequately considered. I think you'll find that humans of any age consider themselves and those similar to them before anyone else and make decisions based on that, which is why ALL age groups (and any other kind of groups) MUST be represented to make the system fair. And for the record, young people also have some experience. You can't discount it just because we've had less of it. This is what I'm talking about.

Answer 1

I don't think that what young people say should be dismissed as silly. As an older person (who can still remember being younger LOL), I think it wise to practice active listening with *everyone,* and sometimes more especially younger people.

Many older people believe that their life experiences give them more "intelligence" than younger people. I disagree. I think our life experiences give us more "smarts." It's just a fact of life. The longer you live, the more you experience. It's like a clinical trial. If you do it for a month, you get one result. If you do it over years, you get a better idea of what actually will happen in the long run. It doesn't make us more intelligent - it gives us a better understanding of what some common sense issues might be.

However, if we were *really* smart, we would practice active listening - because when younger people come up with solutions to something, while our first response might be to think, "Oh, that could never work because X, Y or Z." We may very well be right. BUT - as we're so busy being centered on being *right,* we're missing a huge opportunity to create a dialogue.

I believe that youth also offers a fresh perspective - youth is not always wrong! While sometimes their approach might be a bit "green" or "wet behind the ears," sometimes it's exactly what's needed. With all the benefits of getting older - like experience to draw on - we also sometimes come to a point where we say, "Oh, I've got that figured out, there musn't be any other way." It's a trap and even I am guilty of falling into it. I feel fortunate that I can recognize that failing of mine and can attempt to work harder at it.

I think it's a two-way street sometimes. The young feel as though the old are inflexible, when sometimes the old are actually exercising good judgment. The old feel as though the young are just running on flat-out emotion and not thinking things through - when sometimes that's exactly what's needed to create an atmosphere conducive to brainstorming.

The young have a responsibility too - when they feel they're being dismissed, it's their responsibility to handle it gracefully - as you did. If emotions boil over, as they tend to do in youth (LOL - been there so many times!), it just reinforces the fogey's belief that the youth are far too mercurial to truly accomplish anything. It is the elder's responsibility to listen to the youth that are following behind - really listen. Appreciate what's being said and then *discuss* it. It's strange to think that something as basic as age can be about as divisive as race can be sometimes, isn't it? But it's a pulling together that's required.

At some point, we older folks (I'm 41, btw), have to step aside and say, "If I'm working to try to better the future, it's time for me to hear what those I'm trying to better it for are trying to tell me."

The youth of today have potential leaders. The key for them is to not get disillusioned and feel that because the goals they want aren't being achieved right this very minute that they're simply unattainable. Education is key - the statistics on teen drug use, pregnancy and drop-outs are staggering. You write very well - but I'm sure you've noticed the trend of the young to not care about how others perceive them when they write. When I see questions on Answers! that read something like, "Mi bf don't lissen to mi n we fite al da tim," I have to admit my desire to listen to youth diminishes quite a bit. Encourage your fellow young people to take communication skills seriously. Get involved in community activities where you help at-risk youth become educated.

This is a great question. I really think you have a gift for opening up dialogues, which in the long run is the only thing that will start the problem-solving process. I wish you the best.

Answer 2

Well, young people don't have the influence that older people do, partially because they don't have the financial resources and also because they frequently don't vote... or tend to vote only party lines, which is simple obedience.

They do tend to make astute observations, but the ability to reason needs to be backed by the wisdom of experience (although some have more experience than others). I think that some young people are better at this than others. Many young people don't seem to care about or pay attention to important, influential matters, and so are seen as a whole, as frivolous.

Youths could have more influence on things if they put forth the effort, and made themselves heard. If they voted, at the polls and with their pocketbooks, they could probably send out a few wake-up calls.

Answer 3

Huh? What? Did you say something?

Older people have EXPERIENCE, which makes them better at making decisions. You think older people don't know what hardships the younger people face? Ever hear of a thing called 'the depression'? Thanks to the people that lived through it (who also happen to be 'older people' now), none of us will ever have to see wide spread poverty in the US that they did.

Answer 4

Children are idiots, that's why their not running the country and driving mini cabs.

Answer 5

Yes i have noticed that