"There's a lot of difference between listening and hearing" - G. K. Chesterton
"For society to attempt to solve its desperate problems (for example, gun violence) without the full participation of even very young people is imbecile." This is a formal social observation by Alvin Toffler is personalized in lay terms by John Wayne as, "You're short on ears and long on mouth."
At least four iGeneration students, David Hogg, Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky and Chris Grady, born in the year 2000 or later, attending Parkland FL's Marjory Stoneham Douglas High, have concluded - enough is enough. Their Never Again Movement is a classic model of Smelser's collective behavior explanation. Neil Smelser, a world recognized sociologist, provided a very clarifying insight as to why and how collective behavior results in social movements.
Applying Smelser's thesis, the iGeneration is civically aware about the right to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievance. Admittedly, self-governing societies are far more subject to collective behavior than authoritarian structures.
iGeneration students are the first generation of our children who have a very strong and growing sense of the injustice of being increasingly probable victims of mass murder while attending school. In their view policy decision-makers are not able or not willing to effectively reduce this most obvious threat.
This iGeneraton sense of injustice as well as their repeated observation of leader's incompetence or unwillingness is ever-growing, and broadly-based as well as conventionally understood by more and more and yet, more people. In short, these iGeneration beliefs are now generalized society beliefs.
The Stoneham Douglas High shooting was the precipitating factor igniting the flame which has resulted in the call, by Hogg, Gonzalez Kasky and Grady, et al, to mobilize. These iGeneration students so thoroughly skilled in social media are utilizing their learned asset as the most efficient and effective resource tool to nationally mobilize - calling for the collective action ("March for Our Lives") on March 24, in Washington D.C. It will not be surprising if the iGeneration turnout overwhelms many of those incompetent and/or unwilling "long on mouth" leaders.
A reasonably anticipated response, by too many of the elected leadership, will be to control, to dominate, to listen – but not to hear. Being held accountable for action or inaction, the heart of self-governance, is so very bothersome and so threatening for far too many elected decision-makers. Sadly, this could very well be a major lesson re-learned by the iGeneration.
Equally important is the critically timed issue framed by this iGeneration's Never Again Movement: Kids v guns. Which is primary? Which is secondary?
This is also the opportunity for us to observe and measure our ability or inability to meaningfully self-govern.
Don Carlson resides in Carson City.