Modern Youth
The question of youth and morality has always dogged different generations since time immemorial. From the times of Cicero in ancient Rome to the modern world the actions of the youth have always been put under the microscope due to their perceived untoward behavior. Modern youth in a bid to express their need for freedom and their unquenchable hunger for personal and societal improvement has always been accused of being rebellious.
Members of the old generation hold that the modern youth are cynics, immoral perverts, disrespectful and brazenly bold. H.M, in his letter to the Chicago Tribune in 1928, held that the modern youth are selfish and inconsiderate of others’ needs and are entitled to any other generation before (“Modern Youth in the 1920s”). Sinclair Lewis, in his 1922 novel, Babbitt, portrays the modern youth as rebellious and scornful of traditionally accepted mores. Moreover, modern youths constantly seek validation from their peers to fulfill their needs for belonging and enchantment.
Modern youths such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Regina Malone explain to the older generation why they are perceived as immoral. Regina Malone and Fitzgerald argue that modern youth is driven by an unquenchable need for freedom, personal development, and social improvement which is wrongfully attributed to rebellion. John Carter argues that even if the modern youth rebel their rebellion is aimed at fulfilling progressive notions such as freedom and development which is beneficial to all.
Modern youths have always been characterized by rebellion and utter disregard for traditional mores that are accepted in society. Modern youth writers have however dismissed this stereotype to be baseless as they argue that the youth are driven by idealism.
Works Cited
Modern Youth in the 1920s: Collected Commentary, http://sites.la.utexas.edu/history2point0/files/2016/07/2.3.modernyouth.pdf