Gen Z, Anxiety, and the Surge of Suffering

 

Today, it seems we are bombarded with existential threats to human existence, including global warming, the next presidency, illegal immigration, unscrupulous media reporting, and the next pandemic. Since the 2020 pandemic, Americans are suffering from increased levels of anxiety

In his latest book, The Anxious Generation, best-selling author Jonathan Haidt examines how social media and isolation have negatively affected ‘Gen Z’ [ages 12 – 27]. In an era of “safetyism,” where parents hesitate to let children walk to the end of their driveway without supervision, children are safe at home but released on the internet, where pornography, bullying, hate groups, and other high-risk behaviors are a click away.

Help, I need somebody.

 Haidt finds that America’s next generation of workers are emotionally isolated and suffering from diagnosable mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Symptoms include being socially awkward, demotivated, unable to focus, self-harm, and suicide. Described as a Surge of Suffering in Haidt’s previous book, The Coddling of the American Mind, mental illness is rising rapidly and affecting college students at unprecedented rates, including anxiety (25%), depression (20%), and ADHD (7%).  Self-harm and suicide levels have risen dramatically since 2010. This “rewiring” is caused by over-exposure to electronic devices, including smartphones.

The U.S. Surgeon General‘s report, Social Media and Youth Mental Health, reports that 95% of youth aged 13 – 17 report they “almost constantly” are engaging in social media. The American Psychological Association issued, Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence, discussing ways parents can, you guessed it, protect their kids from the effects of social media and the anxiety that accompanies it.

When I was younger, so much younger than today, I never needed anybody's help in any way.

And for the second year, The Walton Family Foundation – Gallup Voices of Gen Z Study reports that merely 51% “of Gen Z are thriving in their lives.” Of these, 79% of the next generation of workers “agree they have a great future,” while only half report feeling prepared for that future.

Similar aberrant behaviors are exhibited among older Americans. Just in time for the election, Iran, along with China and Russia, are, once again, using social media to spread conspiracies, provoke activists with fake news, heightening division and elevating social anxiety. And although outlets like the Omaha World-Herald, FactCheck.org, RealClearPolitics, PBS, and SNOPES actively debunk political stories and quotes, efforts to undermine American self-confidence and trust in the system are working.

But now these days are gone, I'm not so self-assured. Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors

Amid this distrust and anxiety, PEW found that 41% of respondents reported that the American Dream was once possible but no longer achievable. Gallup reports that 83% feel American morals are “only fair” and “poor.” As anxiety goes up, support for representative democracy, such as ours, is increasingly questioned. Support for authoritarian leaders and autocratic regimes is rising in the USA and numerous other nations. According to PEW, 83% of Americans feel that elected officials “don’t care” what people like us think.

But every now and then, I feel so insecure. I know that I just need you like I've never done before

Recently, I became aware of efforts to help, including a 24-hour crisis helpline, by dialing 988. On September 28^th, the suicide awareness and mental health Out of the Darkness walk and fundraiser will take place at Stinson Park. Bridges to Mental Health trains medical practitioners to heighten mental health awareness among medical practitioners. Omaha's Kim Foundation “serves as a supportive resource and compassionate voice for lives touched by mental illness and suicide.”

Help me if you can. I'm feeling down, and I do appreciate you being around.
Help me get my feet back on the ground. Won't you please, please help me!

Times, They Are a Changin''

Come November, as things stand at the moment, voters will choose between two very different visions of America’s future. Democrats are offering a business-as-usual vision that respects the institutions of self-governance. Conversely, Republican activists are signaling distrust for anyone and everything by vying to insert a norm-breaking, self-described authoritarian.  Things are so akimbo, the NGOP endorsed against their own incumbents including Senators Fisher, Ricketts, and Congressmen Bacon, Smith, and Flood.

Still don't know what I was waitin' for, And my time was runnin' wild. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes: Turn and face the strange (Changes, David Bowie))

On both the right and the left, internal factions have made leadership difficult. Voters might recall Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, and recent Nebraska governors straddled similar divides. Biden, despite recent challenges, has, with limited success, navigated the complex interests of Progressive extremism, moderation, political partisanship, and existential threats including Gaza, Ukraine, Taiwan, COVID, global warming, and cyber-terrorism. Among Biden’s credits is his selective silence, allowing him to negotiate in today’s hyper-partisanship and often unreasonable climate.

Ch-ch-changes. There's gonna have to be a different man. Time may change me, but I can't change time.

The Parties intentionally force voters to choose the political extreme or cast inconsequential votes. Traditional conservatives and liberals are pigeonholed between a MAGA agenda and the Progressive Left.

Often, partisans argue moral equivalency with, “You think we’re nuts? Look at what they’re doing!” Suggesting their form of crazy is less toxic.

On the right, MAGA conservatives have grabbed the political reins by electing candidates across all layers of government. Their intent is to redefine American norms and traditions by undermining governing institutions, weakening the Constitution, justifying a violent insurgency, and normalizing behaviors that 10 years ago they would have considered inconceivable.

On the left, Progressives leverage educational systems to alter language and thus how we think. American pop culture has as much global influence as our military might. Tied together, our vocabulary of ideas includes, knowingly or not, legacy views on race, gender, and religion, including definitions of good and bad behaviors. 

Obviously, language, and through it, norms, values, and thereby behaviors, have evolved for thousands of years.  America’s language and the imagery embedded within it, developed in a society historically dominated by white males and Protestantism. 

For example, I once used the phrase, ‘personal responsibility’ in meeting. The room exploded, accusing me of using ‘conservative code words.’ Recently, campus protesters used the Arabic term ‘intifada’ (uprising) despite knowing the term offended others. In my case, I learned quickly that I needed to change my choice of words if I wanted to successfully navigate the conversation.

Ch-ch-changes. Don't tell them to grow up and out of it.

Words and how we use them, matter. An aspect of modern politics is redefining language and the images embedded within it - thereby changing values, and ultimately behavior. Sometimes the results are desirable while in other cases, its caveat emptor (buyer beware). In a politicized setting, illegal immigrant carries a very different mental image than undocumented worker or DACA recipient.  President Mr. Obama’s refusal to use the phrase, radical Islamic terrorist, demonstrated his choice to protect American-Muslims. Equally poignant was, ‘Chinese flu’ despite its use being associated with increases in violence against Eastern-Asian Americans.

As society explores greater equality, there are five attitudes associated with changing mores including rejection, tolerance, acceptance, celebration, and participation. In 1996, 27% of Americans supported same-sex marriage: today that number is 71% - a societal move from tolerance to acceptance.

It’s important to be aware and thoughtful while society navigates a tsunami of societal change. If we normalize deviancy, we’re going to get more of it – especially when it emanates from the highest ranks of political office. What we accept and how we adapt will define how we, and others, live out our lives.

Strange fascinations, changes are taking the pace I'm goin' through. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Today, we see college students, whose grandparent’s generation protested the Vietnam War, and fought for Civil Rights, women’s liberation, sexual liberation, the environment, and Stonewall, testing these ideas. And whether you agree with their actions or not, they have successfully forced their concerns to the forefront of the American mind.

We know they have been successful because Americans are discussing a very complex issue and conversing about rights, duties, international relations, and America’s evolving role in the world. It is through these conversations that we share ideas, debate Constitutional meanings, examine the conflict of rights, and, ultimately, learn. Through engagement we form norms that influence behaviors and define national values and morality.

I think it's time we stop, Children, what's that sound? Everybody look, what's going down. (For What Its Worth, Buffalo Springfield)

In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson argued that the role of government is to protect our rights. He warned that “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it…” Earlier, Jefferson penned, “…governments are instituted among men, deriving their JUST POWERS (emphasis added) from the consent of the governed”

Arguably, our model of self-governance is founded on the idea that when government acts unjustly, the obligation of citizenship is to engage in dissent against the perceived injustice. Of the five rights enshrined in the First Amendment, four ensure the rights of peaceful dissent. These sacred words mean citizens have a duty, empowered by Constitutional rights, to protect our rights including those who are unable to protect their own rights.

There's something happening here. But what it is ain't exactly clear. There's a man with a gun over there, telling me I got to beware.

Riding alongside this national conversation are three rich ironies: those who historically dismissed liberals as “snowflakes” are now making the snowflake argument by rushing to the defense of those who “feel unsafe.” While public safety is a legitimate concern, especially in educational institutions, as we saw in the #MeToo movement, some claims are intended to silence dissent, cancel legitimate concerns, and punish the innocent.

A second irony is the students have modeled domestic political extremists by being disruptive, thwarting compromise, and asserting that their rights and concerns supersede the rights and concerns of others.

A third irony is that those advocating a pardon for those convicted for their role in the violent January 6^th insurrection are, at the same time, criticizing students for engaging in generally peaceful protests.

There are battle lines being drawn. Nobody's right if everybody's wrong. Young people speaking their minds, getting so much resistance from behind.

These protests include domestic and international components. Domestically, the focus is on the law and the conflict of rights. Should one body of students act in a way that impedes the rights of other students? While lawyers can, and likely will, debate this, it seems pretty clear that public safety is the overriding issue.

The international component raises a moral concern that strikes at the very core of American citizenship. Should students pressure their government to reexamine America’s role in the death and maiming of innocent women, children, and men in Gaza? Dr. Martin Luther King argued that in the pursuit of justice, we have a moral obligation to obey a just law and lovingly disobey an unjust law. If the actions of Israel in the Gaza Strip are unjust, then, according to King and Jefferson, we have a moral obligation to “redress grievances” without fear of punishment. According to Gallup, the majority (54%-56%) of Americans now “disapprove” of Israeli military actions in Gaza.

Although the Declaration of Independence is Jefferson’s ideal vision of American society, unlike the U.S. Constitutional, it is not a legal document. However, the Declaration has moral standing and includes our concepts of equal rights, the social contract, and self-governance. It empowers our democratic principles, asserting that the authority of government rests upon the consent of the governed and that the obligation of citizenship is to act when for causes that are not “light and transient.” Jefferson also defines the natural rights as, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

What a field day for the heat. A thousand people in the street. Singing songs and they’re carrying signs, mostly say, "Hooray for our side."

So what do we do? Some have taken to the streets and, thankfully, we live in a land where this is their God given right. Others are less certain. At a time when our rights often seem under siege, should we defend other’s rights?

In his correspondence with the Danbury Baptists, Jefferson is credited with a quote often attributed to Voltaire or Beatrice Hall, “I don’t agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it.”

Also ascribed to Jefferson, John Philpot Curran wrote, “It is the common fate of the indolent (lazy) to see their rights become prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.” Simply, we must be vigilant when rights may potentially be taken away. The applicable question here is, “Whose rights are under threat in this situation?”

Today, public discourse seemingly demands we take an immutable or unchangeable position on issues that often require complex solutions. Being inflexible is a bad idea. Complex issues get warped by partisanship in an election cycle. I would urge patience and respect towards this generation as they seek to discover their values and morals. An honest soul would admit our generation could have done better. Engage credible news outlets, and discuss complex issues such as, “Are the peaceful assemblies of student protests an appropriate moral response?”  These are exactly the sort of issues Americans should be informed of, concerned about, and discussing.

Paranoia strikes deep. Into your life it will creep. It starts when you're always afraid: step out of line, the men come and take you away.

 

Shout! Shout! Let it all out. These are the things I can do without. Come on…

 

In an era where some demand access to every nook and cranny of democracy, we risk railroading moderation and compromise. So quick, find me a chair! I want to climb up and applaud the Unicameral for keeping leadership votes secret. The courage of these legislators to act in the best long term interests of all Nebraskans is to be applauded.

Debate and compromise is why, historically, the American model of self-governance worked. And as we all know from our private and professional lives, sometimes privacy matters.

The American model of self-governance was designed to be slow, inefficient, and force compromise, especially in our institutions. While modern political parties push for winner-take-all outcomes, our system of checks and balances pits political ideas against each other to force debate. By engaging reasonable but opposing ideas, we learn about the needs and wants of fellow Americans. This process teaches that neither Democrats nor Republicans have a monopoly on good or bad ideas, and although there is no moral equivalency between the right and the left at this moment, all groups suffer from bad actors. Through compromise, we get better policies and moderation, that legitimizes the outcome and dignifies the opposition.

But there are those who want to muzzle our democracy. Whether it is by legislation or intimidation, wittingly or otherwise, some will stop at nothing to take away our sense of security and freedom by attacking our model of self-governance.

This is done by undermining voter trust and confidence in free and fair elections.

Without trust, voters question the legitimacy of those elected.

Republican Senator Romney pays $5,000 a day to ward off threats to his family. An assailant’s hammer blows to Speaker Pelosi’s husband in their home was an assault on him and on democracy. Reuters’ report, Campaign of Fear, details an increasing number of assaults and threats on American poll workers.  Last year, of those who left their job in Election Offices, 1 in 10 cited threat and intimidation as the cause. In the aftermath of electing a House Speaker, threats against elected officials, their spouses, and children, were ghastly and sexually perverted. As the January 6^th Committee documented, this barrage on American Democracy is orchestrated and intentional. Nothing justifies or excuses this behavior.

During the 20s & 30s Germany was reeling in the aftermath of WW1 and suffering an economic tailspin. Pastor Martin Niemoller was an early supporter of German right wing authoritarianism. But when Niemoller spoke out against Germany leadership in 1937, he was branded a political enemy and sent to a concentration camp. We are reminded of Reverend Niemoller’s words…

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

Martin Luther King’s 1965 march across the Edmund Pettis Bridge demonstrated the importance of speaking out and voting. By voting we exercise our Constitutional right to choose, empower, and legitimize those who govern. As political parties move further to extremes, many increasingly vote AGAINST candidates, in favor of the “lesser of two evils.” As populism and extremism spread across Western Democracies, 2024 promises to be an inflection point in the Founding Father’s vision of America as a city on the hill and a beacon of democracy to the world. Let’s pray, or whatever you do, that the American voter understand exactly what they are voting on in November because it is so much more than a partisan nod to President Biden or Mr. Trump.

In these times, you shouldn't have to sell your soul. In black and white, they really, really ought to know.

Blow Wind Blow: Language and the Culture Wars

 

Pick a pronoun – any pronoun.  It’s interesting that among a generation raised expecting to “have it your way,” some are bothered by today’s variety of pronouns. For some, the paradox of choice in pronouns means tacit endorsement of a “LGBTQIA+ agenda.” For others, it’s an affront to their politics or inconvenience. Still others fear being ridiculed for using the wrong pronoun. And then there’s laziness and disregard for others.  The attention to Pronouns points to how, amid the culture wars, evolving language impacts our perception of the world.

The older I get, my occasionally stodgy self recalls Jefferson’s reply when asked about the complexity of religious plurality, “it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” Upon reflection, some issues don’t really affect us. Most people just want a life that includes happiness, dignity, affirmation, and freedom from harm.  

How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man? (Blowing in the Wind, Bob Dylan) 

On the other hand, few things are as important, or as anxiety laden as societal change. Whether it’s due to advancements in technology, evolving demographics, climate change, or pop culture, Western society is changing rapidly and, understandably, many find this concerning.  How we respond defines who we are.

An important element of change is evolving language. Years ago, a senior member of the Bush administration made an obvious but simple comment, “These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

Buried within our language, inferred or explicit are the ideas, images, and accepted norms of American society.  Most think in their native language. This means reality is defined by one’s vocabulary of words and ideas. In other words, you can only comprehend the unknown by using words and ideas that are known.  By changing language, we change ourselves.

And how many years can some people exist, before they're allowed to be free? 

When asked, I venture most would happily do what they could to end discrimination. Science confirms that humans experience mental and physical damage to their health caused by the stress associated with continued exposure to ideas or actions that deny dignity, one’s legitimate membership in society, or signals possible threats including a loss of freedom. This phenomenon has been well documented among Black women. The language you and I use, the way we act, intentionally or unknowingly, can contribute to other’s stress.

Yes and how many times can a man turn his head, and pretend that he just doesn't see? 

Like you, I am no saint. But I try to remember that no one wakes up hoping I make their life more difficult.  More than once I have learned that a plumber is as important as a pediatrician, that a mechanic is as essential as a Mayor. With age comes wisdom. 

And how many ears must one man have, before he can hear people cry?

As we adjust to the inevitability of a changing world, is it too much to ask that we modify our language to accommodate those who struggle for legitimacy, safety, and acknowledgment?  Whether it’s due to ethnicity, religion, age, education, socioeconomics, race, or sexuality, are those who simply want what we all want, a happy life, such a threat that we tolerate scapegoating by office seekers and malcontents?

Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows, that too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in the wind

A New Rider in the Horse Race of Modern Politics

 

                                                              (Keb Mo, Put a Woman in Charge)

Described as ‘the election nobody wants,’ polling and election results point to voter dissatisfaction with both political parties and the choices being offered. Harvard-Harris polling shows that 68% of Democrats, 57% of Republicans, and 78% of Independents don’t want to vote for Mr. Trump or President Biden. Simply, the majority of voters are watching the horizon for a white horse candidate. In fact, American political history is rife with dark horse winners including Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and Nebraska's own Senator Deb Fischer.

Way back when, in the beginning of time, Man made the fire then the wheel. Went from a horse to an automobile, he said, "the world is mine." He took the oceans and the sky, he set the borders, built the walls, he won't stop 'til he owns it all.                                

Voter support for abortion rights in Ohio highlights voter dissatisfaction. Polling indicates that between 61% (Pew) to 85% (Gallup) of voters support some form of legal access to abortion. And, as we’ve seen, voters in Ohio, New York, Maryland, Kansas, California, Michigan, Vermont, Kentucky, and Montana, really, really mean it. In 2024 Republican candidates will shy away from abortion.

So what?

News junkies across the political spectrum were stunned when former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley received a rousing applause during the 3^rd Republican Presidential debate last week for forging a moderate approach to abortion. While the others on stage, supposed small government and state’s rights candidates advocated for a national law on restricting abortion, Haley took a pragmatic approach and spoke of consensus, mutual respect, and a word rarely used anymore, compromise.

“Let’s find consensus,” she said, “We don’t need to divide America over this issue anymore…Let’s bring people together and decide what we can agree on.” The former Governor added, “As much as I’m pro-life, I don’t judge anyone for being pro-choice, and I don’t want them to judge me for being pro-life.”

Haley’s comments indicate a willingness to take a pragmatic, real-world, solution-seeking approach to the complex issues dividing Americans. Rather than falling back on party dogma, she presented a fresh idea that could allow her to break out of the pack. In an era where compromise is often four letter word, Haley proposed the path of tolerance; acknowledging ideological diversity, and the importance of civil public debate.

For too long now, political extremism, in the guise of an unwillingness to compromise and include the views of others, has shut down important and necessary discussions like immigration, fiscal responsibility, healthcare policies, and America’s role in an increasingly complex world. Most importantly, Haley had the character and the courage to very publicly stand up and speak out when too many others have been caving in to party bullies.

Enough is enough is enough is enough. I know the answer, put a woman in charge

In a word, perhaps, just perhaps, the white horse of hope for so many, a reasonable candidate they can vote for rather than against, will ride in as a political dark horse and return national politics to healthy public debate where reason triumphs over vitriol. In a race filled with old nags and hobbled horses, it only makes horse sense to give Nikki Haley another view in her race for the roses.

Character is more important the policy. A friend told me “I can’t stand the idea of another four years of suffering and people being afraid…Haley has taken everything the others have thrown at her yet she’s strong without being extreme.”

It’s still too early to say but it may be time to put a woman in the winner’s circle.

The time has come, we've got to turn this world around. Call the mothers, call the daughters: we need the sisters of mercy now. She'll be a hero, not a fool. She's got the power, to change the rules. She's got something that men don't have, she is kind and she understands. Put a woman in charge.

Why is Congress so Dysfunctional? A Complex Problem Requires a Complex Answer

 

Why is Congress so dysfunctional? A complex problem requires a complex answer.

Tribalism: The U.S. Surgeon General’s, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation reports an increasing lack of social connections poses a significant health risk. Stress caused by isolation and loneliness is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. With withdrawal, trust and social capital go down while societal divisions go up. As people become antisocial they become defensive, distrustful, callous, and hostile.

The American Enterprise Institute found that lonely people often fill their loneliness-void with politics and tribalism.  “Politics provides an easy way to feel a sense of purpose.” When one’s identity is defined by their politics, “a person’s moral stature is based not on their conduct but on their location on the political spectrum.” In other words, personal responsibility is replaced with hyper-politicization.

Well, I’m running down the road trying to loosen my load. Take it easy (The Eagles)

Immorality: We increasingly see immoral actions by elected officials. Not only do we tolerate what was once unacceptable, we’re applauding it with donations. For some, the worse they behave, the more they raise.

A Virginia State House candidate was exposed for performing sex acts with her husband, by request, online to raise money, “for a good cause.” When exposed she blamed Republicans for an invasion of privacy…”to humiliate me and my family.” Suggesting, “…there is no line they won’t cross to silence women when they speak up.” Congresswoman Boebert hit the news for being ejected from a public stage performance because the real and very public “performance” was between her and her date. Congressman Santos has been charged with stealing donor identities and fraudulent use of their credit cards. After resigning for surreptitiously taking photos of a young woman, Nebraska Unicameral Senator Groene retorted, “I did nothing wrong…I’m not gonna let the Democrats attack me and embarrass my family and my wife.”  Senator Menendez is facing charges of bribery, extortion, and conspiracy to use his office to act as a foreign agent.

Lighten up while you still can. Don’t even try to understand. Just find a place to make your stand. Take it easy.

Even political ads incorporate violence. Over 100 political ads featured guns during the 2022 midterm. Arizona’s Jim Lamon ran campaign ads gunning down his political opponent Mark Kelly despite Kelly’s wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords having been shot in the head. Earlier Sarah Palin ran an ad that focused a rifle scope on Giffords. Former Missouri Governor Greitens ran an ad wearing fatigues, kicking-in a door with gun in hand, and offering RINOs hunting permits. The Missouri Fraternal Order of Police condemned the spot saying, “This deplorable ad has no place in our political system and sends the message that it is acceptable to kill those that have differing political beliefs.” Finally, former President Trump is named in four pending felony suits and was convicted of sexual abuse, fraud, and misuse of charitable funds.

It’s no mystery why political trust is at an all-time low.

It’s a girl my lord in a flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look at me.

Distrust: The foundation of our model of self-governance depends upon trust. Since the 1970s, trust in the medical industry has fallen by 46%, organized religion has fallen 33%, the Supreme Court is down nearly 20%, banks and schools by 34%, and only 30% trust the media. Congress is down to 8% while the criminal justice system holds steady at 17%. Surprisingly, science tops the chart with the trust of 64% of Americans.

Fear: PBS reports that 83% of Americans feel our Democracy is under threat and only 9% believe the parties can work together.” Tellingly, 3 out of 4 say compromise is more important than standing on principle, and while a rudderless GOP House struggle for leadership, unlike Hastert, Boehner, Ryan, or McCarthy, Pelosi held her party together.

We may lose, and we may win. Though we will (probably) be here again, so open up I’m climbing in. Take it easy.

In November there’ll be another budget showdown. The House majority GOP can bow to MAGA radicals and default on creditors or they can reach out to Democrats and compromise: something a large margin of Americans support. Whatever they decide to do, it will be self-inflicted, somehow President Biden will be blamed, and your family will suffer the consequences. The lesson is that character matters more than ideology.