The remarks that my generation receives about how incapable we are of understanding problems outside of small trivial ones is a very false conviction of what we are capable of doing. In our current culture there is this trend where the older generations put down the opinions and ideas of the younger generations. People get set in their ways, they don’t want to change and this leads them to have a veil over their eyes about certain social issues that are becoming more and more prevalent. They make claims that say my generation is self absorbed, too involved in technology and unrealistic. What is so unrealistic about not shooting unarmed black men? Are the things my generation fighting for really ‘ unrealistic’ or just us wanting everyone to have basic human rights. As a society we have a choice to peel back the veil or to ignore everything that is wrong because we don’t want to change our habits.
One of the biggest phenomenons that is happening with my generations culture is the rise in dystopian novels that are popular among the masses. The Hunger Games, Divergent and Harry potter are all prime examples of the issues we are dealing with. The books we read aren’t flying cars or robot dogs, it’s faceless government surveillance and worldwide pandemics and militarized police brutality and the last few of humanity trying to survive and create a better world. Six years ago the Hunger Games was released and it turned into one of the biggest franchises that has ever existed. What is shocking about these books is the main plot is children murdering each other while the government and public watches. This franchise is what my generation identifies with. Let that sink in, a series about children murdering each other to keep the masses in control is what my generation is most connected with. Are we connecting with these books because we think it will happen in the future? Do we believe that the government is capable of this? Do we see a mirrored situation that is already happening around us? These are the questions that arise from being obsessed with these books and movies. When you provide a generation with the tools to ask these questions you can not then attempt to silence them. Each page is another shell of ammunition we can use in our ever expanding arsenal. When you feed developing minds stories of tyranny governments it should not be shocking that we start to look for the flaws in our own leaders. My generation is more aware then you think. We are in the midst of seeing one of the biggest social changes since the civil rights movement. First it was gay rights, now it is gun control. Each school shooting is a block for us to use in building a defense against our opposers. People don’t want to admit that the hole we are trying to repair in our culture are holes that they have made. They want to not change anything because if they would change, it would first be admitting that they did something unjust. Fixing the mistakes the older generations have made should not be our job, but they are not going to change without us pushing them forward. I don’t want to live in a world where my biggest fear is getting shot when I go to school. I want to set a precedent for younger generations so they won’t ever have this fear.
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When you read a war book you expect to see grand heroes that go off to war and save find honor for their country. The book skips over the more, well how should I say it, less apealing details of war. Contrary to those books, Ghosts of War tells a true story of the good and the bad of times of war. The book is written in first person and is about a true story about a 19-year old GI who joined the army right after the attack on the world trade center.. The story follows him through his years in the army and into the years after when he has to deal with how the army changed him. After I finished the book I had to take a few moments to reflect on what I had just read. I enjoyed every moment of the story because of how unflinchingly honest it was. The raw truth of this book really pulls you in and makes you want to finish reading it. One quote that shows the rawness of the book is " That;s what death does. It defines life. What would life be without death? What would death be without life? And what would peace be without war? Without the distinction nothing exists. Really, death and war are everything." This quote captures how the book will make the reader question large and complicated topics in their own life, even topics as big as what life is. Overall I would say this book is one that should be offered as something to read to help people understand what a kid in the army experiences.
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