Don't reply to this post, unless to point out something I have missed.   I've heard enough of "that's too bad."  

I'm an 18 year old Senior in High School.  I've been around the world a few times, and not to the tourist traps - I've been in the disgusting slums of Metro Manila in the Philippine Islands, and have seen the problems of Europe and Asia.  And now I am truly disturbed.

Today we held open discussions on the recent terrorist attacks upon the World Trade Centers, Pentagon, and my classmate's reactions to this horrid event sickened me - "Oh, that's too bad.  That's horrible.  When's lunch?"  They don't care.  It doesn't affect them, they believe it's far away, and as soon as it's out of sight, it's out of their minds.  Then the rumors of gas price inflation (which have not happened) began to circulate, and people began to panic.  They are upset, even emotionally disturbed that the price of gas may in fact rise by one dollar per gallon.  Tends of thousands may be dead, and they care about gas.

This is a lack of patriotism, plane and simple.  I've compared my teacher's reaction to my fellow students: my teacher raised his voice and pounded his fists while saying that we should retaliate by getting America off it's dependence of Arabian oil ( bin Ladden got rich by selling oil to America), while all my fellow students could do is say, "Oh, what a tragedy." There was not one solution, not one emotion, not one concern above an "oh, that's not good" among my entire 39 member class.  Today they do not care about this country; they do not know that their indifference will lead to the destruction of all they value.

If they are indifferent and do nothing, terrorists win.  Terrorists fight for causes, and any cause that calls for the murder of thousands of innocent people is sure to take away not only freedom, but those fancy hot rod cars with huge CD players and speakers, the phones that the young women of my school are always using, the Internet on which we all communicate freely, and even the money in their pockets.  Don't believe for a minute that any terrorist organization will allow private citizens to own guns.

The solution is simple, but it must be enacted.  We must not go "Oh, that's too bad." to this.  The schools must begin to start to teach patriotism.  Not in a separate class, but the entire mindset of the administration must make it a priority to teach their students of what others who have come before us have died for.  We remember the history - in black and white.  We do not remember the reasons.  Teach us.  Go to your school board and make them teach us.  Not just in History Class, but make it a point in all classes, in all curriculums.  I plan to talk to some school board members this weekend about this.

This needs to start at home (the schools these days are just hotbeds of bleeding heart liberalism). Parents need to shut off MTV and kids need to realize that "The Real World" isn't the real world.

Tell them J-Lo or eminem were on one of the planes. That will shock them out of their self-centered shell.

ugh, yeah. Yesterday I had the somewhat disturbing sight of kids crying their eyes out in the same hallway as kids bitching about how we weren't being let out to get lunch.

And while me and a coupla friends were desperately trying to get any sort of transportation info off the web so the administration could make a decision regarding dismissal, we kept getting kids walking in asking if they could play games.

Lucky for them I was busy, or I woulda throttled them. Some of them at least had the good sense to look into our eyes and decide today wasn't a good day to push their luck.

StimOr,

You will be saddened then to hear that schools simply can not teach patriotism.  Period.  Patriotism is more or less an emotion, something that grows from the things that cannot be taught in text books or classrooms.

I know hard, grown men many here, who absolutely wept along with me yesterday for our brothers and sisters who perished.  And then promised they will not be forgotten. That is patriotism.

Patriotism is the members of this board instantly scrambling to do something.  Those in and near NY volunteering there time and energies instanly.  Those of us farther away going directly to blood banks and starting relief funds, not because any of us were told to, but because we have patriotism.

Like your teacher, we could beat our fists and yell about whatever. But would your generation care?

You want to learn Patriotism?  You want ot be taught?  If you can look at 400 dead Firefighters and Police Officers and feel nothing more than you describe, it can't be shown to you.  Not until one of use takes a bullet in front of you.

..and maybe not even then will this excuse for a school system turn out students who see beyond their alternate world.

You are 18.  You may be called soon to show it.  Godspeed.

Zaz

Don't reply.  Act.  

If you are a parent, begin teaching a love of your Country at home.  Pressure your school to do this: even if it is a liberal school, remember it is your tax dollars that pay their bills.  You do have authority.

My wife came home last night telling me some similar things about the kids in her science classes in school.  They all commented about how 'cool' it was when the airliner hit the 2nd tower on TV.  None of them seemed to realize that the plane was loaded with passengers, it hit a building full of businessmen on a busy Tuesday morning, and that all of those people had left friends and loved ones behing.  

I think that folks in your generation, most of all, should be concerned about the events that unfolded yesterday.  I hear many people here in the hospital where I work talking about going to war.  If we do go to war, and a draft is necessary, then those same kids you talked about will be doing the fighting.  I don't think that many of them understand that.

StimOr  -

Excellent post.

ever heard of peer pressure???

Time to start using it on your meathead, deadhead friends.

While you are doing that, we will work to give you an America that will be worth defending, and that you can be proud of.



Good luck.

Tell me about it!  And when I get these types of attitude from the youth, I get extremely pissed; hits me bellow the belt.

I was talking to a neighbor kid, 16, and he said (and I'm not making this up):  "Oh, by the time I got home from school, I had already seen 20 minutes of news in class.  So I went [b]fishing[/b]."

Of course, I blew up and lectured, but resisted to hit the little SOB.  Terrible!  And I'm sure his brethen are no better.  Teach Patriotism!!

Well, maybe there is hope:

[url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20010912/aponline163415_000.htm[/url]

That's good to read, schnake.

I was listening to the radio and some psychologist namby-pamby guy was on trying to explain that it was ok for kids to be cheering while watching the explosion, because it was the only way they could handle it... blah blah blah.

I remember being in Elementary school when the Challenger blew up and the same kind of thing happened. I'm watching the reply, just horrified at the loss of life and the implications for the future of the american space program. While all these little brat *&$!ards were cheering at the explosion.

Its time to stop making excuses for unexcusable behavior.

Argh.

It is comforting to know that there are many in this Country that still care about it.  Thank you for pointing that out.

Yes, joining the Military does definitly teach young men and women about this Country's proud heritage and the sacrifice of so many to protect it, but some, at least the ones in my school, want to do so for the wrong reasons.

Young Americans want adventure, action, and friendship with others their age.  They do not know that War Is Hell.  It is entirely possible that some must experience this to understand it, and to understand why patriotism is important.

Let's now act upon this, by putting Our Country back into Our Schools.  I'm 18.  The adminsitration ignores me.  You're the parrents.  You pay the property taxes.  Show them how.  

Can we teach children emotions?  Zazou wisely brought up the point that patriotism cannot be tought from textbooks.  However, I believe it is not the books we should target.  The teachers are the ones we must ask this of.  Tell them to take a day each year to show the students why people have fought and died throughout history for our flag.  Once or twice each year, have an essay competition with this as the subject.  I'm no expert on teaching, but there are many out there that are, and I'm more than confident that you can think of something.

Now act on this.  Please?

I'm a 17 yr. old senior in Tennessee, and when the news first got out, most of my school was asking if we were getting out of school early. I mean, my God, several thousand people just died, and they think about themselves. Alot of my senior friends told everybody to grow up, and get over theirselves, b/c some people love this country. I, myself, am a firefighter and we were put on lock-down status b/c we're a government building. I love my country, and if the time comes, I will enlist to give a hand.

And the people at the gas stations, holy crap, these people are out to profit for themselves, and using us in mourning to get it. In the city beside here, one gas station went from 1.37 to 4.00 a gallon of regular 87. Everyone else just went up what the providers did. Okay, enough on the subject cause I'll get mad.

Mikie.

I was talking to my best friend yesterday and she mentioned that her little brother was scared about possibly being drafted.  Her response to him was that if he was drafted, he should run to mexico and stay with family down there.  He mentioned that he had already thought of that.  I was so stunned by that, I didn't even say anything.  This from a family who's father just became a U.S. citizen not 6 months ago.

I have seen and heard alot of what you are talking about on my college campus the past two days.  Not trying to make excuses, but maybe many kids don't realize this isn't a movie. This is real, many THOUSAND people died. It still hasn't fully sunk in for me, i am still shocked. I will not forget the image of the second plane hitting or the tower coming down.
What really pisses me off is how that some teachers act like nothing ever happened. I remember this alot more in high school. Granted it is important to get back to business as usual, but holy sh*t cant we talk about this for a little first. Arrrggggghhhh

I guess patriotism, like all important issues, begins at home.

My kids (10 and 13) are very concerned about this incident and the consequences. They are watching the news and asking questions.

My 13 y/o asked to put up the flag today.

May I quote my US History AP teacher?

"Yesterday I was in an emergency faculty meeting after school.  The first thing one of our yet unnamed administrators said, 'The best thing we should do is not mention it and get on with our stuff [teaching].'

MY GOD!  THOUSANDS of people just died and we should IGNORE it?"

On the other hand, we cannot overreact.  We cannot stop our activities and just sit and watch a jet plunge into a building over and over in slow motion and keep talking about it.  Now is a great time to act.

This is not a post that calls out to be replied to.  It is a post that calls out to be acted upon.  Enough talk.  Let's go.

Here's a little hope: 2 young guys from work went to the Army recruiting office today to get the ball rolling. 11B & 19D.

I found the exact opposite at my high school. There was a group of people holding hands around the flagpole this morning and we had a moment of silence. My friend also said it sucks that regean isn't in the WH anymore because if he was than afghanistan and palestine would no longer be in existence.

I drive school bus.  One high school kid I asked about what he thought....

Well, to make it to the point.  He said (paraphrased), "Is it worth going to World War III?"

I was thinking, Heck yes!!!! But didn't say anythign to him.

I remember history let Hitler have Poland......and he went after Europe.  You ignore this and next they'll take out an entire city instead of just a building!!!  

Perhaps we can not teach patriotism, but we can teach pride in our country. Start in 1st grade and continue trough 12th that this is the greatest, most free country in the world. All children should be proud to grow up an American!

I was in my english class when our teacher turned on the radio to let us listen in on what was going on. After we heard the report she said that Dr. Jones(principle) had asked the teachers not to tell us and requested we keep the news cast to ourselves. I too am deeply saddened by the lack of not only patriotism but the lack of concern about this tragedy. The attitude is "oh well it's too far away to effect us" and I think it's terrible. Just to let you know there are still some teenagers around who are concerned.

StimOr:  i find the same results here at CMU...people seem to apathetic for my taste. i am only 22, and my blood boils.

I am a 20-year old student at Philadelphia University.  Classes resumed today (wednesday), and I was SHOCKED that not a single professor talked about it.  As a finance major, I was hoping my business professors would talk about economic repercussions of the WTC collapsing.  Thank God I get the Wall Street Journal.

I was happy, however, that the sentiment among the other students was the same as mine.  Willing to fight, and stand up for America.

For those complicit with terrorism and the possibility of dying a preventable death--may they die due to their lack of preparation.  I didn't wait until the second building collapsed before I was on my way to Dick's Sporting Goods for ammo, extra gas cans for the car, and to the grocery store for canned food, a travel bag, and water.

I was just wondering, do they still say the pledge of allegiance in schools anymore?

This apathy really isn't that surprising if you think about it.  Kids today are constantly exposed to large numbers of people being killed both in the news and in movies.  As a result, these things are sort of just the norm.  People die every day, and after a while, you just get used to it and accept it as a fact of life.  You also have to realize kids think they are invincible and don't really consider the sanctity of life or death to be very important issues.  Probably most people don't take the sanctity of life very seriously until they have had kids.  As a result, kids make great recruits for the military since they are not all that scared of death nor have a great respect for other lives.  I don't think this apathy in kids is anything new, it just that adults forget what it was like to be a kid.

In this case, the images on TV were of inanimate objects being destroyed.  There were no actual images of humans being killed.  So it doesn't really sink in right away what is going on.  It wasn't until I first heard of estimates of more than 10,000 killed that the magnitude of this tragedy really hit me.  Being a pretty easy going person who doesn't get to worked up about anything, it wasn't until later that night that I really started to feel angry about it.

I had to teach a lab Tuesday, and for me, I chose not to mention it because I really didn't know how to deal with the whole thing.  It seemed like the best way to cope with this tragedy was to just keep the same routine.  

Our liberal educational system is in large point to blame for making so many Americans into stupid, lazy, cowards.  Lets hope that we still have the guts to go the distance.  
I think we do.

In time when they realise the true capacity of what has happened, they'll come around and the the 18+ will do what your Dads and Grandads did.
Enlist.

I am 41, but when I was a kid, I too was a rebelous m'fucker. They may be just acting smart, trying to impress their freinds by joking around.

Being young they have yet to expereince things as we older bastards have.

In their own private time, I am sure most have said silent prayers for the victims of this attack on freedom.

Just have some faith in them, after all they are your tomorrow.