Is it the System, or is it Us?

When this country was founded, we set up systems to protect individual rights. We were a bit backward then, thinking only men (correction: only white men) mattered, but the idea itself was good. Since then we've expanded those rights to people of all races, sexes, etc. Yet, we are still as divided as ever. Why? 

Millennials say the system is broken. I beg to differ. The system is fine; it's people who are broken. 

We've forgotten that while the free market can encourage enterprise, it can also encourage greed. We've chosen to ignore the obvious consequences of allowing financial institutions to recklessly speculate with our money. We've become insanely patriotic and, frankly, stupid about our preference for a particular presidential candidate, but seem almost unaware of who runs in our Senate and Congressional races. 

We stand idly by while our representatives enact legislation that is so lengthy, convoluted and packed with bulls*#t that the people voting on it can't take the time to actually read it. We think loyalty is more important than justice and money is more important than human life. We talk about wanting to curb gun violence, but nobody is targeting the mental health issues that lie at the center of most violent attacks. We cite statistics without context and spew venom without mercy, but say we are "the best country in the world." 

We think it's okay if Donald Trump knows nothing about government, sociology, history or psychology because he's rich! And even that appears to be largely trumped up--pun intended. His most recent biographer, David Cay Johnston says he makes his money selling his name rather than making anything of value, and his only talent is for taking advantage of others. There is also plenty of evidence to suggest that he is nowhere near as wealthy as he claims. 

Donald Trump isn't a successful businessman, he's a successful con man; yet his supporters say that doesn't matter, because at least he's not a politician. At the same time, they say Hillary is not to be trusted because she is a career politician. She is being punished for spending her entire life in public service. Has she lied? Sure. Everybody does. Even you. But the bulk of Mrs. Clinton's work has been devoted to helping others. That's a fact. As for Donald Trump, lies are the bedrock upon which Donald Trump's entire success story is based. Yet, Hillary is the devil and Donald Trump is a savior.

Why? Because we use our opinions and feelings to make decisions while consistently refusing to look at facts. Hillary is not likable, they say. Well, I want to respect my President. I am not inviting her to a BBQ, I'm asking her to run this country. Yet Trump supporters seem to think that if they like somebody that's the same thing as vetting him/her. IT IS NOT! 

If millennials have any hope of securing their future and taking their place in the government of our future, they need to start boning up on history, civics, sociology and psychology. If they think the system is broken now, wait till they are holding the power and the only response they can offer to the world's problems is "it shouldn't be this way!"

In the old days, when I was in college, journalists were bound by the Edward R. Murrow School of Journalism. You were expected to research facts, understand history, present opposing views and do your utmost to acknowledge any bias when presenting the news. Now those rules have been completely forgotten. The news isn't about what's actually happened, it's about how people feel about things. We know longer care if something is true or not; if we feel that it is true, that's good enough. IT IS NOT!

Problems cannot be solved by feelings. They must be solved using a combination of facts and critical thinking skills. That means questioning everything and demanding that the news include facts and context, not just sensationalized accounts of specific incidents that affect a handful of people at most. 

I understand that a gunman shooting up a school is a horrific thing. I get that people feel solidarity with the victims and do not wish to minimize their pain. But how many people are actually affected by this, directly? Now ask yourself how many people are sick from lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan? That's a news worthy story, but it is already largely forgotten. Why? Because people want the dramatic and sensational. We don't actually care about each other, we care about taking sides and being right and making a scene to show how sympathetic we are. But the moment the hysteria dies down and the work of solving the problem begins, we move on to the next big drama. 

We have the systems in place to address these things. We can elect representatives in the House and the Senate who actually believe that human life is more important than money; that honesty and humility are higher qualities than the ability to manipulate and bully; that information without context can be disastrous and that being rich does not make a person better, or smarter or nicer. In fact, it can easily do just the opposite. We can push for laws that prevent wealthy people from taking advantage of those without wealth and punish those who use their influence to manipulate others for their own gain. 

All this is possible with the system we have. Success does not depend on changing the system, it depends on changing our selves. That's the millennial challenge. I sure hope they're up for it.