An Interview With Henry Giroux: Youth Movement in a Culture of Hopelessness

[marmar]

.....(snip).....

Al Jazeera English: I want to get into the nitty-gritty of your analysis of the anger that we're seeing in the growing 'Occupy' protest movement, but first, could you describe your first or gut reaction to the protests?

Henry Giroux: This was, for me, very exciting, because while it doesn't guarantee anything, it certainly marks a beginning that upsets, and, in many ways, challenged a liberal-conservative position that young people in the United States are utterly depoliticised, self absorbed and incapable of engaging in collective politics.

It's interesting to see young people all over the world reacting both to the cruel austerity measures being imposed on the basis of neoliberal economics in France and in Western Europe and in Greece, and also of course the emerging young people fighting authoritarian regimes in the Middle East; and to see that being emulated in the United States to the same degree, given the horrible conditions of young people here, I thought, well, finally the Arab Spring and the European revolts are catching on - the contradictions are becoming so great that at last young people are finding, particularly through the use of new social networks and use of the new media, a way to bypass a dominant press that seems to exhibit nothing but scorn for them.

They (the mainstream media) certainly see them as disposable populations; young people are often defined in the United States as lazy, utterly self absorbed - it goes on and on. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truth-out.org/interview-henry-giroux-youth-movement-culture-hopelessness/1318092302

[SpiralHawk]

1. Corporate media (R) is sealing its own doom with its corrupt treatment of this

They are defining themselves as liars and irrelevant -- and everyone involved GETS IT

No citizen can trust the corporate media -- they took sides long ago with the Corporate Borg (R) and stand opposed to what the human beings need and want and must have for America to be America

[Lindsay]

3. Very well said.

Everyone involved GETS IT - and more are getting involved every day.

[msongs]

2. but they have iPhones and iPads and iUnemployment, just NO iJobs lol nt

[Odin2005]

4. "young people are often defined in the United States as lazy, utterly self absorbed"

Yup. Look at the rush of articles in recent years claiming that us Millennials are "narcissistic", "spoiled" and "entitled". It struck me as projection by TPTB onto us.

Should have waited a couple years before pidgeon-holing us Millennials in your "Gen-Y" marketing box, fuckers.

[saras]

5. Name a generation still living that DOESN'T have a negative pigeonhole.

Personally I think that "generation" was a stupid sixties idea that should have been dropped long ago, like "groovy".

I suspect that the continued existence of the concept is entirely the fault of marketers. The "Pepsi generation"? If I have to live in a marketer's pigeonhole, I want the "cultural creative" label.