User:Aznshorty67

Julie Rogers

Sec. 36591 TTh 4:00-5:30

The Organization Kid Rough (Rough, Rough) Draft

"The Organization Kid" by David Brooks questions the upbringing and, as a result, the ethics of today's younger generation. Brooks delves into the idea that the current adolescent is one of conformity and acceptance, and explores this by traveling to Princeton University (one of the most prestigious Ivy League universities in America) that receives and passes some of the most elite of our society, to find out what really drives today's student to succeed.

He finds the best of the best to be charming and motivated, but for the most part lacking in a true opinion of what is right and wrong. Brooks contends that these kids have learned how to please their elders - to nod and smile politely to everything they are told, to be energetic, to be staggeringly respectful, to ask uncontroversial questions. Behind all of those hard-working and quick-to-please states of mind, though, Brooks believes that these elite have an absence of basic opinion. Brooks qualifies this by discussing the process of raising of these "elite." He tracks the journey from infancy to adult, addressing things like all of the mentally enhancing toys the children should most certainly be given to play, the astounding homework load that starts as early as the pre-three-feet-tall days, the kinds of snacks kids should and should not be allowed to consume, and just in general, the stifling childhood these kids have compared to his generation.

Even though I strongly agree with parts of Brooks' arguments, I also find that some of them no longer apply to much of my generation because of events that occurred following the publishing of the article. (NOTE: This is an unsatisfactory thesis (to me), and I am still thinking of how to phrase it better.)

Concerning authority, I have witnessed the exact conformity that Brooks describes in his article. An argument can always be made against this, because there will always be that select few who are inclined to disrespect authority in general, but Brooks talks of the elite (those at Princeton, for example, and the general meritocracy of America), and those elite will almost always defer to the higher power. I have been in advanced classes since elementary school, so I suppose that I have seen the potential elite since childhood. We shuffle into class and talk quietly amongst ourselves until our teacher comes in, where we fall to a complete and utter silence. Notes are taken religiously, hands are raised, polite questions are asked for the purpose of review, papers are turned in on time. A teacher tells us a piece of information, and no one disputes it. We just nod knowingly and scribble it down into our notebooks. When the dress code was altered to appeal to classier tastes at several of my schools, the response was always the same. Mutters of discontent could be heard from everyone, but no one bothered to protest any of it. In fact, once we all got used to the khaki slacks and polo shirts, we began to feel comfortable in our monotony and neatness.

My opinions become conflicted, though, when Brooks begins on his developmental tirade. As stated before, Brooks describes in detail how children today are raised, and how that ultimately leads to this generation's apparent apathy. In responding to an article in Newsweek that assures parents that there is no way that they could ever do wrong in raising their children (as science has discovered all of the best ways to develop a child's mind, body, and spirit), Brooks sarcastically replies that "[children are] the most important extra-credit arts project [parents] will ever undertake." This begins his rant of how the average child is raised now compared to the generation before. He puts a very exaggerated and sardonic spin on the methods parents use, but I have truly seen this first-hand. I have baby-sat two children who are raised in what Brooks would call a child-proof house. (The girl even took medication for her supposed ADHD.) The kids, who are 5 and 7, both wake up promptly at 8:00. They begin their summer mornings with breakfast (organic, of course), and then are allowed exactly one hour of TV. After that, Mommy drives them to swim team practice (or in this case, me, the baby-sitter), and after doing some drills, they are allowed one hour at the pool for free-play. By this time, it's lunch, and heaven forbid that they be allowed to eat McDonalds or something of the like. They are taken home and given something along the lines of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, five carrot sticks, an apple (cut into 6 pieces with the skin removed), and some milk. After that, they are encouraged to go outside and play on the street. They are, of course, not allowed to leave the block, and ride around on shiny new scooters and expensive kid-sized electric cars. When they come inside, it's time to play some mentally stimulating games. This is followed by free play around the house. Should they decide to get a bit rowdy and run about, there are no areas in the house in which to hit their heads or scrape their legs, because, of course, the house has been padded down to the very last tiny corner. Dinner time is as soon as Daddy arrives home. Family time follows that, with perhaps a movie or a TV show. Baths, pajamas, brushed teeth, prayers, and bedtime ends the day. (Now, of course I am aware that these specific children are not the epitome of the average child, but there are many other families I have come in contact with through babysitting and have found the household life to be quite similar.) Brooks might be led to believe that these are the future obedient, law-abiding children he has preached about.

This is, however, not at all the case. Not a day of my baby-sitting duties went by when one of them was not crying about something trivial. Oftentimes, the boy would throw tantrums because he was not given any candy, and would then sneak into the kitchen to steal something sweet after he had been sent to his room. The boy and girl fought incessantly, and did not follow anything they were told. The girl would blatantly lie about things to get her way, and was one of the most manipulative people I have ever met. (This is saying a lot, as I have seen many people - distinctly politicians - who are almost shockingly deceitful - and they're all over 40 and have had years and years of practice.) Brooks' view of how parenting has evolved does not always produce angelic, mindful children. The assessment of the way that kids are now parented in yuppie households is (in most cases) spot on, but I feel that this no longer applies in the way that Brooks envisions.

In April of 2001 and before, this country was flourishing economically, and (if I recall correctly), we had no disagreements of a large degree with any country. Life was good. Because of this, Brooks states that the kids in that era had never experienced misery and disruption first hand. He was correct until later that year. Following the time when the article was published, many things have happened to this country that contradicts much of what Brooks has proclaimed. That September, New York City's twin towers were demolished by suicide bombers. Shortly following, a war with Iraq began. Our economy has recently suffered a great deal, this next presidential election will play a key role in how this country continues. I think that since Brooks' article was written, there has been a shift in the priorities of today's youth. Many of the young adults that I talk to today have a very firm opinion concerning behind which candidate they stand, and you don't have to look too hard to find all kinds of political organizations on campus, created by students, encouraging other students to join in with campaigning. In fact, this election has had the biggest involvement of youth since ever. Young people everywhere are taking a stand about policies and decisions in a way that Brooks could never have imagined.

Brooks' claims would have been fairly accurate, had the country remained in the state that it was in early 2001. However, because of the current times, his preaching no longer seems to apply to today's younger generation.