Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
View more of the Sun's opinion section
Editor’s note: About 1,000 students from high schools throughout Southern Nevada participated in the 61st annual Sun Youth Forum on Nov. 8. The students were divided into groups to discuss a variety of topics. A representative was chosen from each group to write a column about the students’ findings. This essay addresses the issues covered by the America group.
If we at the Sun Youth Forum are the future, then I am worried that everything when we grow up will stay the same. The harsh reality is that many of the things we talked about were inconsequential and unimportant. This brings to light a larger point about our society: We spend so much time focusing on non-issues that it distracts from the real issues at hand.
Kneeling NFL players, social media and cyberbullying are not the most pressing concerns of our time. Yes, they are relevant and make for great TV topics, but should those types of problems really take precedence over reformation of gun policy and the effects of carbon emissions on our entire world?
As time went on, we inched closer to these real issues. But as soon as we neared actual cultural or policy improvements, people shied away. It was hard to distinguish whether the group was merely unwilling to focus on solutions, or unable.
A key example of this occurred when discussing the Paris climate agreement. We all agreed that climate change complicates the way we live, but when our moderator, Tom Axtell, challenged us to shift the conversation, the room stayed stuck on the previous topic. Mr. Axtell essentially asked how we would go about talking to those who have lost their jobs in the coal industry. The next few students who spoke did nothing to answer that question, and simply reiterated previous points that were already made. Even proposed solutions did not make sense because students lacked context and understanding of how our political system works.
The point is that there was a clear deficiency of adaptability and true understanding of complex issues from our youth. It is very easy to say, “Climate change is bad. We need to educate people on it so they understand.” It is not easy to say, “Climate change is only part of the battle; in-depth analysis of fossil fuel availability and natural gas resources shows that the loss of coal mining jobs is really based more on market forces than anything.” The first example is a general statement that makes everyone happy because almost everyone can agree with it. Despite this, it gets nothing done. The second example is a deeper look into why exactly coal jobs are disappearing, and it gets us closer to the tough truth: those jobs aren’t coming back. This information allows us to make real change, whereas a blanket statement everyone can get behind only encourages complacency and self-indulgence.
Another issue that became abundantly clear was that people simply don’t understand how to talk to those with different beliefs. Instead of having an actual conversation or debate, students were content with listing off their preferred talking points and letting that be it. Because of this, divergent viewpoints were introduced, but never elaborated on. Multiple ideas were refuted, but then repeatedly acknowledged as if they were true.
There was no discourse; there were monologues. What I saw was 30 students who claimed to be open-minded, without truly opening their mind. At the end I felt as if nothing had changed, as if I had spent four hours talking to people who will continue spreading misinformation and crafting opinions on things they have no real knowledge of. Our conversation devolved into a listing of problems more so than a forum for solutions.
The big issue is that we never got to the point, and we never made plans for concrete change. This led me to realize the true “problem” with my generation that people are always complaining about: We are so often told that our opinion matters, and it is so easy to make our opinions known, that sometimes we forget the most important part. We forget to make our opinions matter.
Grant McCarty is a senior at Silverado High School.
