18 is Artitrary

On the Internet I go by Renaissance Kid or Josiah Power.

I taught myself to draw, use computers, film and more at an early age. I was learning languages but our family had some hard times, so I had to stop and there was no other school I could attend.  At age 11, one of my videos beat out the adults and was featured at an International Women’s Rights Forum. My videos have also been featured on YouTube. 

Places like Orlando Tech and Full Sail still kept telling me I was too young.  They said I had to wait ‘til I am 18 to be part of their program, even though my parents told them they would chaperone me to the classes. 

Yet every day I hear how young people in America are behind in education; how other kids in other nations are ahead of us. These kids do not have to wait ‘til they are 18. There are many young people in America who are talented, but if they are not playing basketball, football, singing, acting, or dancing, they are not recognized for their talents. There is nothing wrong with those talents, but those are not my talents. 

See me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RenaissanceKiDD and on YOUTUBE at http://www.youtube.com/user/xwushux

Youth Rights Day

In honor of the second annual Youth Rights Day today (chosen because it was John Holt's birthday, a man well worth knowing about in regards to youth empowerment), I reread a couple articles about lowering the drinking age at the National Youth Rights Association (NYRA) website. Their strongest argument is based on the phenomenon of "forbidden fruit;" that is, anything that's prohibited only makes it more attractive. Their next argument goes like this: with the emphasis on alcohol prohibition for people under 21, dialoguing about it in any rational way is not emphasized.

Funny the NYRA folks should bring that up! We (adults) don't want to engage in rational dialogue with youth, probably because they would make us confront our own irrational behavior, not only about alcohol, but with drugs, sex, and other "bad" stuff that humans so love to do.

I would get really upset about the craziness of our alcohol policy, except that all our major social policies are just as screwy, irrational, illogical, and need I say, counterproductive? Take your pick: policies about drugs, abortion, taxes, the death penalty, the right to die; compulsory education, all are based on fear, tradition, and one group (highly conservative, mostly fundamentalist Christian people) lording it over those of us that are ready for some major paradigm shifting.

Can't we get real and acknowledge our seemingly inbuilt tendency to want to alter our consciousness from time to time, probably so we can feel less afraid? Can't we acknowledge that simultaneous with wanting to alter our consciousness, we are ashamed of that impulse, so we pretend we don't want to, and officially prohibit young people from doing it as well? After all, we're not kidding anyone, especially youth.

In contrast, consider what the NYRA says in their article, titled "Solutions," about lowering the alcohol age: "It is time we as a nation implement a smarter alcohol policy; an alcohol policy based on education, toleration, and a message of responsible, moderate use." Whew...like a cool breeze billowing the curtains on a perfect spring day, eh?

Please check out the NYRA and their highly rational policy statements on drinking, voting, and curfew. And, next year, think about organizing for National Youth Rights Day (April 14), to stir up some dialogue about our crazy laws based on age.

The Foundational Oppression

If adults consistently disrespect a child, that child sees disrespect as a natural part of life. It doesn’t take long for her to start believing, without consciously thinking about it, that her ideas are not worthy of attention by adults and are therefore useless to society. There is a pervasive belief that only the ideas of adults are valid and that children have absolutely no credibility until they have attained the exalted state of adulthood (even though it is never clear what constitutes an adult!)

Once a person has been indoctrinated to consistent disrespect in the form of being overlooked, ignored, controlled, poked and prodded against his will…and another oppression comes along, like racism, classism or sexism, there is no fight left. The fight fled before the person even got conscious enough to realize “this is not right.”

Maybe it’s easier to see when the reverse is true. When a young person is respected from the beginning, when she is given a say in the things impacting her own life, when she feels a sense of power and control over her life, when her opinions and feelings are validated by the adults around her…and sexism (or sexual exploitation) or classism or racism comes along, it’s like, “What? Are you kidding me? I don’t deserve to be treated like this!”

Supporting Powerful Young People

I believe one of the most damaging aspects of adultism is the tendency for adults to discourage the enthusiasm of young people and change an attitude of “I’m powerful, I can make a difference” to “Things are not going to change, so I won’t even try.” Young people who somehow retain their personal sense of power are especially inspiring, given how little general respect and encouragement they get from adult society at large.

Recently the Boulder Weekly ran a story called “Peace Rally of Two” [Colleen Mastony; July 19, 2007]. Ashley Casale (19) organized a peace march from SF to DC this summer but has been joined by only one fellow traveler: Michael Israel (18). As of today the two have made it through half the state of Iowa (see www.marchforpeace.info). In the article, Lawrence Wittner, a history professor at the State University of New York at Albany and author of the book Peace Action was quoted as saying: “College-age youth are very cynical these days, which is not to say they like the status quo—they may mock it and tell cynical jokes. But they have very little sense that the world can be dramatically transformed.” This is not a failing of the kids; it is a failing of the adults around them.

The two walkers were stopped from entering Rocky Mountain National Park by a ranger who said that wearing their peace signs attached to their shirts constituted a demonstration. The two were not allowed to enter the park until they had removed the signs and wrote their message of peace directly on their shirts. In a society in which youth are generally supported and encouraged to be bold and to effect change, such nit picking would not occur.

Adults are often quick to point out why young people shouldn’t do something bold; and slow to support their grand ideas. Were there adults in Ashley and Michael’s lives who encouraged their boldness? Stay tuned. I’m going to try to find out.