Fear the Slacker, by AZNR

"Don't forget we're your future.
And you thought you had all the answers." - Social Distortion
Are today's youth a bunch of slackers, or are we just disillusioned?

"They" definitely think we're fucking stupid, whoever "they" are. Just look at how we're portrayed in every television ad: bumbling, moronic, half-wits who only know how to sell clothing fads. Every commercial from electronics to sodas features some teenager or twenty-something who talks like Keanu Reeves and is too busy trying to accumulate consumer goods to develop a competent thought. So this is how these companies view us, their customers? Thanks a lot assholes.

But is this condescending superiority intentional, or accidentally derived from ignorance? It's interesting to note that there is a generation of people growing up right now who seem to be completely misunderstood by their elders. I am part of this group, and I imagine many readers are as well. My parents cannot comprehend the idea that I do not want to fulfill their dreams for me to go to law school. They cannot understand why I will do anything to resist the lure of the corporate workforce. They do not realize that I will put up with a worthless, brainless, completely bullshit menial job simply to avoid getting stuck with what they consider a "real" job. Most certainly, they do not fully realize that these are active choices on my part, and that I have purposely and knowingly handicapped myself on their scale of "success."

Why would I do such a thing? Is it simply because I'm lazy, incapable, or overly idealistic? It's possible you might know the answer already, because you might have engaged in similar behavior. After all, the majority of my friends and acquaintances who are extremely capable people with plenty of "potential" often seem to be doing the same thing. Why is this happening on a large scale?

The simple fact that this question gets asked so frequently really shows how far most people have their heads up their asses, because the answer is right in front of them. When I look out among my peers, I see masses upon masses that lack anything to believe in. Do you ever wonder why they and I constantly grasp for real leaders, and always seem to be on the lookout for someone or something of inspiration? Whether we're upholding unlikely heroes or creating our own guidelines to live by, we are trying to ascertain some legitimate meaning for our lives. It all comes down to the fact that most of us have finally come to understand that we're surrounded by a world of lies. The perfect nuclear families that were supposed to properly raise us no longer exist, as they either crumble into divorces or simply limp along dysfunctionally and drag us down with them. In the workplace, we are told to sacrifice our lives and minds to quasi-enslavement in order to chase down unrealistic fantasies that still fail to satisfy those who obtain them. We've recognized the futility in bowing down to authority figures who we realize are full of shit, whether they are politicians making ridiculous laws or bosses exploiting us. Religion doesn't mean shit to most of us - half of our greatest mysteries have been explained by science, while corruption and insincerity have obliterated most our remaining faith. It's widely acknowledged that heartless corporations are running our lives, and fighting them often seems futile. Even if we hadn't noticed this on our own, the answers are shoved directly in our faces. Every day we are bombarded with stories, movies, television shows, and facts portraying middle-aged workers living a miserable existence, undergoing mid-life crises, and bluntly pointing out that life is not a wonderful fairytale. Unlike our elders who continue to accept this situation and strive for the "American Dream," we took the hint� we understand that this is not right. In most cases, we haven't quite come up with a better answer just yet, but we know that it exists (and that's definitely an important starting point). So for the time being, we'll dick around and do the dirty work, put up with the bullshit, and go through the motions of chasing down that ever-elusive fantasy known as the American dream.

Don't ever forget, though, that we know the whole thing is a big sham. This is what we think about when we come home from a far-too-long day sitting in our cramped cubicle in front of the glowing computer screens. This is what we talk about when we spend consecutive evenings sitting with our friends rather than going out. This is why they don't understand the art, music, and literature that we make and embrace. This is why they should fear the slacker, and understand that we will be here after they're gone. No matter how many of us they convince to join their side, there will always be many more who identify with our disillusionment. Before you know it, the "slackers" who they constantly mock with such obvious arrogance will transform into a furious mass that has finally had enough of the lies, exploitation, and deceit. "Don't forget we're your future� and you thought you had all the answers."