30. 07. 2004
Author: Vladimír
ŠEVELA
(responsible translator
Tamara J)
Rough Summary of the
article:
How is it with the
“young generation” in the age of 15-30? Doc. Petr Sak summarized
sociological research he has done in a book called “The Youth on
Crossroad” published this year. He warns that young people today are
concerned about their self-interests and are not interested in public goals.
According to Sak a typical young Czech “does not want to waste his/her
energy on activities that are not directly connected with clear profits for an
individual.” Personal relations according to Sak loose their
attractiveness because teenagers and people in their twenties prefer
“cyberspace” or watching TV. This is, Sak says, most popular
leisure activity for young people who loose by the process of
“despiritualisation”.
Millward Brown Agency
concentrating mainly on market, made a research among young Czechs, which was
part of a research around the whole Europe. Young Czechs as well as other
Europeans are more consumers than civilians. They live in “a comfortable
bubble of consumption and brands”, “they communicate and act more
than they think and feel” and their main aim is to get rich. Millward
Brown Agency also mentions some positive features of young Czechs: they are
more perceptive and tolerant to different opinions and manage many more
activities during a day than their parents. “Positive is that money they
earn they do not keep just for themselves. They often invest it in common activities
connected with micro-world of their friends.” Even the author of
“The Youth on Crossroad” admits: “inside the typical trend
for young generation there exist youth groups oriented on global issues
that… try to give their lives some higher meaning above consumption,
carrier and hedonism.” Sociologist Karolína Saková stresses
that this minority will be more important for the development of the society
than the consumption majority. “They set the direction for the society.”
According to sociological
and marketing agencies young Czechs are neither interested in civil nor
political issues. They have resigned in their efforts to change anything and
follow the motto “Carpe diem”. Four young men and one lady who I
spoke to were not satisfied with current politicians but they are not
benevolent to what is happening in the society. “When I read about the
debt of our country I am stunned. People currently involved in politics may not
be interested in that but I am. I wanna live here at least sixty more years!”
says eighteen-year-old hip hopper from Brno. When deciding the preferences for
political parties, some young people surprisingly consider even a communist
party KSCM[1].
“I believe that they are different than those before 1989 and they have
reasonable opinions on some issues.” But some young people are strongly
against communist: “I was influenced by my grandmother and she told me
how they confiscated her property.”
Some people are very politically aware and do not understand how come
others are not be interested. Others believe that “the solution is not to
be political but rather try to influence your immediate surroundings and
community. There is a bigger chance to influence anything.”
The editor of the magazine Živel Tomáš Zilvar describes one of
his experiences that shows that young people are not apathetic to what is
happening around them: “Recently I got a message on my cell: go to the
web of KDU-ČSL. On a web of this political party there was a passionate
discussion concerning drug policy. In a short period of time there were
uncountable reactions from young people connecting through mobiles and internet
that were supporting a liberal opinion. The surprised administrator of the web
rather ended up the discussion. “ “Older generation criticizes us
that we are lazy and do not even go to vote. But young people are interested,
but they show in a different way.”
[1] Nowadays according to Herzmann young people up to the age of 29 make up five per cent of communist support, although few years back it was only two per cent.