Generation Q

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
October 10, 2007
New York Times

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In this thought-provoking article, Friedman challenges today's generation of college students to become more involved in politics -- both for their own sake and for the sake of the nation as a whole. We found it to be a good starting point for discussions of social and political responsibility.

Also interesting is "Youthquake," by Michelle Conlin, published in Business Week. It describes why there is good reason to believe that Friedman's Generation Q may be becoming politically active in a very significant way.

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I just spent the past week visiting several colleges — Auburn, the University of Mississippi, Lake Forest and Williams — and I can report that the more I am around this generation of college students, the more I am both baffled and impressed.

I am impressed because they are so much more optimistic and idealistic than they should be. I am baffled because they are so much less radical and politically engaged than they need to be.

One of the things I feared most after 9/11 — that my daughters would not be able to travel the world with the same carefree attitude my wife and I did at their age — has not come to pass.

The rest of the article is available from the New York Times.