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In Reply to: Re: Reminder posted by Educator on September 12, 2008 at 14:11:44:
These are mostly my personal thoughts, not necessarily official coordinator views.
I can't speak for Youth-ish. The problem I have with how JWH comes across is we adults have more of a clue than "the youth." I have trouble with the "we" aspect -- we older and wiser; the "them" aspect -- the youth who need "our" guidance.
The "WE" aspect:
I wince to even identify myself with the "we" position JWH outlines, as though it is the default on this board; where "we" are all older generation on a gen-X board, where "we" are all somehow better or more equipped, when "we" are the ones who put so many SGs through the hell they now live, and so many of us FGs can't even get our own shit together in life (as Youth-ish put it so well).
The "THEM" aspect:
There really is no them (or us). As you put it: "everyone, regardless of age, is vulnerable to the recruiting tactics and public relations lies of cults and extremist groups." Since "there is no single demographic or psychological profile of those vulnerable to cultic influences," I don't see more of a need for the older to warn the younger -- it's all a question of general education and information which can come from any age group and flow to any age group. The younger generation could just as well "warn" the older generation about cults. I do agree that many young people are targeted for recruitment and therefore need information about cults, but teaching "young people how to recognize totalitarian groups" could just as well come from other well-informed young people.
The WARN aspect:
"Warn" is a heck of a loaded term coming from our background. I don't think I should need to say more.
The "YOU PEOPLE" tone:
I wince to even read "Hi! to you young oneand youth representive." If a black person posts in offense to "we should warn black people," is he then automatically a representative of all black people? This to me, is but a small step from "you black people" or "you Asians" or "you Jews" or "you gays."
All this to say, the three words warn the youth are a very explosive combination of loaded terms.
