I observed my TAs leading discussion sections today in my US History survey. The topic was the New Left & identity politics, & among the things they had to read was SDS’s Port Huron statement. The student’s responses were fascinating. /1
After the TA had discussed the document & it’s contexts, I interjected to ask if the students found the Port Huron statement relevant at all. It was written by people like you, I noted. College students wanting to bring a new world into being. /2
The students, however, were unanimous in that the found the document uninspiring & distant. They couldn’t say why, but when I asked what might be in their Port Huron Statement, and their answers were super revealing. /3
The first thing they said is that they wanted a voice—that they don’t even feel like they could write a Port Huron Statement because their opinions is so unvalued. There was no sense of independence for them, but a kind of subjugation. /4
When they got to specifics, they also included the environment, gun reform, and basic needs like food, jobs, health care, etc. It was really dark. And then it hit me. /5
The Port Huron statement is premised on a booming economy & a sense of security. SDS knee they’d all get good jobs and live a long life. They just wanted those jobs and that life to be personally meaningful and fulfilling. /6
This generation, however, is seriously wondering whether or not they’ll have a world to inherit. Whether ecological catastrophe will wipe them out; whether a mass shooting will end their life; whether they’ll even have a job or a series of Uber gigs. /7
It was honestly hard to listen too. And if there’s any lesson from it, perhaps it’s that we shouldn’t snark or complain so much about our students because they are fully aware of the mess they are about to walk into. /8
Maybe it’s a lesson about the vitality of history for it provides people with the resources by way of examples with which to envision a new world despite the odds. /10
And maybe it’s a lesson about how the best way to ensure student “success” is to bring back a viable social safety net. Finis. /11
