My Rebuttal To Joey Martin On 94.5 The Bull

Hey Joey

I don't often listen to your show “Get In The Ring”. I work nights and only get the opportunity if I'm close to a radio at work. I'm a unionized employee at Wescast so your show this past Monday night held special interest to me.

There was one thing that really ticked me off about your show last night. Why are people so down on our youth?

I wasn't able to catch all of your show, so please forgive me if I'm taking what I heard out of context.

It absolutely infuriates me when people talk down to our youth, saying they don't work, or are lazy. I think people who make these statements have no facts to base them on, and they reek of self-righteousness and intolerance.

Why is it when an adult goes out with his or her friends and spends their cash at the bar getting drunk we call it a good time. However if a youth spends his or her time and money with friends playing PlayStation it's a waste. Does that really make sense to you?

Things like work ethic aren't taught. Rather they are caught. Meaning those are the things we "pick up" from our parents, mentors, or older co-workers. If (underlined) our young people are lazy it's only because they have learned it from us. It's not them, it's us who have dropped the ball. We need to stop pointing our fingers, and look at ourselves. Change, if indeed that’s what’s needed, will not come through us standing in judgment over our youth.

At Wescast I had the opportunity to work with some really great students. To be honest I would say the percentage of students who "didn't want to work" is equal to the adults in the exact same category. A few adult workers had such a bad attitude towards the students no matter what they did they were in the wrong. I worry people in the community adopt the same negative attitude, and to them a youth has failed before they've had the chance to prove themselves either way.

My wife and I have been working as volunteer youth leaders since 2001. Our current group is made up of 40 to 50 youth, most of who are industrious, hard working, and most importantly are concerned with the community they live in. They wish to be involved in making a difference, and aren't afraid to "roll up their sleeves" and get a little dirty to do it. I dare you to come out with me on a Friday night and meet a group of youth who will blow the perceived stereotype out of the water!

Last June the Maitland River Commiunity Church in Wingham held an event called H2O. They gathered youth from various churches and groups through out the Wingham area and they committed random acts of kindness. These young people worked their rears off! They did tasks from sweeping the sidewalks of down town Wingham to painting houses and small carpentry work. All for free, to be servants and to have fun! I don't remember the number of jobs completed, but I think people would have been blown away by what was accomplished by this group of teens.

I believe the issue is most adults don't understand our youth. Worst yet, they don't try to. Why is this? When I hear people talk about how "bad" the youth are, too often they have no names to associate to their criticisms. How can we make a call on the state of young people when our closest encounter is looking at them through the windows of our cars as we pass through town?

Times have changed. In fact paradigm shift in our culture are happening at an alarming rate these days (every 3 to 5 years versus every 20 not too long ago). Rather than bucking change we, as adults, need to be ready and willing to change with the times.

A very wise man once penned these words. "Come mothers and fathers throughout the land and don't criticize what you can't understand. Your sons and your daughters have yond your command your old road is rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand for the times they are a-changin'." I think the words of Bob Dylan are more pertinent today then they were in the 60's.

We need to get involved in the lives of our young people, on their turf, before we slam them. Our youth are going to change the world, and if we don’t get off our high horses and work together, we’ll be left behind.

Good show last night.