User:Madison '95/sandbox

The New Scout Generation is the generation of today's young Americans. Named for its members' scout-like conduct and demeanor, this generation hearkens back to the Greatest Generation that fought World War II -- the first Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in America. This is an apt name for the generation, as these young kids today love Scouting!

This generation's defining moment occurred on September 11, 2001. The Twin Towers were destroyed by Al Qaeda terrorists. This event united the nation and made people more conservative. New Scouts, like everyone else, got behind George W. Bush in reaction to the event.

In reaction to 9/11, the New Scout Generation showed extreme interest in joining the military. Kindergarten classrooms were filled by children playing soldiers during recess. Police also bcecame heroes overnight, so unlike such generations as the vulgar Generation X, this generation trusts the police. After 9/11, many children dressed up as cops, firefighters or Uncle Sam on Halloween.

Another important moment for the New Scout Generation was the War on Iraq. Impressionable young New Scouts saw the need to protect America from weapons of mass destruction, but such Americans as the Dixie Chicks and Michael Moore dared to speak up against the war. They were discredited. This event reinforced in New Scouts the need to get behind Bush. When Saddam Hussein was finally executed in 2006 and Osama bin Laden killed by military action in 2011, these events bumped up once again the greatness of America.

This generation stays away from drugs and is against legalizing marijuana or under-21 alcohol use. It frowns on drug use partly due to its feeling a need to get behind Bush, as Bush opposes drug legalization. It also wants to wait until marriage to have sex, and will be more like the Greatest Generation than Xers who married at 40.

One of the biggest impacts of the 9/11 attack on the New Scout Generation is this generation's willingness to trade civil liberties for security. Homeland security is paramount for these youngsters, as New Scouts value security above all else. Young Americans will gladly give up freedom of religion, trial by jury, the right to criticize Bush, or freedom from racial profiling to make the country more secure. They are very unlike the generation of Eugene B. Debs, who criticized World War I during wartime.

Unlike Baby Boomers, who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War, New Scouts are a soldier-like bunch who would have no problem marching off to war in World War I, World War II, the Korean Warm, the Vietnam War, the Persian Guld War, the War on Terror in Afghanistan or the War on Iraq. Even this generation's girls show an interest in fighting.

This generation is also conservative on corporate issues. They oppose file-sharing with Napster, trust businesses to do the right thing, sipport Big Oil and more oil-drilling and believe in a business owner's right to discriminate.

But this generation also has a liberal streak. New Scouts support welfare, Social Security and funding for education. They are against loering taxes and will gladly pay whatever amount of taxes in takes to keep America secure from terrorism.