Editor:
John Gleeson in his column “Indoctrinated for the Green New Age” managed to trash the 60s, youth, and environmentalists, equating the latter with totalitarianism. It is a known fact that the 60s and 70s were transformative; our society was forever altered in many positive ways – civil rights, women’s rights, anti-militarism, the modern environmental movement, to name just a few. As to his mention of the common talking points the children wrote in their letters about climate change – of course they espoused similar views, all movements do, in all times. This is how they become movements: their commonality of ideas, thoughts, and purpose. This is also true of religions, political parties, civic clubs. This should not come as a surprise.
Indoctrination is not exclusive to totalitarian systems. Societies throughout history indoctrinate, socialize if you will, their young members. This is how they pass down their values and norms and hence ensure the continuation of said society. But in modern parlance, indoctrination is used as a pejorative against those values and ideas with which one disagrees. One wonders what John would have written if the students had gone on strike in support of pipelines and free markets.
One hundred years ago, children working in the mills and mines went on strike for the right to go to school. Today our children went on strike for the right to have a future. I for one am very proud of our youth who found the courage to stand up and address these pressing issues.
Seamus Korner, Wilson Creek
