Liberal Arts and Today's Teens: A Need for Creativity

Generation X. Y. Z. Rx. The society of teenaged young men and women in today's amalgamated society has been referred to with many generalizing titles. Rx because it is prescription addicted, Z because it came after the original Y, Y because it generally stands for "Youth," and X because no one perceives anything good coming from it. Many have already given up on this generation because it is lazy, bored, and lives in a newly technological world that no one has been witness to before, or knows what to expect from. There is no sign of a cultural intelligence-or a cultural signature-to be seen. That is not to say they haven't tried, though unsuccessfully: their films are terrible and their "music" is worse. However, the few that still believe in this miniature slice of society, despite every negative influence, will not be disappointed. There are those few talented people out there, as there are in every generation, that are yet undiscovered. Though one person cannot single-handedly create a cultural signature for Generation Whatchamacallit, a college education focusing in any of the liberal arts can inspire some sense of cultural literacy into these lost children.