Do you think teenagers today have less optimism about their futures than previous generations?

Jonathan Vincent
First-Year Student
Medicine
"Yes. I think so because of the general state of social issues, the erosion of society, and the decreased job market. It's easy to become cynical with heavy duty politics. It's tougher to realize the American dream now. A bachelor's degree is no longer entry level. But it's not just in the teenage generation; it's passed around to everyone."

Matt Trowbridge
First-Year Student
Medicine
"Cynicism is in fashion right now. You see it in everything, like popular music. The general level of awareness is different now. Back in the 1950s you got the sense that the presiding attitude was that things were good and that members of society communicated more.

Scott Beauregard
Third-Year Student
Medicine
"I don't think so. Every generation has their own set of problems and fears. My father's generation, and grandfather's, had to deal with the threat of war. We have AIDS. Although I believe fears may be faced with more responsi-bility now, I think there are just as many good oppor-tunities. The world is more diverse and complex, more interesting."

Rayfield Lakes
Visitor to campus
"I don't think they are. But because of what we're faced with it's hard to be optimistic and because people put us down."

Beth Klem
Sophomore
College
"No. There are plenty of teenagers out there who are ready to go out and rule the world and meet their goals. I don't think the optimism in younger teens is any less but maybe in older teens and young twenty-somethings."